How Do Online College Classes Work?

One of the things that concerns a lot of people when they are considering taking an online college course is just how the classes will work. There are some pretty big differences between online classes and regular college classes and it is important to be prepared for these differences.

In truth there are a lot of different ways that online classes can work so you have to make sure that before you choose an online college college that you do some research to determine just how the classes work. For example some schools will have all of the course material online available for you to access whenever it is convenient for you. This usually includes video lectures as well as course notes and a list of text book readings. Other schools however will require you to be online at a specific time each day.

A lot of online colleges have started to take advantage of the interaction that is available over the internet by requiring students to take part in things like video chats or to participate on message boards. In a lot of ways this replicates the way that things would be done at a regular college. The downside to this however is that it does require that you stick to a set schedule. Of course for some people this can be a good thing as one of the biggest challenges that many online learners have is making time for their course work.

In most cases, although by no means all you will also be expected to submit your homework online. This greatly speeds up the process over traditional distance learning which usually required you to mail in your assignments. It also allows you to get feedback on your assignments very quickly.

The area of most concern for most people when they take online college courses is how they do their exams and this is definitely something that you want to look into before you register for a course. Many schools will allow you to take your exams online. This may or may not require a proctor. If it does require a proctor you will be responsible for finding one on your own in most cases, this can be a major headache and a not inconsiderable expense.

Many colleges that offer online courses will require that you write your exams at the school itself, this will save you the trouble of having to use a proctor but it does mean that you have to get to the school. If you live too far away you will be allowed to use a proctor in this case as well. In many cases when schools require you take the exam at their location the exam is still paper based so be prepared for that.