Before You Enrol: A Checklist for Computer Basics for Adults

Before you decide on anything, look at the equipment in your house. Computer Basics for Adults assumes you will practise between lessons, and practice goes much better on a machine you can use any day without asking anyone. A laptop or desktop with a working keyboard and mouse is enough. A tablet can help for reading, but it will not teach you files, folders or printing in the way this course covers them.

Check that the computer turns on, that the screen is readable at a comfortable distance, and that you can sit at it for thirty minutes without strain. If the text looks too small, say so now; it can be enlarged, and we would rather you learn that before the first lesson than during it. Mid autumn is a good time to sort this out, since the longer evenings suit steady practice at a kitchen table or desk.

• A laptop or desktop that starts reliably
• A mouse, if you prefer one to a trackpad
• A chair and desk where you can sit comfortably
• Good light on the screen and keyboard

The course starts at the keyboard and the mouse, so no prior experience is needed. That is meant literally. If you have never double-clicked, never saved a document or never been sure what a window is, you are exactly who the first lessons were written for. If you can already send an email but get lost when a file disappears, you will move through the early material quickly and spend more time on folders.

A useful test is to sit down for five minutes and try three things: open a program, type a short sentence and save it. Notice which step made you hesitate. That hesitation tells you more about your starting point than any label such as beginner or intermediate. Write it down and bring it with you if you contact us with questions.

• Can you open a program without help?
• Can you type a sentence and correct a mistake?
• Do you know where your saved files go?

The path runs from the keyboard and mouse through files and folders, then email, then printing. Each step builds on the one before, so skipping ahead rarely helps. Files and folders are where most adults tell us they feel least sure, and the course spends real time there because everything else depends on finding your own work again.

Email comes next, and it is covered as a practical skill: writing a message, attaching a document, replying and keeping your inbox from filling with clutter. Printing finishes the sequence, because a printed page is often the reason people wanted a computer in the first place. Read the curriculum page against your own list of reasons for learning, and see whether the order makes sense to you.

Courses here are short and patient by design, but you still need to plan time for them. Decide how many evenings or mornings a week you can realistically give, and be modest. Two or three short sessions a week usually work better than one long Saturday. Learning to use a mouse is a physical habit, and habits form through repetition more than through effort.

Consider also whether you learn better by reading, watching or doing. Our lessons lean on practice tasks, so expect to try things yourself rather than only watch. If you worry about falling behind, remember that you can go back over a lesson as often as you need. Nobody is timing you, and a slower start commonly leads to a steadier finish.

• Pick fixed days and times for practice
• Keep sessions to around thirty or forty minutes
• Plan to repeat a lesson before moving on

Price should be clear before you commit. Our prices page lists what each course and each paid service costs in Canadian dollars, and what is included. Read it fully, including what is not included. If you are unsure whether a course or a one-to-one session suits you better, send a question through the contact page and we will answer in writing.

Ordering works by enquiry, a written confirmation and then an invoice paid by bank transfer, so there is no pressure to decide on the spot. Cancellations and refunds follow the refund policy, which is worth reading now rather than later. A decision made calmly, with the costs in front of you, is one you are far more likely to be glad of.

• Compare the course price with what it includes
• Read the refund policy before you commit
• Ask questions in writing and keep the replies

If you want one page to carry into your decision, make it this: you have a working computer, you know roughly where you are starting, you have read what the lessons cover, you have set aside time you can keep, and you understand the cost and the refund terms. Five honest yeses mean you are ready.

If one answer is a no, that is not a reason to give up. It is simply the next thing to fix. A borrowed mouse, a larger font or a clearer weekly plan can change a hesitant start into a comfortable one, and I have seen it happen many times with learners of all ages.