Introduction: What is an Online Course?

You’ll Be An Independent Learner All the course materials will be available online, including the syllabus, assignments, and due dates. You'll develop a work plan to help keep you organized. You'll submit your work on time. Your work will be submitted to your Online Teacher electronically. Your Online Teacher will help you keep on schedule, answer your questions, and grade your work.

You’ll Interact with Teacher and Your Class Online Your teacher will interact with you primarily through email, online discussions, and comments on your assignments.  You’ll read your teacher’s feedback on your returned work, ask questions through email, and participate in the online discussions.  You can also get questions answered over the phone by calling your teacher during your teacher’s office hours.

You’ll Go Online to Learn Every course requires both online and offline work.  For instance, you’ll go online to watch multimedia presentations, to read the course content, to do computer-graded online exercises, or to participate in online discussions.  Other times, you might go online to pick up an assignment, then go offline to study or work.  You might read a chapter from a book and write an essay, or do a set of math problems and then submit them to your Online Teacher for grading. You can check your progress and grades online.

You Will Receive Help at Your School Your Mentor Teacher will meet with you regularly, check your progress and grades online, and stay in contact with your Online Teacher. Your Mentor Teacher is a teacher, school counselor, or administrator in your school who has been assigned to help you through the course.

Move on to: Roles and Responsibilities