All classes are one month in duration, with the materials available for review for 11 months after course completion. Classes begin on the first day of each calendar month.

During the first month of class, an instructor will be available to lead discussions and answer questions posted to the class forum. There is no need to be online at the same time as your classmates or instructor.

You will also have a Training Assistant to offer support for course-related concerns and technical matters.

All online classes are self-paced and classes are accessible 24 hours a day. We do have a suggested Study Pace for participants and your Training Assistant will send you reminders. All of the question and answer (Q&A), and discussions take place via email and are posted in discussion forums online. The course is available to you for 12 months: one month with assistance, and 11 months without.

All courses offered by the GHG Management Institute are available online through our Learning Management System (LMS). The GHG Management Institute utilizes an online e-learning format to keep costs down and enable us to have a global reach as large as the internet itself. E-learning allows you to take a course according to your personal schedule, without traveling and as your personal schedule permits.

There is no need to be online at the same time as your co-learners or instructor. The instructor will lead the class, posting comments on the discussion forum and answering questions posted to the discussion forum within 24 hours.

By “class time” we mean the one-month period at the beginning of the course when the instructor is available. The course is largely self-paced and 100% online so you can access the materials whenever it is convenient. There is a virtual classroom, but there is no need to be online at the same time as your classmates or instructors.

The Learning Management System (LMS), where we host our courses, provides a discussion forum where learners can post messages and respond to questions posed by the instructor and other participants. However, this feature is not real-time or synchronous so you may experience a delay in responses. Our learners come from all over the world, so it would be very difficult to schedule an appropriate or convenient time to engage in a live discussion.

Hardware

Computers purchased within five years will generally have the processor speed and memory capacity to effectively access course materials on this website.

Learners will also need the following:

• Video card (minimum of 256 colors at 800 x 600 resolution
• Mouse
• Sound card
• Speakers
• 56k modem (for dial-up internet access)

Operating Systems

Most major single-user and multiple-user operating systems are supported:

• Microsoft Windows: Windows 7, Windows XP Home and Professional, Windows Vista
• Apple Mac OS X: 10.5 (Leopard), 10.4 (Tiger), 10.3 (Panther)

Browsers and Settings

For Windows-based users, Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox is recommended; Macintosh users are encouraged to use Firefox. Regardless of your choice in browsers, make sure your settings match those listed below:

Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE)

• Temporary internet files (every visit to the page)
• Default settings for security and privacy
• Medium security setting for the Internet zone
• Content advisor disabled

Mozilla Firefox

• Cookies enabled
• Cache enabled
• JavaScript enabled

Applications and Plug-ins

The following applications and plug-ins are required: Adobe Flash Player (7 or later) and Adobe Reader (7 or later).

Account with Username and Password

Users must have a GHGMI account to access online courses.

Pop-up Window Blockers

Pop-up window blockers should be disabled.

Firewall Settings

Firewall settings must allow streaming media from this website through Port 80.

Internet Connection Speeds and Data Transfer Rates

For users with dial-up modems (56k or faster), Internet connection speeds are affected by the quality of telephone lines and the variable connection speeds of modems.
If a broadband connection is used, there shouldn’t be any issues accessing course materials. There are no requirements for a high-speed connection, but a minimum of 768.0 Kbps download speed is recommended.

Please go to our Alumni Reviews page for a course-by-course list of feedback from learners on their experiences with GHGMI.