Practical Matters

Differences between a Certificate and an Associate Degree course
The main difference between a Certificate course and an Associate Degree (AD) course lies in the fact that in the AD there are more lectures (and they are usually also more detailed) on a particular topic than in the Certificate course.
What will I need to follow an EWA course?
Apart from a set of the correct wine tasting glasses, (we can give advice on this) all you need to register for one of our courses is a computer with an internet connection, a webcam, word processing software and software to open PDFs, audio and video files. This usually comes standard, but can also be downloaded for free at, for instance: Adobe Reader, Quicktime or Mediaplayer and Skype.
Course language:
Courses are available in English and it is the administrative language for the EWA.
The length of a Course:
The lectures are offered (via the e-learning platform) at the rate of at least one lecture per week (in some courses there may be a few lectures already available), and each lecture contains certain compulsory assignments which the student will upload onto the e-Learning platform once she/he has done the assignment. You can therefore roughly work out how long a course will take – bear in mind that we are closed for the Summer vacation in July and August, for about 2 months, and also for a week or so in December, so in those times we operate with a skeleton staff, but you can still upload your assignments and download lectures during these vacations – the grading of assignments will only be done after the vacations.

Typical Length of a Lecture & Time required for Assignments:
There is no average length for a lecture, as length will be determined by its contents, but you should allow yourself about 2 hours per week for the compulsory assignments, which form part of every lecture.
Starting date of course: Because of the nature of e-learning start dates for courses are flexible; there is no set starting dates. So you can start immediately after you have registered and the course fees have been paid.
On-site training:
In most courses, students are expected to get some hands-on experience working in any wine-related wine business/retail shop in the student’s town or area. But we do sometimes allow exceptions to this when there are no such wine businesses in the area/city of the student (for instance in Muslim countries). The student just has to apply for such an exception, giving full reasons.
IT hardware and Software
Because our courses are via e-learning, online, students must have:
- - access to a computer and/or HTML compatible mobile or tablet with the following minimum requirements: Internet Explorer 9, Firefox 25.0, Safari 6, Chrome 30.0 or other HTML compatible web browser with Javascript and cookies enabled.
  - Adobe Reader XI or similar PDF software;
  - Internet access (preferably broadband)
  - Individual email address
    Our experience has been that if students do not have a regular, commercial email address it is better that they use a yahoo email address, and preferably not one from Hotmail.
    
    You are responsible for the proper functioning of your computer; a malfunctioning computer is no valid excuse for submitting late work!
    
    You should have the following Microsoft (or OpenOffice equivalent) software installed on such computer: Microsoft Word, Windows Media Player, PowerPoint (optional) and Excel (optional)
IT Skills

It is assumed that students who wish to follow an e-learning course have an adequate amount of experience to work on a computer.

Students should be able to use their email and word processing package.

They should be able to navigate their way around a website

Be able to download and install software programs.
Examinations:
In keeping with our policy of offering only professional and academically strong wine education, all of our courses require students to write an examination on every module which forms part of that course. Such an examination is done online, using a multiple-choice method. So, once you have completed any of your course’s modules contact EWA to pre-arrange a date for this module examination that suits you and EWA. An exam invigilator will be accompanying you during the exam, especially for those whose first language is not English (to explain terms or words), using your computer’s webcam and Skype.
How to register:
- Once you have decided which course to follow you simply fill in the Student Registration Form, (download it from the website or ask us to email you one), sign it, then scan it in and email it back to us.
- Simultaneously arrange for the necessary course fees, plus the Registration costs of €85, and the module exam fees (@ €35 per module) to be deposited into our bank account (see Registration Form) by instructing your own bank to do so.
- We then send you the documentation relating to the course, together with your own password and username, on the same day that we receive payment so that you can immediately start your course.

Please Note: It is important that before you register you satisfy yourself that the course you are wanting to register for:

Has the right academic standard and suits your purposes,
Complies with your specific needs,
Is written in a level of English which you are comfortable with

because in the European Union (EU), the right to cancel a sale and receive a full refund within 14 days of the date of the contract under the Consumer Rights Directive applies to the sale of digital content (our courses). However, if the buyer has already started using the digital content, in other words the relevant wine course, their right to cancel the sale may be limited.

The EU’s Consumer Rights Directive is designed not only to protect the buyer’s interests, but also take into account the interests of sellers, especially in the case of such digital content. It is therefore important to carefully review the terms and conditions of any agreement (in EWA’s Registration Form there is a specific clause which stipulates that once the buyer has registered, she/he cannot subsequently cancel that registration at any stage or for any reason) before making a purchase of digital content, to ensure that the buyer is aware of their rights and any limitations on those rights.

This is why (even though EWA’s website already has great details regarding the curriculum of the courses and other practical matters) EWA offers to send you (before you register and commit yourself), and upon your request, extracts from a selection of the lectures in the course you wish to register for so that you can first satisfy yourself that it meets with your requirements. Once you have registered, we will be able to assume that you have so satisfied yourself that the course fully meets with your approval.

Aromabar (or other simlar wine aroma kits)

Though not compulsory we recommend the use of the Aromabar wine aroma kits to our students. By comparing the aromas in the Aromabar boxes with the aromas in wine, you´ll learn to train your sense of smell and thus your taste as well. Your knowledge about grape varieties, their typical aromas and whether a wine has any faults, will develop on its own.

There is a range of boxes available, from one combining aromas for red and white wines, to single boxes, also for whiskies and wine faults.

Each aroma is safely stored in a small and beautifully shaped glass phial with a screw top. The functional, handmade boxes are available for white wine, red wine, barrique aromas and wine faults. In addition, each box contains a high-quality, detailed brochure with explanations of the aromas contained in the set as well as the corresponding wines.