Online Degrees

Online Degrees

If you want to get a online degree, you may be confused with all the options available to you. The truth is that online degree program options vary depending on the college, the instructor, and the class architecture. Read on to discover how online college campus options can affect the way you study online.
Distance learning courses, at their most basic level, are comprised of an online learning platform with all the materials you need uploaded into the course shell. You log into the course, download and print the materials, and turn in your assignments by the scheduled due dates. This type of course setup is for the learner who is proactive and can take charge of his or her own learning with little or no supervision.
However, today, many – if not most – online courses offer a little or a lot of bells and whistles designed to make the course more like a live classroom setting. For instance, many instructors use webcams to record lectures and upload them to the course shell. They may also use a software program like Camtasia to record live lectures at their desks – or even in their classrooms – and then upload those lectures to the online learning platform.
Some instructors use emerging technologies like Elluminate that allows them to talk to students in “real time.” Instructors can give lectures, take student questions, and even work on an individual student’s computer from a remote setting should they have difficulty with assignments. For instance, if a student is having problems formatting a document using Excel, the instructor can – with the student’s permission – access that student’s desktop to demonstrate the proper way to format a document.
Students who take biology classes online can even “dissect” animals online, using software that simulates the classroom lab environment.
For students who need a little instructor interaction, they may prefer hybrid courses. Hybrid courses use a combination of lecture and Internet instruction. Some hybrid courses may meet only once or twice during the semester, while others may meet as often as once a week (or once a month). This allows the student to meet the instructor and enables students the opportunity to form the classroom community in a live setting (which improves the overall retention rate in the class).
Before you enroll in an online college program, it’s a good idea to contact the instructor and ask questions about the classroom architecture and course requirements. If you prefer an entirely hands-off classroom milieu, stay away from hybrid courses. However, if meeting the instructor – and your classmates – on a limited or occasional basis is ideal for you, a hybrid course may be an ideal online option for you.