Section outline

    • Welcome to the AOLC

      The Anaesthesiology Online Learning Community (AOLC) is the WFSA's global hub for free, open-access anaesthesia education. It brings together peer-reviewed tutorials, the Update in Anaesthesia journal, webinars, podcasts and e-learning courses — all in one place, free of charge.

      This site is the home of the AOLC e-learning courses: self-paced courses with assessments and certificates, designed to work on all devices and bandwidth connections. This guide will help you get started here, and shows you where to find everything else the AOLC offers.

      More than courses: the full AOLC

      Alongside the e-learning courses on this site, your AOLC account gives you access to:

      • Anaesthesia Tutorial of the Week (ATOTW) — peer-reviewed tutorials on clinical topics, published weekly for over fifteen years. Read online or download as PDF, each with self-assessment questions. Hosted in the WFSA Virtual Library.
      • Update in Anaesthesia — the WFSA's open-access journal, with review articles, original research and special issues written with low-resource settings in mind. Hosted in the WFSA Virtual Library.
      • Webinars — live sessions with international faculty on clinical practice, patient safety and global health. All recordings are freely available to watch afterwards.
      • Podcasts — conversations with clinicians and educators from around the world, available wherever you listen to podcasts.

      Choose according to the time you have and how you prefer to learn — a tutorial takes 10–20 minutes, a course can be completed at your own pace over weeks.

      Your account: one login for everything

      A single free account gives access to all AOLC resources. If you already have a WFSA Virtual Library account, it works here too — there is no need to register again. More than 25,000 anaesthesia providers in over 100 countries already have one.

      If you're new to the AOLC, you can create a free account in a couple of minutes — click "Create new account" on the login page and follow the instructions. You'll receive a confirmation email; check your spam folder if it doesn't arrive within a few minutes.

      Logging in

      Log in using your AOLC username and password. If you can't log in:

      • Check that you're entering your password correctly (passwords are case-sensitive)
      • Use the "Forgotten your username or password?" link on the login page to reset
      • Check that cookies are enabled in your browser
      • If you're still having difficulty, contact us at [contact email]

      Navigating this site

      Once you're logged in, the navigation bar at the top of the page gives you access to:

      • Home — return to the homepage
      • Dashboard — your personal page showing courses you're enrolled in and your progress
      • My courses — quick access to courses you've enrolled in

      Click the AOLC logo at the top left of any page to return to the homepage.

      Finding and enrolling in courses

      To find courses, browse the homepage or use the search function. Click on a course name to view its description. To enrol, click the "Access course here" button or the enrolment option within the course. Some courses are open to all; others may require you to register interest first.

      Once enrolled, courses appear in your Dashboard under "My courses".

      Completing a course

      Each course has its own structure and learning approach. Open the course and read the course overview to understand how to progress through it. You'll typically work through content in order, complete activities, and may need to pass assessments to gain a certificate or badge. Your progress is saved automatically.

      For course-specific guidance, see the help pages within each course or programme.

      Learning on your phone or tablet: the AOLC Moodle app

      AOLC content works on phones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers, including on low-bandwidth connections. If content appears small on your phone in the browser, try turning the device to landscape orientation — but for the best mobile experience, we recommend the free Moodle app.

      With the AOLC Moodle app, you can learn wherever you are, whenever you want:

      • Easily access course content — browse the content of your courses, even when offline
      • Connect with course faculty and participants — quickly find and contact other people in your courses
      • Keep up to date — receive instant notifications of messages and other events, such as webinar dates and times
      • Track your progress — check completion progress in courses and browse the badges you have earned
      • Complete activities anywhere, anytime — attempt module quizzes, post in forums and learn from interactive lessons, both on and offline

      Your progress in the app syncs automatically the next time you connect to the internet.

      Setting up the app

      1. Download the free Moodle app:
      2. Open the app and enter the website address: aolc-learn.org — or scan the QR code below with your phone's camera
      3. Log in with your AOLC username and password

      Connecting with other learners

      You can connect with other AOLC users, trainers and administrators using the messaging function. Click the speech bubble icon at the top right of any page to start a conversation.

      Notifications and your calendar

      Click the bell icon at the top right of any page to see your notifications. Upcoming events, deadlines and scheduled activities also appear in the calendar on your Dashboard.

      Getting help

      If you have a question that isn't answered here, contact us at [contact email].