I'm a learndirect learner

Before you start learning with us, it’s a good idea to check that your computer is set up to work with our courses by using ‘Test My PC’. You can also follow the instructions below if you need more help getting started with your learning.

Instructions for Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) users

• Launch Internet Explorer and click on “Tools”.

• From the drop-down menu, click on "Internet Options". This will open a new window, click on the “Privacy” tab ready for you to set up your pop-up blocker settings, which is covered for you next.

Setting up your pop-up blocker settings

We use pop-up windows for our courses. If you want to make sure you can access your learning you may need to make a few small changes to your pop-up blocker settings so your computer will allow pop-ups from learndirect. See the instructions below on how to do this.

• If it isn’t already ticked, tick the “Turn on Pop-up Blocker” box and click the “Settings” button. This will open a new window called “Pop-up Blocker Settings”.

• Type *.learndirect.co.uk in the “Address of website to allow” field and click the “Add” button. *.learndirect.co.uk will now appear in the “Allowed sites” list.
• Click on the “Close” button to return to the Internet Options window.
• Now click on the “Sites” button, which will open a window called “Per Site Privacy Actions”.

• Type *.learndirect.co.uk in the “Address of website” field, and click the “Allow” button. *.learndirect.co.uk will now appear in the “Managed websites” list. 
• Click the “OK” button to return to the Internet Options window.

Adding learndirect as a trusted site

Next, we need to set learndirect as a trusted site in the Internet Options window so your computer knows that our website is safe to access.

• Click on the “Security” tab and then click on the green tick called “Trusted sites”.

• Hold the left mouse button to move the slider to set the security level to “Medium” if it isn’t already set to this.
• Now click on the “Sites” button, which will open a new window called “Trusted sites”.

• Type *.learndirect.co.uk in the “Add this website to the zone” field and click the “Add” button. *.learndirect.co.uk will now appear in the “Web sites” list. 
• Make sure the “Require server verification” box is not ticked. If it is, then untick it.
• Click the “OK” button to return to the Internet Options window.
• Finally, click the "Apply" button and then the “OK” button to close the Internet Options window.

Clearing your internet cache

All the files stored in your cache (a storage place on your computer) take up space on your computer. From time to time it’s a good idea to clear out the files stored in your cache just to free up some space on your computer. This is called clearing the cache. Doing this also helps ensure websites display any new content properly if they've been updated.

How to clear your cache?

• In the Internet Explorer menu, click on “Tools”. Then, from the drop-down menu, click on "Delete Browsing History". This will open up a new window.

• From here, click on the “Delete files”, “Delete cookies”, and “Delete History” buttons in turn, selecting ‘Yes’ when you get a message asking ‘Are you sure...’.
• Click “Close” to shut the “Delete Browsing History” window. 
• Close Internet Explorer and restart it again for these changes to work.

You are now set up to get the most from you learning with learndirect!

You may have noticed that things look a bit different when you access your learning.

What is different?

The main differences that you'll see are:

• When you log in to your learning the log in screen has changed to look like this.
    

You can log into your learndirect account as normal here. Also if you have to change your password, you can do this online easily and securely from this screen.

• You can edit your personal, contact and security details when you log in via ‘Edit My Details’ at the top right of the screen.

If you need any help just click on these  icons and they will explain what to do.

Before you start learning with us, it’s a good idea to check that your computer is set up to work with our courses by using ‘Test My PC’. You can also follow the instructions below if you need more help getting started with your learning.

Instructions for Firefox users

We use pop-up windows for our courses. If you want to make sure you can access your learning you may need to make a small change to your pop-up blocker settings so your computer allows pop-ups from learndirect. See the instructions below on how to do this for Firefox.

Setting up your pop-up blocker settings

• Start Firefox
• Click "tools" from the menu bar and select "options", which will open a new window called “Options”
• From the “Options” window click “Content”
• Here, the “Block popup windows” and ”Enable JavaScript” box should already be ticked. If not, then please tick them
• Now click on the "Exceptions" button to the right of “Block pop-up windows tick box”

• This will open up another new window called “Allowed Sites – Popups”
• Type *.learndirect.co.uk in the “Address of website” box and click the “Allow” button

• *.learndirect.co.uk will now appear in the site box
• Click on the "Close" button to go back to the "Options" window
• Now click on the "Privacy" tab and on the drop down menu, select 'use custom settings for history' and then click the "Exceptions" button

• Type *.learndirect.co.uk in the “Address of web site” box and then click the “Allow” button

• *.learndirect.co.uk will now appear in the site box
• Click the “Close” button.and then click the “OK” button

Clearing your Internet Cache in Firefox

All the files stored in your cache (a storage place on your computer) take up space. From time to time it’s a good idea to clear out the files stored in your cache to free up some space on your computer. This is called clearing the cache. Doing this also helps ensure websites display any new content properly if they have been updated.

For more details on how to clear your internet cache in Firefox read the FAQs below.

• For Firefox 3.5 - http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Clear+Recent+History
• For Firefox 3.0 - http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Clear+Recent+History

You’re now set up and ready to get the most from your learning with learndirect!

'Test My PC' is a tool which will check if your computer can use the learndirect website and learndirect courses.

'Test My PC' will measure your computer against the following points to make sure you can access your learning. If your computer doesn't meet these points then don't worry, Test My PC also tells you what you can do about it. Test My PC checks the following things:

• Your operating system (eg the version of Windows you have)
• Your internet browser (eg the version of Internet Explorer you have)  
• If you have any pop-up blocking software installed that could stop the learndirect website opening up new windows.  
• Your screen resolution  
• If JavaScript is enabled within your internet browser - Javascript is needed to run some courses  
• The extra software installed on your computer which is required for some learndirect courses (e.g. Flash Player).  
• More details of the technical requirements can be found here

'Test My PC' and check whether your computer will work with learndirect courses.

Most of our learndirect courses will require extra software (often called 'plugins' or 'players') in order for your course to work properly. If you are unsure, then our friendly staff will help you find out which software you may need for your learndirect course.

If you’re not sure if your computer already has the required software then have a look at 'How do I check whether software required to do my course is on my computer and enabled?'

If you do need extra software for your course then in most cases you can download the players for free. The links are provided below.

Flash Player

Get the Flash Player (free download)

(Note: We recommend that you untick the option to download the Google toolbar).

To test whether your computer already has the Flash player installed, please click the test link below. A Flash player movie will play if the software is setup correctly on your computer.

Test your Flash Player

Adobe Reader

Adobe Reader allows you to view and print Portable Document Format (PDF) files.

Get the Adobe Reader (free download)

(Note: We recommend that you untick the option to download the Google toolbar).

Java Player

Get the Java Player (free download)

(Note: We recommend that you untick the option to download the Yahoo toolbar).

To test whether your computer already has the Java player installed, please click the test link below. This page tells you if the Java Player is installed correctly on your computer.

Test your Java Player

Shockwave Player

Get the Shockwave Player (free download)

(Note: We recommend that you untick the option to download the Google toolbar).

To test whether your computer already has the Shockwave player installed, please click the test link below. If the Shockwave player is setup correctly on your computer you will be able to load and play a Shockwave based game.

Test your Shockwave Player

Authorware Player

Please follow the instructions to install Authorware v5.2 first followed by Authorware v7.

• Get the Authorware Player v5.2 (free download) 
• Get the Authorware Player v7 (free download)

To test whether your computer already has the Authorware player installed, please click the link below. An Authorware player movie will play if the software is setup correctly on your computer.

Test your Authorware Player

Don’t know which operating system or browser you have installed on your computer?

Use the ‘Test My PC’ tool to find out. This tool will also help you check whether your computer meets the minimum requirements to successfully use learndirect courses

Our courses are tested on the most commonly used operating systems and browsers, and we recommend that learndirect courses are run on these. Currently, we support use on the following operating systems:

• Windows XP
• Windows Vista

We also support use on the following browsers:

• Internet Explorer 6
• Internet Explorer 7
• Firefox 3

As newer operating systems and browsers are released, we may add them to our supported list but this will not happen immediately as we need to thoroughly check that our courses will work properly with them.

Platforms such as Apple Macs and Linux systems are not currently supported by learndirect due to the very small number of customers using them.

However we regularly check our supported list, particularly as newer operating systems and browsers are released, and may add these to it but this will not happen immediately as we need to thoroughly check that our courses and systems will work properly with them.

Using unsupported browsers and operating systems

It may be possible to run your course using operating systems and browsers we don't support such as Linux, Apple Macs, Google Chrome, Opera or Safari, however learndirect cannot guarantee that courses will work.

If you do experience any problems with using unsupported operating systems or browsers then you should try using one of the supported items as listed above.

Internet Explorer 8- We plan to support this browser in the near future, so if you already have this installed on your computer we suggest you try using your course with it. If you do experience problems using this browser try turning on IE8's compatibility mode using the button on the top toolbar - this sets IE8 to run in a similar way to IE7.

The ideal screen resolution for our courses and website is 1024x768 pixels.

To check what your screen resolution is set to and change it:

• First, right-click on an area of your desktop away from any icons or toolbars. This brings up a menu, select ‘Properties’.
• The Display Properties window should now appear; select the ‘Settings’ tab. In the Screen resolution section, your current screen setting will be displayed under the slider.
  
• If your resolution is set to less than 1024 by 768 pixels, left-click on the slider and hold the mouse button down, then drag the slider to 1024 by 768 pixels.
• Click ‘Apply’. Your screen will go black for a moment while your computer makes the change.
• Finally, click ‘OK’ if you are happy with the changes you’ve made.

JavaScript is a language that we use on our website to make it interactive. Browsers usually allow JavaScript to run automatically, but if you find that buttons and drop-down menus on our site aren’t working then it could be because your JavaScript has been disabled.

In Internet Explorer, go to the ‘Tools’ on the top menu and select ‘Internet Options’. In the new window, click on the ‘Security’ tab.

If you've previously set up learndirect as a trusted site with security set at medium, or your general internet security setting is at medium-high as shown above, then by default JavaScript should be active so you don’t need to do anything.

If you have a custom security level set, or you want to check that JavaScript is definitely active, then click on the ‘Custom level’ button. In the Security settings window scroll down to near the bottom of the list, and in the scripting section see if the ‘Active scripting’  option is set to ‘Enable’ – if not, click on ‘enable’.

To close the security settings window, click ‘OK’ then close the internet options window by clicking ‘OK’ again.

JavaScript is a language that we use on our website to make it interactive. Browsers usually allow JavaScript to run automatically, but if you find that buttons and drop-down menus on our site aren’t working then it could be because your JavaScript has been disabled.

If you are using Firefox, click on ‘Tools’ then ‘Options’. In the ‘Options’ window, click on ‘Content’ and look to see if the ‘Enable JavaScript’ box is ticked – if not, click on it to tick it and then click ‘OK’ to close the Options window.

learndirect is here to give you with the best possible learning experience.

As a learndirect learner, you will have access to:

• Your tutor - to help you complete your learning and achieve your goals (the Learner Promise gives you more information about tutor support).
• Your online Learning Pages - so you can plan and manage your learning and keep in touch with your tutor.
• learndirect community - where you can share your experiences online, chat to other learners, ask questions and get support with your learning too.
• Help and support - to help you through your learning if you have an difficulties.

As your feedback helps us to improve please contact us to tell us what you like, make a suggestion or comment, ask a question or make a complaint.

Sometimes, if you’ve viewed a course’s FAQs, the next time you click on ‘Continue my Learning’, it will refer back to the FAQ page again.

To get back to your learning, you need to follow these steps:

1. Click on the ‘x’, in the red box, in the corner of your course window.

2. Click on ‘My learning’

3. Find the relevant course, and then click on ‘View topics and assessments’

4. Find the section of your course you want to look at and click on the “Start” or “Continue” button to launch the course.

Some of our courses ask you to download files in order for you to complete an exercise or assignment. Usually these are .pdf, .rtf, or .doc files which should download when you click on the link for them. If you find that a file will not download, first try holding down the Ctrl key while clicking on the link.

Some of our IT courses contain files for carrying out exercises. These files are compressed to speed the download, and they appear as .exe files, which when opened will save the files required for the exercise to your computer. Your computer will probably display a security warning when you try to open them, which is normal. All the files contained in our courses have been checked for viruses, so they are safe to open.  You can find more details on how to download and open these files in the FAQs and help files for the courses that contain them.

If you’ve bought a computer recently, it may have come with Microsoft Office 2007 (including programs such as Word, Excel, and Powerpoint) already installed on it. The IT courses we currently offer use Office 2003, which looks very different to Office 2007.

Microsoft have some free interactive information which helps users adapt to Office 2007. You can find this on their website. These show the Office 2003 menu structures and then give the Office 2007 equivalent and are available as online resources or downloadable Flash files.

How do I get Word 2007 to save in Word 2003 format?

Word 2007 automatically saves files in a different format to earlier versions, which can cause problems if you send a document to someone with an older version of Word. To get round this, you’ll need to set Word 2007 to save files in the .doc format used by Word 2003 and earlier instead of the newer .docx format.

To do this, start Word 2007, and click on the Office Button (It's in the upper left hand corner)

Now click on the Word Options button at the bottom of the menu

Click on the Save option in the left-hand list, and then change the drop-down menu for "Save files in this format" to "Word 97-2003 Document"

Now click on the “OK” button in the bottom right hand corner and your documents will now save in a format that will open on older versions of Word.

If you need to amend or update any of your personal details e.g address, you can do this via the 'Edit My Details' area.

To do this you need to:

• Log into your learndirect account
• Select the 'Edit My Details' button from the top right of your home page
• Click 'Edit' to make any changes you need, and click 'Save' and your changes will be recorded on the system

In most cases this information can be located in your online learning pages by following these instructions.

• Log into your account.
• Click onto “My courses”
• Click onto “Previous courses”
• Now click onto the course title
• Click onto “My outcomes”
• In the Personal Learning Goal section, you can see the awarding body the test is linked to.

See screen shot attached below.

If your Awarding Body isn’t detailed please contact your centre or call 0800 901 101 to find out this information.

Ufi has a policy in place to refund learners who have paid for a course at a Learning Centre which has closed before the learner has had a reasonable opportunity to complete their course(s), and / or suitable alternative learning arrangements have not been available.

Learners should read the policy before applying for a refund. A copy of the policy and a downloadable request form are attached

Refund Policy		Refund Request Form

If you have completed your learning and haven’t received your certificate you should contact the original Centre that you took your qualification with, as the awarding body will have the Centre's address as their place of contact and so will have posted the certificate to the enrolling Centre.

How do I get my course certificate/statement if my centre has closed?

The Adult Numeracy and Literacy certificates (Level 1 & 2) are equivalent in level to GCSEs, but not in breadth.

The certificates were devised as an alternative to GCSEs for adults, and it has always been the intention that the certificates should be accepted by Higher Education Institutions (HEI) as an equivalent qualification.

It is important to be aware that as these institutions are independent and there are still a number of them who do not accept the certificates. Ufi/learndirect have no control over this, therefore all learners who need a qualification for entry onto a specific course e.g PGCE, should confirm with their individual HEI institution whether they will accept the certificates before enrolling

If you have successfully completed your learning and not received your course certificate/statement before your learndirect centre closed, you have two options.

• For course certificates relating to external qualifications e.g. ECDL you can contact the course awarding body directly to arrange delivery. See below for a list of awarding bodies.
  
  Please note: Most awarding bodies charge a fee for sending out replacement certificates even if the certificate was sent to your centre and was not passed on to / picked up you. When making any payment to an awarding body you should request a receipt for the payment. We will reimburse any fees paid by learners to awarding bodies if we are satisfied that you did not receive the Certificate previously or you did not have reasonable opportunity to retrieve it from your Centre if it is now closed. No fees will be re-imbursed without proof of payment to the awarding body. If you need any further help then please call our helpline-0800 101 901.

• If you require a completion statement for your learndirect course, then you can contact the learndirect free helpline on 0800 101 901 who will help arrange this for you. Lines open from 7am to 11pm, seven days a week.

British Awarding Bodies Contact Details

British Computer Society

BCS Qualifications

Web: www.ecdl.co.uk

Telephone: 01793 417 424 or 0845 300 4417

City & Guilds

Web: www.city-and-guilds.org.uk

General enquiries: 020 7294 2800 (8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday)

Edexcel Customer Service

Web: www.edexcel.org.uk

EDI

Web: www.ediplc.com

Telephone: 08707 202 909 (8.30-5pm)

Email: customerservice@ediplc.com

Institute of Leadershipand Management (ILM)

Telephone: 01543 266867

Email: customer@i-l-m.com

NPTC (part of City & Guilds who deal with the Fork Lift Truck Operations course)

Web: http://www.nptc.org.uk/

Telephone: 024 7685 7300

OCR

Web: www.ocr.org.uk

Telephone: 02476 851 509 (8am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday)

Email: vocational.qualifications@ocr.org.uk

Having trouble accessing your learndirect course? Follow the steps below for help with common course problems such as courses running slow, screen freezing, etc.

1. Test My PC

Check your computer meets the minimum requirements for learndirect courses by using the 'Test My PC' tool. This tool will also help you find out if there’s anything you need that will allow your computer to work with learndirect courses.

2. Check your plugins are working properly

If ‘Test My PC’ shows you’ve got the plugins you need to do your course but it still won’t work, check to see if they are enabled by following the steps below.

• In Internet Explorer click on the 'Tools' button. From the drop-down list select 'Manage Add-ons' and then across to 'Enable or disable add-ons'.
• This will bring up a new window, with a list of installed add-ons. Change the 'show' field to 'add-ons that have been used by Internet Explorer'.
• • If the course you are having trouble with needs Flash, look for 'Shockwave Flash Object' 
  • If the course you are having trouble with needs Shockwave, look for 'Shockwave ActiveX control'
  • If the course you are having trouble with needs Authorware, look for 'Macromedia Authorware Web Player Control'
• If the software is listed as disabled, click on it to highlight it then click the 'enable' button in the settings section.
• Then click 'OK' to close the 'manage add-ons' window. You may get a message saying you need to restart your browser, if so close internet explorer and restart it.

If the software you are looking for isn’t listed then check out the instructions on how to download the relevant software.

If enabling the software doesn’t make your course work, or they were already enabled, then the software may not be working properly. If you think this might be the case, you’ll need to uninstall and reinstall it.

For Flash and Shockwave: remove these from your computer using the uninstallers from Adobe’s website.

Flash: http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/uninstall_flash_player.exe
Shockwave: http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/shockwave/uninstall/win/sw_uninstaller.exe

• Select the 'save file' option, and save the uninstaller somewhere easy to find.
• Close your browser and any other programs you may have running, then go to where you’ve saved the uninstaller program.
• Double-click on it to launch it, and in the security warning pop-up that appears, click 'OK' to allow the uninstaller to run.
• Once this has finished removing the software - Restart your computer and then - launch your browser. After this you'll need to reinstall the software from the links available on the Do I need particular software to access my course? page.

Removing Authorware is a bit more difficult, please call us on 0800 101 901 so we can talk you through how to do this. (The phone line is open 7am – 11pm, everyday)

3. Making sure your courses work with your pop-up/ad-blocking software and adding learndirect to your trusted sites list

For details on how to do this, please have a look at Setting up your computer to get started with learndirect (IE7)

4. Clearing your cache and cookies from your computer and making sure cookies are enabled

To make sure you can access your learndirect course properly, you can create more space on your computer by deleting cookies and temporary internet files (cache) and clearing your history. For details on how to do this read the instructions below. Also make sure your cookies are enabled so you can access your course ok by following this advice.

• Launch Internet Explorer.
• Click on 'Tools' and from the drop-down menu click on 'Delete Browsing History'. This will open up a new window.

• From here, click on the 'Delete files', 'Delete cookies', and 'Delete History' buttons in turn. Then select 'Close' to shut the 'Delete Browsing History' window. 
• Close your Internet Explorer browser and restart it.

5. Checking your firewall or anti-virus software isn’t stopping you from accessing your learndirect course

The easiest way to make sure that your firewall is not blocking your access to your learndirect course is to use your firewall control panel to allow data from *.learndirect.co.uk.

In order to make these changes to your firewall software we would advise that you refer to the user manual that came with the software, or alternatively visit the firewall producer’s website and access their relevant help pages.

Having trouble accessing your learndirect course? Follow the steps below for help with common course problems such as courses running slow, screen freezing, etc.

1. Test My PC

Check your computer meets the minimum requirements for learndirect courses by using the 'Test My PC' tool. This tool will also help you find out if there’s anything you need that will allow your computer to work with learndirect courses. 

2. Check your plugins are working properly

Click on 'Tools', then select 'Add-ons' from the drop-down menu. This will bring up the add-ons window, now click on 'Plugins'.

• If the course you are having trouble with needs Flash, look for 'Shockwave Flash'
• If the course you are having trouble with needs Shockwave, look for 'Shockwave for Director'
• If the course you are having trouble with needs Authorware, look for 'Authorware Web Player'

If the required software is highlighted in grey, then click on the ‘enable’ button to make it active. Click on the ‘x’ in the top right-hand corner of the window to close it when you’re finished.

If enabling the software doesn’t make your course work, or they were already enabled, then the software may not be working properly. If you think this might be the case, you’ll need to uninstall and reinstall it.

For Flash and Shockwave: remove these from your computer using the uninstallers from Adobe’s website.

Flash: http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/uninstall_flash_player.exe
Shockwave: http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/shockwave/uninstall/win/sw_uninstaller.exe

• Select the 'save file' option, and save the uninstaller somewhere easy to find on your computer.
• Close your browser and any other programs you may have running, then go to where you’ve saved the uninstaller program.
• Double-click on it to launch it, and in the security warning pop-up that appears, click 'OK' to allow the uninstaller to run.
• Once this has finished removing the software, restart your computer, launch your browser and reinstall the software from the links available on the Do I need particular software to access my course? page.

Removing Authorware is a bit more difficult, please call us on 0800 101 901 so we can talk you through how to do this. (The phone line is open 7am – 11pm, everyday)

3. Adding learndirect to your trusted sites list and making sure your courses work with your pop-up/ad-blocking software

For details on how to do this, please have a look at Setting up your computer to get started with learndirect (Firefox)

4. Clearing your cache and cookies from your computer and making sure cookies are enabled

For details on how to clear your internet cache and enable cookies in Firefox please follow the links below.

For Firefox 3.5 - http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Clear+Recent+History
For Firefox 3.0 - http://support.mozilla.com/enUS/kb/Clearing+private+data?style_mode=inproduct
Enable Cookies - http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Enabling+and+disabling+cookies

5. Checking your firewall or anti-virus software isn’t stopping you from accessing your learndirect learning

The easiest way to ensure that your firewall is not blocking your access to learndirect services is to use your firewall control panel to allow data from *.learndirect.co.uk.

In order to make these changes to your firewall software we would advise that you refer to the user manual that came with the software, or alternatively visit the firewall producer’s website and access their relevant help pages.

The learndirect website does use temporary cookies each time you access the site. To help ensure uninterrupted access to your learning, ensure that your computer  is setup to allow cookies from the learndirect website.

1. Click 'Start' and select 'Control Panel' (Win 98 and 2000 users may have to select 'Start', 'Settings' and then 'Control Panel').

2. On 'Control Panel' double click the icon called 'Internet Options'. This will open up a window called 'Internet Options'.

3. Select the Privacy tab and select the 'Sites' button. You will be presented with the following screen:

4. In the section entitled 'Address of Web site', type in the learndirect web address: *.learndirect.co.uk and click allow. The learndirect address will then appear in 'Managed Web sites' section. Click 'OK' and 'OK' again on the remaining windows to save your settings.

Don’t know which operating system or browser you have installed on your computer?

Use the ‘Test My PC’ tool to find out. This tool will also help you check whether your computer meets the minimum requirements to successfully use learndirect courses

Our courses are tested on the most commonly used operating systems and browsers, and we recommend that learndirect courses are run on these. Currently, we support use on the following operating systems:

• Windows XP
• Windows Vista

We also support use on the following browsers:

• Internet Explorer 6
• Internet Explorer 7
• Firefox 3

As newer operating systems and browsers are released, we may add them to our supported list but this will not happen immediately as we need to thoroughly check that our courses will work properly with them.

Platforms such as Apple Macs and Linux systems are not currently supported by learndirect due to the very small number of customers using them.

However we regularly check our supported list, particularly as newer operating systems and browsers are released, and may add these to it but this will not happen immediately as we need to thoroughly check that our courses and systems will work properly with them.

Using unsupported browsers and operating systems

It may be possible to run your course using operating systems and browsers we don't support such as Linux, Apple Macs, Google Chrome, Opera or Safari, however learndirect cannot guarantee that courses will work.

If you do experience any problems with using unsupported operating systems or browsers then you should try using one of the supported items as listed above.

Internet Explorer 8- We plan to support this browser in the near future, so if you already have this installed on your computer we suggest you try using your course with it. If you do experience problems using this browser try turning on IE8's compatibility mode using the button on the top toolbar - this sets IE8 to run in a similar way to IE7.

Most of our online courses should run on Vista if you’ve set Internet Explorer 7 up to run our courses. However, a few of our courses will need a piece of software called Authorware to be able to run.

Please use the 'search' function on the learndirect course catalogue to find the course you’re interested in. From the course description you'll be able to see if your course needs Authorware to work properly. 

If your course does need Authorware and you’re accessing your course using Microsoft Vista and Internet Explorer 7, we need you to change a setting on your computer first.  

All you need to do is:

A - Test if Authorware is on your computer
B - Change a setting on Internet Explorer 7
C - Install Authorware back onto your computer

A- How to test if Authorware is on your computer

Click the link below. An Authorware player movie will play if it installed on your computer.

• Test your Authorware Player

If Authorware is already installed on your computer please call us 0800 101 901 for further help. We're open from 7am to 11pm, everyday.  

If Authorware is not installed on your computer, then please take the following steps below.

B – Change a setting on Internet Explorer 7

1. Please launch a new Internet Explorer 7 browser window.
2. Click ‘Tools’ and select ‘Internet Options’.
3. In the new window click the ‘Security’ tab and then click the ‘Trusted sites’ icon (the green tick).
   
4. Move the slider bar under ‘Security level for this zone’ to ‘Low’.
5. Untick the box that says ‘Enable Protected Mode’.
6. Click the ‘Sites’ button and you'll see this screen:
   
7. In the ‘Add this website to the zone’ box, type in *.learndirect.co.uk and click the ‘Add’ button, then type in *.thirdforce.com and click the 'Add' button.  
8. Once you've added this click the ‘Close’ button.
9. Click the ‘OK’ button to close ‘Internet Options’ and then close your Internet Explorer 7 browser window.

C – Please install the Authorware v5.2 first and then install Authorware v7.

• Install  Authorware Player v5.2 first
• Then install Authorware Player v7

Finished! Please try accessing your course again.6

To log in, you need to enter your email address or username, and your matching password correctly. If you're having problems logging in then unfortunately, we can't tell you which part of your log in details is incorrect. This is to keep your details as safe as possible. Below are a few things you can check if you’re having trouble logging in that might help solve the problem:

Please check that you've typed your email address or username correctly

If you know it, you can log in using your username. Otherwise, you'll need to log in using a verified email address. To verify your email address, you will have had to click on a link in a verification email we sent to you. If you think you didn't receive this email, please check your '"Junk email"' folder as sometimes emails accidently end up in there. If it is in this folder, please mark it as '"Not Junk"' and then select the link in the email. If the email isn't there, we can easily send you another one. Just select ''I've forgotten my password'' and enter your email address.

Make sure that your email address or username are spelt correctly, and you haven't accidently added in a capital letter or number. You should check to see if you have ''Caps Lock'' on by mistake and if there are numbers in your email address or password, check to see if you have ''Num Lock'' on by mistake. You can turn these on and off by using the ''Caps Lock'' and ''Num Lock'' keys on your keyboard.

Please check that you've typed your password correctly

Your password is case sensitive. This means that if you accidently use a capital letter then our systems won't recognise your password. Check to see if you have ''Caps Lock'' on by mistake. If you use numbers in your password, you should also check that you don't have ''Num Lock'' on. You can turn these on and off by using the ''Caps Lock'' and ''Num Lock'' keys on your keyboard.

If you've tried logging in and got your password wrong a few times, you may have been locked out (If this has happened you will have seen a message pop up on your screen telling you). You can still use ''I've forgotten my password'' to either answer your security question or to receive an email which will help you access your learndirect account.

Are you logging in for the first time or have recently changed your email address?

If you signed up online, or you've recently told us about a change to your email address, then you'll have received an email from us asking you to verify your email address. Have you clicked on the link in the email? You must do this before you can log in for the first time or log in with a new email address. When you click the link it will open a new browser window where you can enter your password and try logging in again.

If you've not received the email, please check your ''Junk email'' folder as sometimes emails accidently end up in there. If it is in this folder, please mark it as ''Not Junk'' and then select the link in the email. If the email isn't there, we can easily send you another one. Just select ''I've forgotten my password'' and enter your email address.

If when you use ''I've forgotten my password'' we don't recognise your email address (and you're sure you entered it correctly) then you will need to contact us by phone on 0800 101 901, where we'll be glad to help. Or, if you learn in a centre, you can always talk to our centre staff.

If you recently changed your email address, then we'll have reminded you of your username. You can try to log in using your username and see if this works instead. If you can't remember your username then you'll need to contact us by phone on 0800 101 901, where we'll be glad to help. Or, if you learn in a centre, you can always talk to our centre staff.

If you've forgotten your password then you should click "I've forgotten my password"' on the log in page and follow the on screen instructions to reset your password.

Locked out of your learndirect account?

1. If you have tried to log in several times and you got your password wrong, you may have got locked out of your account. If this has happened then you will have seen a message popping up on the screen telling you.
2. In such cases you should click ''I've forgotten my password'' to either answer your security question or to receive an email which will help you access your learndirect account.

Please note: you need to access this email within 7 days, after this time your changed password will have expired and you will have to use the "I've forgotten my password" again to create another password.

If you are logged in

You can change your own password or your own security question by clicking on  'Edit your details' in the top left corner of your screen.

If you are not logged in

You can use "I've forgotten my password" on the log in screen.

If you have not got an email address then you will answer your security question and then change your password.  If you use your email address to access your learndirect account then enter this and then you will receive an email with your password details.

Please note: you need to access this email within 7 days, after this time your changed password will have expired and you will have to use the "Help! I've forgotten my password" again to create another password.

If you don't receive this email please check your ''Junk email'' folder as sometimes emails accidently end up in there. If it is in this folder, please mark it as ''Not Junk'' and then select the link in the email.

Your password for your learndirect account should be between 8 and 20 characters long. You also need to use at least 1 number.

Your screen name for the community can be between 4 and 30 characters long and can have letters and numbers in it. It must not contain the following characters:  ^ \ , / \ ? & #.

Please note: This cannot be changed once it has been chosen.

Your learndirect centre

You can get in touch with your learndirect centre for any general queries you may have.

If you need the contact details for your learndirect centre, the ‘centre search' available on the website will provide this information.

Just enter your postcode or the name of the place you live and click ‘search’, and the results will list your local centres and the contact details.

Your tutor

If you need help at any stage of your learning your tutor is the first person to contact.

The contact details for your tutor can be accessed via your online Learning Pages or you can get in touch with your centre for this information. You can  contact your tutor by sending them an email through My messages or you can give them a ring if you like.

Don't forget there's also the learndirect Community where you can get help and support from other learners.  

You can find out more information about your local centre such as opening times and directions by using the centre search, and then clicking on the ‘more details’ link for your chosen centre

If you need to rearrange or cancel an appointment at your learndirect centre you must contact your centre to let them know as soon as possible.

If you don’t have the contact details for your centre read ‘How can I contact my centre or tutor?’

If the learndirect centre where you have been doing your learning has closed, and you have not been provided with details of an alternative centre, you can contact the learndirect helpline on 0800 101 901 for advice on options available to you to help you continue your learning.

The 'Nothing Can Stop You'  book has been written to support you with your journey of gaining new skills and qualifications.

It gives you tips, tools and ideas and exercises to help you get started and achieve your goals.

You can order your copy by filling in the online form.

Reading with your children is a great way to improve their maths and English skills - as well as yours. That's why we've produced this book called 'Where did the river go?'

It is not your normal storybook. To follow Plip and Dab on their adventure, you and your children have to solve puzzles designed to test your English and maths skills.

How to claim your free book

To get your free copy of 'Where did the river go?'* you need to register your details and print out a voucher from the Where did the river go? website.

If you don't have an email address or printer, don't worry. We can text the voucher to your mobile or you can register at your nearest learndirect centre.

*This offer is open to residents in England and Wales only over 18 years of age. A maximum of one voucher per household is permitted.