Learner stories

Everybody is a learner, but we don’t always learn in the same ways. These three short paragraphs are snippets of stories where people tell about their experiences of learning online.

Mon Mon, a parent with teenage children

“Mingalabar, I’m Mon Mon and I have two teenage children. I’m not very confident with computers. I’m OK and I can do what I have to but it’s all moving on so quickly. Sometimes I feel I can’t keep up with my children and feel like they’re leaving me behind. So I decided to take an online course to get better even though It’s been a while since I studied. It was a very different experience from what I did at school. What I really liked about online learning was that I could study at anytime as the course was available 24 hours, which gave me the flexibility to study when it was convenient for me and my family. I couldn’t have attended fixed scheduled classes. The course was also free and when I’d finished I got a Statement of Participation. This is something I can use for when I go back to work to show employers that I have tried to get my skills up to date and have the digital skills to study online and alone.”

Banjar, a young chef

“Mingalabar, I’m Banjar and I love cooking, so I decided to become a chef. And that’s what I do in a restaurant in a big hotel in Mandalay. I think it’s a great job and one day I really want to open my own restaurant. I like to watch lots of online cooking videos. My family can’t get enough of my food.

I think I’m pretty good with technology. I mean, I’ve got a smartphone and I’m never off social media. I look up all my recipes online. I like exploring international recipes and recipe databases. Some sites have message forums, which I like to read as often people ask the questions I’d like to ask. There are also interviews with top chefs. They can give lots of tips and fresh ideas.”

Zin Min Thant, a businessman

“Mingalabar, my name is Zin Min Thant and I’m a businessman in Yangon. I’m quite confident with technology but I know I can do more online. I’ve been taking online courses on engineering as I was an engineer before I was a businessman. I found it a bit tough to get back into the swing of studying, but once I learned how to navigate the courses, I got more confident. The first course I took lived up to my expectations and I completed it in a couple of weeks when it said it was a four week course so I felt good about that. The second course gave me what I wanted in the first half to take my learning on, but them started going into a lot of detail about something I didn’t need to know so I stopped taking that course. I didn’t feel bad about this because I think that’s what online learning is all about taking what you need for your own learning journey.”

Soon you will be able to tell your story too.