These are the major components of our online classes:
Lectures - Every week a lecture is posted to the Blackboard section of your online class. You and your classmates can then read the lecture, make comments, or raise questions at any time. The teacher responds to these comments and questions, and a discussion ensues. You have ample time to frame your questions and consider the responses.
Exercises - You have a private online Notebook, available only to you and your teacher. Every week your teacher posts an exercise related to the weekly lecture topic. After you complete the exercise and post your work, your teacher responds with personal feedback on your writing.
ritique - Each week several students submit work to The Booth, our simple yet highly effective system for critiquing student work. You and your classmates then post comments: positive comments followed by suggestions for improvement. Then the teacher posts feedback on the writing. The process provides plentiful feedback and clear next steps for each writer. (Some four and six-week classes do not include the group critique component.)
In our online classes, you don't have to take notes. You can just print out the lectures and discussions. And at the end of the course, you may print out a packet that contains all your work and all the comments that have been made on it.
If you're unfamiliar with the concept of online learning, allow us to give you a brief overview. Online courses are an exceptionally accessible, flexible resource whether your goal is gaining new skills, working towards your degree, or advancing your career with a program certificate.
Come to class whenever it's convenient for you by choosing when and where you participate in class. Your course is conducted according to a schedule, but there are usually no "live" classes to attend. Instead, lectures, coursework, and discussions all take place at your convenience. You choose the place - at home, at school - wherever you have access to a computer, modem, and an Internet Service Provider (ISP). You'll get the same high-quality instruction and course content that you demand, but without the day-to-day obstacles that prevent so many of us from pursuing other goals. With online learning, commuting to campus and paying for childcare are things of the past.
Online courses can be quite varied in their overall approach to the teaching and learning process, but they often have certain characteristics in common. In all online courses, students use a computer to connect to a course site on the World Wide Web. Standard classroom books and printed materials are typically used in combination with online lectures, assignments, and supplementary course materials. Some courses have formal lectures, similar in length and content to lectures given in face-to-face classes. Online lectures may be entirely text-based or consist of some combination of text, graphics, sound and video. Other courses break the content up into smaller units or abandon the lecture entirely, instead relying on group discussion and others types of learning activities.
You will communicate with your professor and other students via online forums, chat rooms, text messages, e-mail and electronic submissions. The course is designed so that you receive course assignments, complete them on your own time (but with a scheduled due date), and then return them as electronic documents. Your instructor will evaluate them and provide feedback. Many courses will also use, as an integral part of the course, a threaded discussion forum which you can use to share information, collaborate, and interact with other members of your class.
Depending on the course design, you probably will take your tests or exams online. A few course may require that you come to a testing room on campus. Additionally, some courses and programs may require predetermined trips to campus, which you should plan for before registering. You can find out about the course requirements in the schedule of classes.
Lectures - Every week a lecture is posted to the Blackboard section of your online class. You and your classmates can then read the lecture, make comments, or raise questions at any time. The teacher responds to these comments and questions, and a discussion ensues. You have ample time to frame your questions and consider the responses.
Exercises - You have a private online Notebook, available only to you and your teacher. Every week your teacher posts an exercise related to the weekly lecture topic. After you complete the exercise and post your work, your teacher responds with personal feedback on your writing.
ritique - Each week several students submit work to The Booth, our simple yet highly effective system for critiquing student work. You and your classmates then post comments: positive comments followed by suggestions for improvement. Then the teacher posts feedback on the writing. The process provides plentiful feedback and clear next steps for each writer. (Some four and six-week classes do not include the group critique component.)
In our online classes, you don't have to take notes. You can just print out the lectures and discussions. And at the end of the course, you may print out a packet that contains all your work and all the comments that have been made on it.
If you're unfamiliar with the concept of online learning, allow us to give you a brief overview. Online courses are an exceptionally accessible, flexible resource whether your goal is gaining new skills, working towards your degree, or advancing your career with a program certificate.
Come to class whenever it's convenient for you by choosing when and where you participate in class. Your course is conducted according to a schedule, but there are usually no "live" classes to attend. Instead, lectures, coursework, and discussions all take place at your convenience. You choose the place - at home, at school - wherever you have access to a computer, modem, and an Internet Service Provider (ISP). You'll get the same high-quality instruction and course content that you demand, but without the day-to-day obstacles that prevent so many of us from pursuing other goals. With online learning, commuting to campus and paying for childcare are things of the past.
Online courses can be quite varied in their overall approach to the teaching and learning process, but they often have certain characteristics in common. In all online courses, students use a computer to connect to a course site on the World Wide Web. Standard classroom books and printed materials are typically used in combination with online lectures, assignments, and supplementary course materials. Some courses have formal lectures, similar in length and content to lectures given in face-to-face classes. Online lectures may be entirely text-based or consist of some combination of text, graphics, sound and video. Other courses break the content up into smaller units or abandon the lecture entirely, instead relying on group discussion and others types of learning activities.
You will communicate with your professor and other students via online forums, chat rooms, text messages, e-mail and electronic submissions. The course is designed so that you receive course assignments, complete them on your own time (but with a scheduled due date), and then return them as electronic documents. Your instructor will evaluate them and provide feedback. Many courses will also use, as an integral part of the course, a threaded discussion forum which you can use to share information, collaborate, and interact with other members of your class.
Depending on the course design, you probably will take your tests or exams online. A few course may require that you come to a testing room on campus. Additionally, some courses and programs may require predetermined trips to campus, which you should plan for before registering. You can find out about the course requirements in the schedule of classes.