The Legal Proofreading Skills course was developed with the assistance of a large law firm that wanted an online, self-pacing course for training its paralegal and legal staff. Its focus is on being able to identify usage errors (grammar, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure) as well as errors unique to legal documents, such as citations and consistent use of defined names. It begins with a review of proofreading principles and techniques. The course then goes through a review of English usage, ending with a lesson on legal definitions and another on checking citations.

The online lessons contain clear explanations, many examples, and practice activities. The course includes pre- and post-tests for the course and each lesson that are scored immediately. Copies of the pre-tests and post-tests go to your instructor who ensures you've not having difficulty and coaches in the skills as necessary.You go at your own pace and submit assignments when you are ready. The instructor evaluates the activities and examinations, comments on skills you have learned and skills that still need polish, coaches you through learning the skills, and certifies your competence. You receive a graduation certificate for framing at the end of the course.

Course Time: You will go through the course at your own pace, so you could complete it within a few weeks. However, you have up to two months to complete the course so you can fit the study time into your schedule. All lessons must be finished within the two-month period.

The Recording and Writing Meeting Minutes course takes you through every step in the process of deciding with your company what types of minutes to take, preparing for taking minutes, recording your notes, writing the notes into clear minutes, and distributing the minutes. It contains three examinations: one evaluating how well you know the requirements of your organization for the meeting minutes, a second evaluating the notes you take for your meeting minutes, and a final evaluating the writing in the final draft of your meeting minutes.

The BWC217 Recording and Writing Meeting Minutes with Additional Evaluations course adds the evaluation of three sets of final drafts of meeting minutes you have written. In BWC217, after you have completed the main part of the course, your instructor will evaluate three more sets of minutes, working with you on the style, clarity, organization, grammar, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, and anything else the instructor identifies that you need to learn.

Course Time: You will go through the course at your own pace, so you could complete it within a few weeks. However, you have up to two months to complete the course so you can fit the study time into your schedule. All lessons must be finished within the two-month period.

The Recording and Writing Meeting Minutes with Additional Minutes course teaches the same skills as the BWC215 Recording and Writing Meeting Minutes course, but adds evaluations of three additional sets of minutes for content, organization, general writing, and usage (grammar, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, and word usage).

This course takes you through every step in the process of deciding with your company what types of minutes to take, preparing for taking minutes, recording your notes, writing the notes into clear minutes, and distributing the minutes. It contains three examinations: one evaluating how well you know the requirements of your organization for the meeting minutes, a second evaluating the notes you take for your meeting minutes, and a final evaluating the writing in the final draft of your meeting minutes.

Course Time: You will go through the course at your own pace, so you could complete it within a few weeks. However, you have up to two months to complete the course so you can fit the study time into your schedule. All lessons must be finished within the two-month period.

The Legal Writing Skills course trains anyone working in the legal profession to write effectively, especially attorneys. The course uses Bryan Garner's Legal Writing in Plain English. The focus is on writing legal documents that are understandable, professional, and effective in achieving the writer's goals.

The online lessons contain clear explanations and many examples. You go at your own pace and submit assignments when you are ready. The instructor evaluates the activities and examinations, comments on skills you have learned and skills that still need polish, coaches you through learning the skills, and certifies your competence. You receive a graduation certificate for framing at the end of the course.

Course Time: You will go through the course at your own pace, so you could complete it within a few weeks. However, you have up to two months to complete the course so you can fit the study time into your schedule. All lessons must be finished within the two-month period.

The Writing Successful Business Proposals course teaches the skills required to prepare successful business proposals for potential customers or clients. It teaches the structure of a business proposal as a series of actions into which you will place persuasive information. It then teaches methods of persuasion and effective, clear, correct writing. The course stresses the competitive nature of proposals and the need to understand the readers and decision-makers.

You will practice writing the essential parts of a business proposal and will produce at least one complete business proposal. You may use a proposal you are actually preparing for your business.

As with the other Business Writing Center courses, the course has online lessons like the lectures in a college course. The materials contain many examples and easy-to-understand explanations. It is self-pacing, so you decide when to work. You send assignments to your instructor attached to an email. Your instructor will evaluate your writing, comment on how well you have learned the skills and coach you through learning any skills you haven't mastered.

Course Time: You will go through the course at your own pace, so you could complete it within a few weeks. However, you have up to four months to complete the course so you can fit the study time into your schedule. All lessons must be finished within the four-month period.

The Writing Effective Sales Letters course teaches sales professionals how to write letters that move a potential customer to action by understanding the customer's needs and desires. Good sales copy is not a matter of simply communicating a message to the potential customer. It moves the person to feel the motivation, excitement, and conviction of the writer and to want the product or service the sales person is promoting.

Central to writing effective sales letters is having the sales mentality, which links the sales letter writer to the potential customer so intimately that both move to the same rhythm.

This course uses three books:

• A sales-letter book that is has a practical approach to understanding the reader and purpose
  
• A book that focuses on writing letters in general to customers when sales are always an issue
  
• A direct-sales book that teaches the skills of writing direct mail that has impact
  

Course Time: You will go through the course at your own pace, so you could complete it within a few weeks. However, you have up to four months to complete the course so you can fit the study time into your schedule. All lessons must be finished within the four-month period.

The Writing Interesting, Informative Web Pages course teaches the skills required to write Web pages that Web surfers will read for content. If you are interested in writing copy that will entice readers to buy products or services, the course BWC428 Writing Online Copy for Web Pages includes extensive training in writing Web copy.

BWC427 uses one book that is an online copywriter's handbook containing a thorough review of the techniques necessary to make any online text interesting and readable. You will write Web text for your own Web site using the skills, and you will receive coaching and feedback from the instructor. If you do not have a Web site, the Business Writing Center will help you select a domain name and establish a site. Cost for the domain name and the first year of Web hosting is approximately $68. You will own the domain name and site. The course will use the pages you develop for your Web site in your training.

The online lessons contain clear explanations and many examples. You go at your own pace and submit assignments when you are ready. The instructor evaluates the activities and examinations, comments on skills learned and skills that still need polish, coaches you through learning the skills, and certifies your competence. You receive a graduation certificate for framing at the end of the course.

Course Time: You will go through the course at your own pace, so you could complete it within a few weeks. However, you have up to four months to complete the course so you can fit the study time into your schedule. All lessons must be finished within the four-month period.

The Writing Online Copy for Web Pages course teaches the skills required to write Web pages that promote products and services. If you are interested in writing Web pages that are interesting and informative, but do not sell products or services, the course BWC427 Writing Interesting, Informative Web Pages will be better for you.

BWC428 uses two of the foremost textbook available today that teach the skills of writing Web promotional copy. You will write Web advertising copy using the skills and receive coaching and feedback from the instructor. You will write Web text for your own Web site using the skills, and you will receive coaching and feedback from the instructor. If you do not have a Web site, the Business Writing Center will help you select a domain name and establish a site. Cost for the domain name and the first year of Web hosting is approximately $68. You will own the domain name and site. The course will use the pages you develop for your Web site in your training.

The online lessons contain clear explanations and many examples. You go at your own pace and submit assignments when you are ready. The instructor evaluates the activities and examinations, comments on skills learned and skills that still need polish, coaches you through learning the skills, and certifies your competence. You receive a graduation certificate for framing at the end of the course.

Course Time: You will go through the course at your own pace, so you could complete it within a few weeks. However, you have up to four months to complete the course so you can fit the study time into your schedule. All lessons must be finished within the four-month period.

The Grant Writing Skills course will teach you how to develop grant proposals from conception of the concept through publishing the proposal. The course focuses on submitting proposals to any granting agency, such as private companies, non-profit agencies, foundations, philanthropists, and government agencies. You will produce a grant proposal for a hypothetical or real granting entity. If you are currently working on a grant proposal, you will use the proposal as the project in the course.

The online lessons contain clear explanations and many examples. You go at your own pace and submit assignments when you are ready. The instructor evaluates the activities and examinations, comments on skills learned and skills that still need polish, coaches you through learning the skills, and certifies your competence. You receive a graduation certificate for framing at the end of the course.

Course Time: You will go through the course at your own pace, so you could complete it within a few weeks. However, you have up to four months to complete the course so you can fit the study time into your schedule. All lessons must be finished within the four-month period.

The Public Relations and Copywriting Skills course teaches the sophisticated skills required to be a successful writer of public relations materials and advertising copy. The course is intended to teach skills in a broad range of public relations and copywriting media, including the news release, feature story, leaflet or brochure, radio spot, direct mail, and print advertisement.

The online lessons contain clear explanations and many examples. You go at your own pace and submit assignments when you are ready. The instructor evaluates the activities and examinations, comments on skills learned and skills that still need polish, coaches you through learning the skills, and certifies your competence. You receive a graduation certificate for framing at the end of the course.

Course Time: You will go through the course at your own pace, so you could complete it within a few weeks. However, you have up to four months to complete the course so you can fit the study time into your schedule. All lessons must be finished within the four-month period.

This training program for customer-support representatives consists of two special courses that were developed in cooperation with Service Strategies, Inc., a company that specializes in working with technical call centers. The entire training program contains two courses: BWC495 Basic Writing Skills for Customer Support Representatives and BWC497 Writing Customer or Client Support Messages.

If you register for both BWC495 Basic Writing Skills for Customer Support Representatives and BWC497 Writing Customer-Support Messages at the same time, the tuition is reduced from $590 for the two to $495.

The online lessons contain clear explanations and many examples. You go at your own pace and submit assignments when you are ready. The instructor evaluates the activities and examinations, comments on skills learned and skills that still need polish, coaches you through learning the skills, and certifies your competence. You receive a graduation certificate for framing at the end of the course.

Course Time: You will go through the course at your own pace, so you could complete it within a few weeks. However, you have up to four months to complete the course so you can fit the study time into your schedule. All lessons must be finished within the four-month period.

This special course was developed in cooperation with Service Strategies, Inc., a company that specializes in working with technical call centers. The entire training program contains two courses: BWC495 Basic Writing Skills for Technical Call Center Representatives and BWC497 Writing Customer or Client Support Messages.

BWC497 Writing Customer or Client Support Messages contains training in how to organize and write support messages for customers or internal clients so the messages solve the person's problems and create good working relationships.

If you register for both BWC495 Basic Writing Skills for Customer Support Representatives and BWC497 Writing Customer-Support Messages at the same time, the tuition is reduced from $590 for the two to $495.

The online lessons contain clear explanations and many examples. You go at your own pace and submit assignments when you are ready. The instructor evaluates the activities and examinations, comments on skills learned and skills that still need polish, coaches you through learning the skills, and certifies your competence. You receive a graduation certificate for framing at the end of the course.

Course Time: You will go through the course at your own pace, so you could complete it within a few weeks. However, you have up to four months to complete the course so you can fit the study time into your schedule. All lessons must be finished within the four-month period.

These two special courses were developed in cooperation with Service Strategies, Inc., a company that specializes in working with technical call centers.

BWC495 BWC495 Basic Writing Skills for Customer Support Representatives contains training in how to organize messages for customers, write clearly, include everything the customer needs, write clear procedures, and edit and proofread.

BWC497 Writing Customer or Client Support Messages contains training in how to organize and write support messages for customers or internal clients so the messages solve the person's problems and create good working relationships.

Since you are registering for both BWC495 BWC495 Basic Writing Skills for Customer Support Representatives and BWC497 Writing Customer-Support Messages at the same time, the tuition is reduced from $590 for the two to $495.

The online lessons contain clear explanations and many examples. You go at your own pace and submit assignments when you are ready. The instructor evaluates the activities and examinations, comments on skills learned and skills that still need polish, coaches you through learning the skills, and certifies your competence. You receive a graduation certificate for framing at the end of the course.

Course Time: You will go through the course at your own pace, so you could complete it within a few weeks. However, you have up to four months to complete each course so you can fit the study time into your schedule. All lessons must be finished within the eight-month period.