Online Short Courses You Can Start Today
The CanScribe Micro-Course Collection is a library of online short courses in business, technology, marketing, healthcare and wellbeing, available for one low monthly fee. There is no application deadline, no set schedule, and nothing to fail. Learn what you want, when you want, and put your subscription toward tuition if you decide to go further.
Questions? Call an Admissions Representative at 250-448-4670
Before You Apply for Online Short Courses
Most people who look into online short courses are not trying to change careers next month. They are trying to answer a smaller, more practical question first: can I actually learn this way? Will I sit down at the end of a workday and open a lesson, or will I pay for something I never touch? That question is difficult to answer in the abstract, and expensive to answer by enrolling in a full certificate program and finding out three weeks in.
The Micro-Course Collection exists to make that question cheap to answer. For $40 you get a month of full access to the whole library. If online learning suits you, the subscription keeps going and the catalogue keeps growing. If it does not, you have spent less than a tank of gas finding out. That is the honest pitch, and it is the reason CanScribe built the collection in the first place.
What separates this from a video subscription is what happens if you decide to keep going. Enrolling on the six-month or twelve-month plan makes you eligible for a 20% discount on tuition for CanScribe certificate and diploma programs, including the Virtual Assistant, Accounting Assistant and CompTIA A+ training. On the $2,995 Virtual Assistant course, that discount is worth $599, which is more than the $420 annual subscription costs in the first place. Very few learning subscriptions credit your spending back toward a recognized credential. This one does.
You should also know what the collection is not. It is not a credential on its own, and it does not come with a diploma, a practicum, or job placement. It is skills training: short, practical courses you can finish in an evening, on subjects like Microsoft Excel, ChatGPT, social media marketing, Canva design, business writing, phishing awareness, conflict resolution and time management. If you need a recognized qualification for a specific job, look at CanScribe's full certificate and diploma programs instead, or use the collection as a low-risk first step toward one.
There are no admission requirements, no prerequisites, no entrance test and no minimum education level. If you have a computer and an internet connection, you can start. Applications are processed year round and access is usually opened shortly after enrolment, so there is no intake date to wait for.
Why Learners Choose This Collection
- Your money can come back to you. The six-month and twelve-month plans make you eligible for 20% off tuition on CanScribe certificate and diploma programs. On several programs that discount is worth more than the subscription itself.
- You practise, not just watch. Courses combine reading, video and guided training with practice tests you can retake as many times as you like. Nothing is graded and nothing is recorded against you.
- Live webinars are included. Alongside the recorded lessons you can join live sessions with real instructors, which most subscription libraries do not offer on an individual plan.
- The catalogue is curated, not crowdsourced. Every course is produced or vetted by CanScribe. There are no open uploads, so quality does not swing between one course and the next.
- Priced and billed in Canadian dollars. The price you see is the price on your statement. No exchange rate, no foreign transaction fee, no surprise at the end of the month.
- New content every month. The library grows continually, with recent additions covering artificial intelligence, online security and workplace communication.
- Nothing to fail and no deadlines. Access is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Skip a week, jump between subjects, repeat a lesson six times. Nobody is tracking it.
A test drive, not a commitment
Thousands of dollars is a lot to spend on a maybe. A single month at $40 tells you whether self-paced online study fits your life before you commit to a full program.
Skills employers list in postings
Excel, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Canva, Wix, social media marketing, AI tools, business writing, presentations and conflict resolution. These are the lines that appear in real job ads.
Who It Is For
The collection tends to suit four kinds of people, and it is worth being clear about which one you are, because it changes which plan makes sense.
People considering a career change. You are weighing a certificate program but have not studied in years and are not sure online learning will work for you. Start month to month. If it clicks, move to the annual plan and put the 20% discount toward tuition.
People already working who need a specific skill. Your manager wants better spreadsheets, your team has moved to Outlook, or you have been asked to run the company's social media. Pick the three or four courses that solve the problem and work through them in a couple of weekends.
Small business owners and freelancers. Building a Wix site, designing an invoice in Canva, learning what ChatGPT is actually useful for, or tightening up your written communication. These are the tasks that quietly eat a self-employed week.
People who simply like learning. Alongside the workplace material there are lifestyle courses on mental health habits, fitness and general wellbeing, plus healthcare topics like the cardiovascular system and radiology basics. No career goal required.
Explore the Online Short Courses Collection
Everything you need to decide: what is in the catalogue, what it costs, how it compares to the other subscriptions you are probably looking at, and the questions people ask most.
What You Will Learn
The catalogue spans eight categories: artificial intelligence, business management, career development, computers and software, healthcare, lifestyle, marketing, and a set of learning-platform courses for people who build and deliver training. Below is a sample of the practical skills covered.
- Using ChatGPT and other AI tools effectively at work
- Microsoft Excel for organizing data and basic reporting
- Microsoft Word, Outlook and PowerPoint fundamentals
- Navigating Windows 11 and everyday computer literacy
- Canva for logos, resumes, invoices and visual content
- Building and publishing a website with Wix
- Social media marketing foundations and strategy
- Protecting your data and spotting phishing attacks
- Online security fundamentals for work and home
- Business writing, grammar and punctuation
- Preparing and delivering business presentations
- Active listening and critical thinking
- Leading with emotional intelligence
- Resolving conflict with coworkers
- Time management and prioritization
- Performance management for HR and supervisors
- Writing resumes and AI-assisted cover letters
- Healthcare foundations including the cardiovascular system
- Radiology and diagnostic testing basics
- Introduction to virtual scribing, with case studies
- Mental health habits and guided wellbeing challenges
- Structured fitness and everyday health routines
About CanScribe: CanScribe Career College is a private career college in Kelowna, BC, approved by the Private Training Institutions Regulatory Unit (PTIRU) of the BC Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills. The Micro-Course Collection is a non-credential skills subscription rather than an approved career training program, and it is built by the same instructional team behind CanScribe's certificate and diploma programs.
What Is in the Online Short Courses Catalogue
Below is a snapshot of the current catalogue, grouped by category. New courses are added every month, so the live list inside the collection will usually be longer than this one. Every course is included in every plan. There is no upsell, no premium tier, and no course locked behind a higher price.
Artificial Intelligence
- ChatGPT for Beginners
- How to Use AI Effectively
Business Management
- Active Listening and Critical Thinking
- Creating and Delivering Business Presentations
- Grammar Bootcamp
- Practice Your Grammar
- Perplexing Punctuation
- Leading with Emotional Intelligence
- Resolving Conflict with Coworkers
- Time Management Essentials
- Performance Management HR Training
Computers and Software
- Computers from A to Z
- Windows 11
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Online Security Fundamentals
- How to Protect Your Data
- How to Protect Yourself Against Phishing Attacks
Marketing and Design
- Social Media Marketing 101
- Social Media Marketing 201
- Introduction to Canva
- How to Create a Logo with Canva
- Creating an Invoice in Canva
- How to Build a Wix Website
Career Development
- Creating a Resume with Canva
- Using Artificial Intelligence to Create a Cover Letter
Healthcare
- The Cardiovascular System
- Understand Radiology and Diagnostic Testing
- Introduction to Virtual Scribing
- Virtual Scribe Encounter
- Virtual Scribing Case Study
Lifestyle and Wellbeing
- Mental Health Habits: Cultivate Some Joy and Curiosity
- 5 Day Challenge to Improve Your Mental Health
- One Month Fitness Challenge
- Common Physiotherapy Questions
Online Teaching and Learning Platforms
- Managing an LMS
- Content Tools
- Managing Discussion Tools
- Question Libraries and Quizzes
- Dropboxes
- Grading Students
Catalogue accurate as of July 2026. New courses are added monthly, so the list inside the collection may differ. Request the catalogue above for the current version.
Online Short Courses Pricing
Three plans, all with identical access to the entire catalogue. The only differences are the length of the term, the effective monthly rate, and whether the plan makes you eligible for the tuition discount. All prices are in Canadian dollars.
Month to Month
$40 per month, cancel any time- Full catalogue access
- Live webinars included
- New content added monthly
- No tuition discount on this plan
Six Months
$225 $37.50 a month, paid up front- Full catalogue access
- Live webinars included
- New content added monthly
- Eligible for 20% off program tuition
Twelve Months
$420 $35 a month, paid up front- Full catalogue access
- Live webinars included
- New content added monthly
- Eligible for 20% off program tuition
The discount can be worth more than the subscription
Enrolling on the six-month or twelve-month plan makes you eligible for a 20% tuition scholarship on CanScribe certificate and diploma programs, including the Virtual Assistant, Accounting Assistant and CompTIA A+ training. Here is what that is worth on three current programs:
- Virtual Assistant $2,995: save $599
- Accounting Assistant $3,400: save $680
- CompTIA A+ $1,745: save $349
On any of those three, the discount exceeds the $420 cost of a full year of the collection. Program tuition figures are taken from the CanScribe program tuition page. Confirm which programs currently qualify with an Admissions Representative before you enrol.
Reduced pricing for grads and family
CanScribe graduates and their family members can access the Micro-Course Collection at a reduced price. Connect with your Admissions Representative for the current rate.
Optional: dropshipping website upgrade
A fully built Shopify store with logo, URL, products and search engine optimization, for $2,500. Built and launched during your first month of enrolment. Entirely optional and separate from the subscription.
Because the collection is a short-course subscription rather than a career training program, it is priced differently from CanScribe's certificate and diploma programs. Those programs have their own itemized tuition, their own payment plans, and their own funding options including government student loans and grants, scholarships, and a 5% discount when two friends enrol together. If you are heading toward one of those, the financial assistance page and the Scholarship Finder are the right places to start.
Subscription Learning, Built to Make You Employable
Most learning subscriptions are built to be watched. This one is built to be worked through, by a designated career college, with the skills employers actually list in job postings.
The annual plan can pay for itself before you finish it
The 6-month and 12-month plans make you eligible for 20% off tuition on CanScribe’s certificate and diploma programs. On the $2,995 Virtual Assistant course that is a $599 saving, more than the $420 annual subscription costs. No other learning subscription credits your spending toward a recognized credential.
↔ Scroll the table sideways to see every option
| What Matters | Credits Toward Tuition CanScribe Micro-Course Collection Designated career college, BC | Celebrity-Led Learning PlatformsCinematic lessons from famous names | Creative & General Skills MarketplacesOpen libraries of instructor uploads | Professional Learning LibrariesLarge business and tech catalogues |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PriceWhat you actually pay | $420 / year $35 a month on the annual plan. Also $225 for 6 months, or $40 month-to-month. All figures in Canadian dollars. | ~$170–$340 / yr Roughly $14 to $28 a month. Billed annually only, with no month-to-month option. | ~$240 / yr Around $20 a month on an annual plan, or roughly $25 to $45 month-to-month. | ~$340–$565 / yr Roughly $28 to $47 a month on annual plans, and $56 to $83 a month if you pay monthly. |
| Credits toward a real credentialDoes the money go anywhere? | Yes. The 6- and 12-month plans earn you 20% off tuition on CanScribe certificate and diploma programs | No | No | No. Some offer paid certificates, but nothing credits back |
| How you learnWatching vs. doing | Read, watch, then do it yourself. Guided training with practice tests you can retake as many times as you like. | Documentary-style viewing. Inspiring, but you are an audience. | Varies entirely by who uploaded the course | Mostly video lectures, with exercise files on some courses |
| Size of the libraryHow much is in there | A focused catalogue of 40+ courses, curated rather than exhaustive | Around 200 classes | Tens of thousands of courses. Genuinely unmatched for sheer volume. | Many thousands of courses across business and technology |
| What you learnFocus of the catalogue | Practical workplace skills: ChatGPT and using AI effectively, social media marketing, Canva design, Wix websites, Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook, online security and phishing, business writing and grammar, presentations, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, time management, HR performance management, resume and cover letter building | Craft, creativity and mindset from well-known practitioners | Enormous range, heavily weighted to creative and hobby subjects | Broad business, software and technology catalogues |
| Live sessions with instructorsReal people, real time | Live webinars included alongside the recorded lessons | Pre-recorded only | Pre-recorded only | Pre-recorded only on individual plans |
| Who built the contentEducation or entertainment | A career college approved by BC’s Private Training Institutions Regulatory Unit, using the same instructional team behind its certificate programs | A media company producing lessons with celebrity talent | Independent creators uploading to an open platform | A technology company curating contracted instructors |
| Every course vettedQuality control | Curated catalogue, no open uploads | Tightly produced | Anyone can publish; quality swings widely | Curated |
| No deadlines, no failingPressure level | Available 24/7, 365 days a year. No set schedule, no mandatory meetings, no pass or fail. | Watch whenever | Watch whenever | Watch whenever |
| New content addedDoes it stay current? | New courses added every month | New classes released periodically | Constant, though unfiltered | Regular additions |
| A path to a career, not just a skillWhere it leads | A low-risk way to test online learning before committing to a full program, with a direct discounted route into one | Personal enrichment | Individual skills only | Platform certificates, with no provincial recognition |
| Try it month to monthCommitment | Yes. $40 for a single month if you just want to see how online learning feels, and less per month than either professional library charges | Annual billing only | Yes, at roughly $25 to $45 a month | Yes, but at roughly $56 to $83 a month |
| Billed in Canadian dollarsWhat lands on your card | Yes. The price you see is the price you pay, with no exchange rate and no foreign transaction fees | Advertised in US dollars | Advertised in US dollars | Advertised in US dollars |
Start for $40. Or take the year and put $599 toward your tuition.
Hundreds of hours of practical business, technology and workplace training, available 24/7 with no deadlines and nothing to fail.
About this comparison: All prices in this chart are shown in Canadian dollars. The three comparison columns describe general categories of subscription learning platform, not any single named provider. Their prices were researched in July 2026 from publicly advertised US-dollar list prices and converted at approximately 1.41 CAD per USD; the amount actually charged will vary with the exchange rate on the day, any foreign transaction fee your card applies, and each platform’s own regional pricing. These platforms also discount promotionally throughout the year. CanScribe pricing is set in Canadian dollars and does not move with the exchange rate: $40 monthly, $225 for six months, or $420 for twelve months. The 20% tuition discount applies to CanScribe certificate and diploma programs for students on the 6-month or 12-month plan; the $599 figure is 20% of the $2,995 Virtual Assistant course tuition. Ask an Admissions Representative which programs qualify and about reduced pricing for CanScribe graduates and their family members.
Requirements and How It Works
The Micro-Course Collection is deliberately easy to get into. There is no application essay, no transcript request, and no waiting for a September intake.
Admission requirements
- No prerequisites. There is no minimum education level, no entrance exam, no typing test and no prior credential required.
- No age or residency restriction on enrolment. The collection is open to anyone who wants the training.
- No intake dates. Apply whenever you like and access is opened after enrolment is processed.
Technical requirements
- A computer. A Windows PC or a Mac produced in the last several years is fine. A tablet works for viewing, but a full keyboard makes the software courses much easier to follow along with.
- A reliable internet connection. Video lessons and live webinars both stream, so a stable broadband connection matters more than a fast one.
- Speakers or headphones. Most courses include audio narration or video.
- A current web browser. Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari, kept reasonably up to date.
Some software courses are easier to practise if you also have access to the software itself, such as Microsoft Office or a free Canva or Wix account. That is not required to complete the lessons, but doing the steps alongside the instructor is how the material sticks.
Language
Courses are delivered in English. There is no formal English language test for the collection, but you should be comfortable reading and following instruction in English. If English is a second language for you, CanScribe also offers an English as a Second Language course.
What happens after you apply
You complete the application, choose your plan, and an Admissions Representative confirms your enrolment and opens your access. From there you log in, browse the catalogue by category, and start wherever you like. Nothing is sequenced, so you can jump between an Excel lesson and a conflict resolution lesson in the same evening if that is what your week calls for.
If you later decide to enrol in a certificate or diploma program, tell your Admissions Representative that you are on the six-month or twelve-month plan so the 20% tuition discount is applied to your program agreement before you sign it.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The collection is a skills subscription, not a credential program. It does not lead to a diploma, a certificate recognized by a regulator, or a professional designation. If you need a recognized qualification, look at CanScribe's certificate and diploma programs, which are approved career training programs with their own admission requirements and tuition.
Many people use the collection precisely as a stepping stone into one of those programs, which is why the six-month and twelve-month plans carry the tuition discount.
Enrolling on either the six-month or twelve-month plan makes you eligible for a 20% tuition scholarship on CanScribe certificate and diploma programs, including the Virtual Assistant, Accounting Assistant and CompTIA A+ training. The month-to-month plan does not carry the discount.
Confirm which programs currently qualify and how the discount is applied with an Admissions Representative before you sign a program agreement. Program tuition is published on the program tuition page.
These are short courses by design. Most can be worked through in a single sitting or spread across a few evenings, depending on how much you practise alongside the lessons. There is no minimum or maximum time, no completion deadline, and no penalty for leaving a course half finished and coming back to it in three weeks.
There are practice tests, and you can retake them as many times as you like. Nothing is graded, nothing is recorded on a transcript, and there is no pass or fail. The tests exist so you can check whether the material stuck, not so anyone can assess you.
On its own, the collection is skills training rather than a credential, so it is best understood as something that strengthens an application rather than something that qualifies you for a role. Being able to say you have worked through Excel, Outlook, Canva, social media marketing and AI tool training is a reasonable thing to put on a resume, particularly for administrative and small business roles.
If your goal is a career change with employer-recognized training and graduate support behind it, a full CanScribe program is the better route. You can read about the roles those programs lead to on the career opportunities page.
Possibly, but do not assume it. The tuition tax credit in Canada generally applies to qualifying tuition at a designated educational institution, and eligibility depends on the nature of the training and whether a T2202 is issued for it. Because the collection is a short-course subscription rather than a career training program, it may be treated differently from CanScribe's certificate programs.
Ask the CanScribe registrar whether a T2202 is issued for this subscription, and check with a tax preparer or the Canada Revenue Agency before claiming anything. Self-employed learners may have a separate route through business expense deductions, which is again a question for your accountant.
Government student loans and grants are generally tied to enrolment in an approved program at a designated institution with a defined program length, which does not describe a short-course subscription. For CanScribe's certificate and diploma programs, funding through StudentAid BC and equivalent provincial programs may be available, and the financial assistance page covers the options.
An Admissions Representative can tell you which funding avenues apply to the specific program you are considering.
Yes. CanScribe graduates and their family members can access the collection at a reduced price. The rate is not published, so connect with your Admissions Representative or call 250-448-4670 for the current figure.
CanScribe's refund and withdrawal terms, along with its other student policies, are published in full on the CanScribe policies page. Because the collection is a subscription rather than a program, its terms may differ from the program refund policy. Ask your Admissions Representative to confirm the terms that apply to your plan before you pay.
No. Nothing is sequenced or locked. You can open any course in the catalogue at any time, skip between them freely, and leave several part-finished. The collection was built for people fitting learning around a job and a family, not for people working through a syllabus.
Programs the collection can take you into
If the short courses confirm that online study works for you, these are the CanScribe programs people most often move into next. The six-month and twelve-month plans make you eligible for 20% off tuition on them.
Learning that fits around your life
The reason people abandon online study is almost never the material. It is that the schedule stopped fitting. The collection removes the schedule entirely.
- Study at 6am or 11pm, on a weekday or a Sunday. Access is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
- No mandatory meetings, no cohort to keep pace with, no end date creeping up on you.
- Work from home, from a laptop on a break, or from wherever you happen to be that week.
- Pick up a skill for your current job without telling anyone you are studying.
- Build the practical toolkit that self-employment actually needs: a website, branded documents, social media, invoicing and clear written communication.
- Come back to the same lesson six months later. Your access does not expire mid-term.
Not sure which direction to go?
Take the short career quiz and see which CanScribe training lines up with what you actually want out of work. It takes a couple of minutes and there is no commitment attached.
What CanScribe Students Say
Real feedback from people who studied online with CanScribe, in their own words.
Find out if online learning is for you, for $40
Full access to more than forty practical online short courses, live webinars included, nothing to fail and no deadlines. Take the six-month or twelve-month plan and put 20% off tuition toward whatever you decide to do next.
Or talk it through with an Admissions Representative: 250-448-4670