A project created for use by MLUG members, businesses, our community, and visitors to this web site for distance learning and continued education in topics related to Open Source Software.

Distance Learning is a system and a process that connects students with online courses. While distance learning takes a wide variety of forms, all distance learning is characterized by the following:
1) separation of place and/or time between instructor and learner, among learners, and/or between learners and learning resources - meaning, you can take the courses when your schedule allows!
2) interaction between the learner and the instructor, among learners, and/or between learners and learning resources conducted through one or more media; use of electronic media is not necessarily required. Depending on the course - you may interact with the instructor in a whiteboard, chatroom, forums, or other means such as video conferencing. You may interact with other students within the class in the same manner. You may interact with the classroom or course itself. An example would be providing a correct answer to a question before you can go to the next lesson page, or proving a level of course content knowledge via an online test before you can start the next course chapter.

In its simplist form, distance learning is simply students taking an online course that is not limited to specific times of the day. Online courses are the easiest way to allow students to take courses, because they can work the course into whatever schedule they have.

A whiteboard is a shared electronic workspace. Each participant can add text, make drawings or paste pictures on the whiteboard. Other participants can immediately see the result on their workstation or computer. Each participant can make a local printout or save the contents of the whiteboard to a disk file for later reference.

You could compare a whiteboard to an overhead projector used in a classroom, except everybody can add content to it in real time.

Two or more individuals connected to the Internet have real-time text-based conversations by typing messages into their computer. Groups gather to chat about various subjects. As you type, everything you type is displayed to the other members of the chat group and everyone has the ability to respond to what others type.

A forum is like a chatroom, in that it allows people to send and receive messages or topics that may or may not be read by others visiting the forum. The difference between a chatroom and forum is that a chatroom is in real time where a forum is not. For example, if a person is not in a chatroom when a specific topic is discussed, they may not be able to read that discussion at a later time. However, in a forum, that person could go back days, weeks, or months later and read the discussion in full.

A meeting, instructional session, or conversation between people at different locations relying on video technology as the primary communication link. Communication is 2-way audio with either 1-way or 2-way video. The term, video conference, is sometimes used to refer to conferences via compressed video, conferences via land lines, and broadcasts via satellite. To avoid confusion, using the term or phrase which uniquely describes the communication technology is recommended.

A procedure for transferring or retrieving a file from a distant computer. Opposite of uploading. Many Web sites have links to files such that you can simply click on the link and your browser will handle the downloading of the file(s) to your computer.

All of the courses we offer are equivalent to classroom training offered by colleges and universities. However, all of our courses are specialized courses covering specific topics and are for specific certifications. Most colleges do not offer these specialized courses, or offer them on an irregular basis.

All of our courses are designed to be taken as preperation for final certification testing administered by CompTIA. CompTIA has testing centers throughout the United States, including locally in Cincinnati, OH and Lexington, KY. CompTIA charges a 1-time fee for testing, usually $100 - $150 for each test. CompTIA also offers specialized training in some of the same topics and classes we offer. However, they normally charge $2,000 or more per student.

The prices for the courses is determined by the length of the course. For example, Linux System Administration covers 16 different areas and will take approximately 16 weeks to complete by the average user (assuming they take 1 chapter per week). However, some students are able to take this course in as little as 4 weeks. This course is $350 (yearly MLUG members can take the course for $175, LifeTime members can take the course for $0). There are also group rates for businesses and non-profits that are dependent on the total number of persons who need to take the course.

Another example, a much shorter course, is Using OpenOffice Write. This course only has 8 chapters and can be finished in as little as 2 weeks. The cost of this course is $175 (yearly MLUG members can take this course for $87.50, Lifetime members can take the course for $0). There are also group rates available for businesses and non-profits.

Group rates are for businesses or non-profits who need to get a group of individuals into a course. The group rates are dependent on the total number of students who will be taking a course. If the group is more than 1 individual but less than 10 individuals, the cost of the course is 80% the normal price (20% off). If the group is between 11 and 20 individuals, the cost of the course is 60% the normal rate (40% off). If the group is 21 individuals or more, the cost of the course is 40% the normal rate (60% off).

Businesses can also combine workforces for better rates. For example, business A has 5 students who need to take the Linux System Administration course. Their normal discount group rate would be $280 per student. Business B has 20 students who needs to take the same course. Their normal rate would be $210 per student. If those two businesses combine their workforce for the same course, they now have a total of 25 students and the cost per student would be $140

The development of open sourced software is at a very alarming rate, compared to "commercial software" on other operating system platforms. Therefore, these courses are updated as new releases of open source software become available. As a teacher, one of my pet pieves when teaching at the college level was that the course material was outdated and obsolete. I have made sure that would not happen here. The courses that you take have the most up to date information available when you take the course.

Yes, we are putting together incremental course updates for existing full courses. These courses will also be at a lower rate than the full course. These mini-courses will only cover changes and additions to the software since the full course was updated. For example, you have taken Apache Course when the current release was version 1.3.x and now you want to get up to speed for Apache 2.x - the course available would cover all changes since Apache 1.3 and bring you up to date to the current stable version release of Apache.

At the present time, we are offering these specific courses:

Linux System Administration
Linux for Everyday Users
Apache Web Server
PHP Programming
MySQL Administration
Certified Pen Tester
Ethical Hacking
Forensics
BASH Shell Scripting
Java Programming
Introduction to Programming Basics
C Programming
C+ Programming
HTML Programming
GIMP Graphics
PostgreSQL Database Administration
Ruby Programming
Introduction to Networking Fundamentals
Enterprise Networking
Video Editing & Production Using Linux
OpenOffice
Migrating from Windows to Linux


Micro Courses Include Specifics for:
Operating System
Redhat Enterprise Linux
CentOS
Gentoo
Ubuntu
Debian
Suse
Fedora Core
Servers & Services Sendmail
Postfix
OpenSSH
OpenVPN
Tripwire
Snort
Spamassassin

You can reach the Distance Learning Project web site at MLUG Distance Learning Project

In order to register for a course at the MLUG DLP, you must first be an Active Member of this web site. To become an active member, simply register an account. Active membership is free.

If you are already a registered user of this web site, or you have completed registration, the next step is to go to the MLUG DLP web site. When you are there, there is hyperlink on the top, right of your screen that says "Log In". Select that link and enter your username and password you created for this web site.

The next step is selecting a course you want to take. On the main page of the MLUG DLP is a master course list. It contains several sections. The very top section is the Free Courses. Within that section it lists all of the courses you can take for free. It lists the Course Name and next to it is an icon that resembles a blue i (the I stands for information). If you click on the icon, it will give you more information about a course.

If you see a key icon next to a course name, that means that course requires a password to access the course. All courses that have a key require payment to be made before the course is taken. The registration key will be emailed to your current registered email address when payment is received.

Do you have a product or service that will benefit the MLUG users? Asking to take a course without paying the registration fee is equivalent to asking an auto dealer to give you a brand new car for free. The dealer might give you a car, but someone has to pay for it even though it was free to you. More than likely though, the dealer will not. You can contact us to see, but more than likely we will not. However, if you would like to LOOK at a course to see if it will benefit you, I can allow you access to a course temporarily without you paying the registration.

Yes, there is a section containing many free courses. Some are open-source software specific, some are related to Unix, some are even Windows courses.

Free courses are those who were put together by others. They are generally released under the GPL License, a Common Share license, or some other license that allows free use of the course content. However, those courses are not maintained by this web site - meaning, they are not updated and may contain obsolete data.

Yes! Anyone may design a course for this web site. Contact ewiget via PM or 606-407-1838 with the course details (topic area). An account will be created for you to create your course. A template is available for you to use as a guideline to creating courses. It will be up to you to maintain the course or not after the course is completed. The course will not be available for students until it is completed.

This could be arranged. Contact ewiget via PM or 606-407-1838 with the course you would like to use. If it is a free course, I will simply provide a backup of the current course content. If it is a paid course and you are wanting to use it to generate revenue, you will be required to pay the registration price for the cost of the course which includes a license to modify it and remove any copyright notices. If it is a paid course and you will not generate revenue from the course, you may be able to use the course without paying any registration fees providing all copyright notices remain intact and providing the course content is not changed.

This varies due to several reasons. First, how large is the topic? Second, how up-to-date is the reference material used for the course? Finally, how often does the course require updates due to new features?

To answer your question with averages, all of the courses on this web site that I have personally created take on average of 150+ hours to create the initial course. I have spent a considerable amount of time in the last two years developing the courses on this web site and preparing for the day the DLP would finally open.