Choosing a course

IBS 2.7 > Student Functions

Every course in IBS is offered by a particular organization, or "Group". As an IBS student, you must be admitted to a Group before you can enroll in or purchase its courses.

You will select your course from your Group's sales catalog. On this page, you will find a list of all products currently offered for sale by your Group.

Note: Your Group may include additional courses in its course catalog. This is the master list of courses offered by the Group. It is a list of courses, not a list of items available for sale. It may even contain “coming attractions” – that is, courses that the Group intends to offer in the future that may not yet exist as a product that can be sold.

When choosing a course from the sales catalog, you should consider the following.

1. What language do you wish to work in? Be sure to select a language in which you are fluent enough to understand the material and (for facilitated classes) participate in discussion groups.
2. What level is the course? Some courses may have recommended prerequisites that should be completed first. Be sure you have met the recommended guidelines before purchasing or enrolling in a course.
3. Is the topic of interest to you? On the Sales Catalog page, you may point to any course title to read a brief description of the topic.
4. Do you prefer non-interactive reading, interactive independent study, or facilitated courses? Independent study allows you the freedom to study whenever you wish and complete the course (or not) at your own pace. However, you will miss out on the valuable interactions with the facilitator and other students that a facilitated course provides. For more information on the different study options, near the bottom of the sidebar menu, select Getting Started > Study Options or click this link: http://www.internetseminary.org/cms/studyoptions.php
5. If you wish to take a facilitated course, is it offered at the time you want to take it? You may do your coursework at any time of day, but assignments in a facilitated course must be completed by certain dates. Be sure you will have time available to complete your assignments.
6. Are you pursuing a particular Study Program? A Study Program is a set of courses defined by your Group Administrator. For example, one program might concentrate on a particular area, such as Christian Living or Studies in the New Testament. Another might lead to a certification or degree. You can see the Study Programs that have been defined for your Group (or others) on the Group Details page.

For information on how to actually enroll in a course, see Purchasing Products from the Sales Catalog.