Part 1 of a 3-part series Part 2 - Part 3

Let’s say you’d like to apply for a job that requires some basic HTML. You could buy a "dummies" book or sign up for a class at a local university or training facility - both of which are good options. But here’s another option: taking a course on the Web.

One easy way to find an online class is by visiting one of the many learning portals on the Web. These sites offer classes in everything from cooking to CGI programming.

But there are problems inherent in those methods. Devitt found program tutorials "very, very boring." With books, she tended to skip around and read only those sections she needed to accomplish what she was doing at the time. "I miss a lot of useful information that way," she says. And then there were the classes. "The problem with the 8-hour classes is that they go as fast as the slowest student. I doze off while the teacher is walking around saying, ‘Did everyone click OK? Everyone? Did anyone have any trouble? You should all be on screen…’. That's usually when I start snoring and get in big trouble," she says.

The biggest problem, Devitt notes, is that she never found anything that was as advanced as she wanted. That’s why she turned to Web based training. "After so many years of searching I found something that took me beyond the basic. Finally, a course I could take at my pace and that held my interest from start to finish." The course she took includes simulations, flipbooks, audio passages, quizzes, essays and hands-on assignments (where you email your work to the tutor).

Devitt thinks that the terrific advantage to this type of training is that "I don't have to drive anywhere to go to class. This is really a bonus for someone like me who is really busy."

Intrigued by her experience?

Here are some learning portals where you can find just about any course from business basics to e-commerce how-tos.

Click2learn e-Learning Portal

Established in 1984 by Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, click2learn.com, Inc. -- formerly Asymetrix Learning Systems -- has long been a leader in the online learning revolution. The portal, which is part of the Click2learn site, lets you take a course or learn more about various subjects. You can search courses by title, type (book, online or instructor-led), duration, price and publisher.

-- Evaluating E-commerce Options ($149.95, online, 6 to 8 hours)

-- Designing and Implementing Web pages with FrontPage 98 ($149.95, online, 6 to 8 hours)

Remember Ziff-Davis University (ZDU) -- one of the first online learning sites? We’ll it’s been incorporated into SmartPlanet, a site founded in 1999 by Ziff-Davis. SmartPlanet expands upon the ZDU concept with a "broader and more active approach to the entire learning experience."

SmartPlanet offers learning through instructor-led courses, workshops, seminars and self-paced tutorials. The company says that instructor-led courses are taught by experts who present engaging lessons, hands-on projects and answers to your questions. There are two membership options. The free membership lets you access all courses in the catalog that are marked free -- primarily member-created courses, with a generous sampling of SmartPlanet-created courses as well. With a standard membership (which includes a small annual fee) you get all the free courses, plus unlimited access to hundreds of instructor-led and self-study programs.

According to SmartPlanet President Chris Dobbrow, the Internet is the "world’s ultimate resource" and the ideal place to learn. "As people have swarmed online, they’ve gone after those things that are of interest to them, pulling information from a variety of sources to help form a whole view of their topic of interest. The dynamic nature of the Internet has really opened a new way of learning that is more personal, and SmartPlanet is the place where this all comes together."

This site boasts 20,000 classes on its virtual shelves, all of which target the lifelong learning needs of adults. A search for an online Java course ne tted 41 options. "By launching the first large-scale customer-focused adult learning site, HungryMinds.com is challenging traditional learning institutions to become
more responsive to students," says Stuart Skorman, founder and CEO of Hungry
Minds.com. "The Internet allows consumers to have broader choices across every other industry, and education for adults should not be any different."

Sample Offerings

-- Certificate in e-commerce from University of California Berkeley Extension

-- Multimedia and the Web ($380, online, part of a twelve course Webmaster Certificate Program)