Have a flick through our brand new Ebook - Landscaping with Australian Plants

Australia has a more varied flora than just about anywhere-plants that suit virtually every type of climate and soil type. These include the tallest flowering plant in the world to some of the rarest species.

Discover new plant varieties and ways of growing them that you may not have previously considered. Practical, beautiful and diverse, Australian plants will add a whole new dimension to your garden design.

This ebook has 205 colour photos and 192 pages. Visit our ebookshop to download a sample or read more.

New Genetics Course is released this week

In this course you will learn about what goes on in cells, how living organisms become what they are, how we differ from one another and from other species. It is about the chemistry of what makes humans and why every other living organism is different to humans.

It is expected that you will have some prior biological study to undertake this course. Studying genetics can feel like studying another language, the biological language of genes and DNA. It would be very helpful for you to be aware that the content of the lessons should be regarded as a detailed overview of the various topics in genetics.

For more information or to enrol into this course, please click here.

New Business Opportunities board on Pintrest
Unemployment is optional! There are lots of ways you can earn by starting your own small business. Starting up does not need to be expensive; but it takes a viable idea, a dose of pragmatism, a little creativity and a lot of hard work! Find out more: www.pinterest.com/acsdistanceed/business-opportunities/

Alternative Education has Advantages: Editorial by John Mason (Principal)

There are many ways that people learn. Education doesn't need to be the same for everyone. In fact, it is better if it is not the same for everyone, for two good reasons:

1/ Everyone learns differently. People are more effective learning different ways of doing things. For example, some people have a natural tendency to process information and they will learn better when processing information, where others learn better by gathering information, and their learning capacity will decline when they are forced to be processing.

2/ Different courses taught in different ways will produce people with different mixes of skills and knowledge. The world thrives on diversity and a more diverse education system produces greater capacity for innovation and growth.
Getting outside mainstream education can be a good thing. If you study different things in a different way; you will have different skills, giving you a competitive advantage in today's world.

ACS Distance Education has been developing different courses for decades based on experiential learning. Interestingly, our graduates frequently tell us of their success because of things they learnt with us, that colleagues did not cover in their mainstream courses.

On Trends
The world is continually changing and the things that people wanted and needed to learn about in the past are not necessarily the same as what is needed in the future. If you are uncertain about what course to study, consider the subjects that other people are choosing to study right now. Below are the most popular courses in some of our disciplines over the past 3 months:

In Computer Sciences, Javascript (Build and maintain websites using Javascript)
Why? This skill is a necessity in todays web based world due to increased useability requirements given the many devices that people use to access the web.

In Tourism - Adventure Tourism
Why? With students taking a gap year and travelling more frequently in the past, adventure tourism is a great area to get into.

In Human Nutrition - Therapeutic Nutrition
Why? We have learnt a lot more about human nutrition in recent decades and we have a growing knowledge of our understanding of how nutrition can contribute to treating health issues, improving recovery after illness and sustaining a better quality of life.

In Business - Business Coaching
Why? The world is changing so rapidly now, and businesses are finding it increasingly difficult to adapt without some advice. Business coaching is now the largest sector in the coaching industry.

In Science - Botany
Why? Many university courses in botany have been closed down over recent decades. Studying botany became unfashionable over the past few decades, however, with concern about climate change and growing demand for agricultural production in the developing worlds, we are seeing an impending undersupply in people who know about botany, which is increasing the demand for Botany courses.

Mushroom Production in Zambia

Eunice Chisenga has recently completed the Mushroom Production course with ACS Distance Education in the UK. She is based in Zambia and has found the course useful. She recently sent us photos of the mushrooms she is producing and is keeping us updated of her progress. Eunice studied mushroom production with Yvonne Sharpe, one of our tutors at the UK school.
Eunice said, "I have learnt more about mushrooms. The scientific names and many methods of growing mushrooms and so many types (genus) which I did not know". She has produced some mushrooms, including Oyster mushrooms, in her pilot project.

We wish her well with her mushrooms. It is always good to hear how students are getting on with the knowledge they gained during our courses.
If you are interested in learning more about Mushroom Production, then why not have a look at our 100 hour mushroom production course. Click here to find out more.