Cats make all learning easier. Or dogs, in this case. Or, actually, what makes learning easier is an easy-to-follow, friendly guide that doubles as a place to write down all that boggling e-stuff you’re never going to e-member.

Liz Hardy’s E-Learning 101 really is as simple – and helpful – as its title makes it sound. It’s a guide to online courses and other forms of, well, e-learning, specifically designed for people who don’t live on the Internet or who would rather not deal with that whole “e” business, thank you very much.

E-learning offers a lot of benefits, and one of the most popular among working adults seeking an education is its flexibility: participate in class and tackle assignments when you have time, not at a predetermined hour every week (though you can schedule your own e-learning time if you like!).  For those who didn’t grow up with their noses in a screen, however, it can be terrifying, too.

Enter E-Learning 101. No matter what kind of course software or Internet tools you’re using to communicate with your classes, this book could not make it simpler to figure out what needs doing. And it comes with two added bonuses. First, it never once condescends, treating e-learning like an enthusiastic skill rather than a thing-you-really-should-have-learned-by-now-seriously-why-are-you-such-a-Luddite. Students new to the e-learning game probably get plenty of that from other sources; there is zero of it in this book.

Second, dogs. The assorted puppy photos in the book guide and create a lighthearted air without looking out-of-place or feeling saccharine. Hooray!

(If you’re new to the Internet, you may be pleased to know that hilarious critters are par for the course here.)

E-learning: as easy as stealing toast from a prairie dog.

E-Learning 101 provides a guide to all things e- about learning, but also a guide to all those things about learning you once knew but have probably forgotten. Things like the importance of scheduling, keeping yourself motivated, avoiding procrastination, and building a support network – all of which may not have anything to do with the Internet, but have plenty to do with how well you do in the course and how much you enjoy it.

BOTTOM LINE: If you’re considering or have signed up for an online course and you’re at all nervous about how you’re going to handle it, check out this book. You’ll be glad you did.

E-Learning 101, by Liz Hardy. Available on Amazon Kindle, and/or check out the author’s website, elearningtrainer.com.