Since October 1997 it has been possible to take a range of extramural courses from the privacy of your own home. All you need is the will to learn, the skill to prod a keyboard and a computer with a link to the Internet.

Lifelong Learning Online is an initiative of the adult education department at UCD. So far almost 200 students from all over Ireland, and as far afield as Mexico and Florida, have logged on to a range of 12 short courses covering topics from creative writing, literature and genealogy to the stock market, the Internet and computing for humans. The courses last between 10 and 12 weeks, they cost between £68 and £100 depending on the subject and they are designed and delivered by UCD.

The main difference between these courses and conventional extramural courses is that the students never leave home. At a time that suits them they simply turn on their computer, log into their particular course and spend roughly an hour going through the "lecture" which appears on screen.

Having either read the course material on screen or printed it out, students can then prepare assignments, interact with their tutor and get views and feedback from fellow students through the online student chat facility that accompanies each course. Joining in or not is up to each individual.

Once a lecture is posted on screen it stays there for the duration of the course, so if someone is away for a few weeks he or she can easily catch up on returning home. The lectures can also be accessed at any time of the night or day.

"Basically it's an any-time-anywhere type of learning," says Ashley Gaskin, project manager of Lifelong Learning Online. "It recognises that adult learners can't always slot easily into the conventional education structure for all sorts of reasons."

There has been a very good response to all the courses offered so far, he says. Courses in IT are the most popular, although there was a good demand for genealogy and literature. Gaskin is a literature lecturer who came to the project from UCD's English department.

"I think it's a great development because it opens up third level learning so much. It makes this kind of study possible for people who might be put off ordinary courses for whatever reason.

"We find that people who might be intimidated by walking into a classroom have no such hang-ups about learning this way. We also find that it's a much more democratic form of learning. People tend to ask more questions and to be far more open about expressing their opinions."

Nessa O'Mahony is a public relations consultant and poet who has participated in the online poetry course. "I really enjoyed it - the quality of the material was excellent to begin with and there was very good interaction between the students which threw up lots of interesting ideas and views," she says. O'Mahony's first poetry collection, Bar Talk, was published by Italics earlier this year.

"What's also very nice about this kind of learning is that personalities don't get in the way," she says. "You are asked to give a little pen profile of yourself at the beginning, but beyond that you know very little about the other students. In a normal learning group people's personalities inevitably come into play and have an effect on the dynamic within the group. This doesn't happen with online learning. You're essentially dealing with words on a screen so it's a much more direct, cleaner approach."

O'Mahony estimates that she spent an hour a week reading the course material and a further two to three hours a week in online workshops with other students. "You can afford to spend a bit of time interacting because there's no commuting involved," she says. "I think these courses are a good example of excellent content married to good technology and with enthusiastic participants thrown in it was altogether a very enjoyable experience."

Having been satisfied with the response to their first set of courses, Ashley Gaskin says that plans are now under way to extend the range and to introduce some accreditation. Up to now the courses have been purely extramural, with no awards given.

From September, however, those who wish can opt to be assessed for a certificate which will be awarded to students who clock up 30 credits by completing certain modules and assignments. Initially it's hoped to offer certificates in literature, sociology and computer studies.

There are plans, too, for a new course on film for second-level teachers. It will be available from mid-July and will cover the six films on the curriculum.

"We are really delighted to hear from individuals and groups about what kind of courses they would like to have delivered via this medium," says Gaskin. "We're learning as we go along and we're very happy indeed to get any feedback."

Contact: Ashley Gaskin, Adult Education Office, Room D202, University College Dublin, Blackrock Campus, Blackrock, Co Dublin - phone (01) 706 8964 or email http://www.ucd.ie/(tilde)delltti

`It's an any-time-any-where type of learning - adult learners can't always slot into the conventional structure'