How do online courses work?
Course activities and assignments are posted online. You can work day or night – it’s up to you. You do need to keep up with your course work, just as you would in any other class. Assignments are sent via e-mail, though some students prefer to send them using regular mail. Some classes require that you come to campus to test or have someone proxy your tests where you live or go to school. For more information, see Online Courses, or go to the Online Orientation at Blackboard.
Courses are designed with lectures, reading, online group and individual assignments, online class discussion, and written assignments and examinations. Work is submitted in progress reports; exams are taken through approved proctors or online. Courses are offered in semesters and run approximately four months in length. You must commit at least 10 hours per week to an online course to enroll. Students taking a course apart from a semester load (section DO) may petition for an eight-week extension to the semester deadline if 50% of the course is completed satisfactorily at least 30 days before the end of the semester. Extensions are not available for students taking a course as part of a semester load (section EO).
Students “attend” online courses by accessing the class web pages and completing assignments according to the class schedule. Students communicate regularly with the instructor and classmates via e-mail and online discussion forums.Athens Technical College’s online courses arenotself-paced, independent study courses. Students are required to complete assignments according to the class schedule, to maintain regular contact with the instructor, and to participate in online class discussions.
ASEP online courses are self-paced learning experiences. You receive your student resource materials either via e-mail (in the case of PDF courses) or the mail (if the course includes print materials), complete the online course, and take an online test, all without the interaction of an instructor. ASEP online courses consist of an online study guide (which directs you through a series of interactive learning experiences to help you understand and use the course content) as well as a variety of supplemental student resource materials including PDF downloads, printed texts, videocassettes, or CD-ROMs (these vary by course, and not all courses include supplemental resource materials). As you progress through the online course, you will be prompted to read sections of the text or view clips from the course videotape or CD-ROM before completing course units. You will receive instant feedback on the answers you provide throughout the course.
