Online Courses
ONLINE LEARNING: AT YOUR BEST
Being a successful student in your courses, especially if they are (or, in an emergency, become) all-online courses, requires more than technology skills.
In classroom, face-to-face courses, regular class meeting times in classrooms serve to pace your work and remind you about deadlines and other important upcoming things. Self-organization is a key skill, and in online classes you need to pace yourself and plan your participation to a greater extent. On the other hand, you may have more freedom to complete coursework when it is more convenient for you. Here's some expectations you should set for yourself:
Log in to each course to participate, complete assignments, and generally follow along at least four to seven times a week.
Carefully read course syllabi, guidelines, and assignment instructions as soon as you can.
Check and carefully manage your email.
Use a calendar to record all important class dates and times, since you won't get regular reminders in the classroom.
Familiarize yourself with any additional technology required for a particular course, such as Microsoft Excel, or video recording applications. Give yourself plenty of time to learn these before having to use them for assignments or activities.
Complete assignments on time. Do not assume deadline extensions are available. Only ask for deadline extensions in cases of real need or emergency. (If you haven't asked for an extension before, and you do good work, a professor is more likely to grant it.)
If they are part of the course, attend synchronous class meetings via web conferencing. If you must miss one, email reliable classmates to determine what you missed.
Give professors enough time to respond to your emails. They are getting lots of emails, too, and have additional responsibilities due to COVID-19.
Get a personal, professional calendar. Get your important course dates into it.
It's possible that you are taking courses that are entirely online. Or, if COVID-19 surges in Western New York, your courses in which you attend classroom sessions may be moved entirely online. So it's helpful to review some common myths and misconceptions about online learning. Click on each Myth below to learn how courses at Canisius College work.
Myth: Online courses require less time and effort than face-to-face courses in classrooms on campus.
Truth: At Canisius, online courses are typically as rigorous as face-to-face courses. Your course may require you to learn or strengthen certain ways to communicate, such as writing or composing simple videos. This is to your benefit: you are receiving the same high-quality education online as you would receive on campus. You are also honing skills especially for internet communication, which are important in many fields today.
Myth: Since I'm online, I am anonymous and won’t be able or don't need to interact with others.
Truth: Most courses feature a discussion board where you can read (or listen to) other student’s input, and reply to them. Many involve live-remote web conferencing. In fact, participation may be a requirement of the course, similar to a participation requirement in face-to-face class discussions. This is also why online courses are as much an opportunity to get to know peers in your profession, or who have similar professional interests.
Myth: Online courses are self-paced. I can participate when I want, at any time throughout the semester.
Truth: Online courses typically have deadlines for various activities, and sometimes dates and times when you need to attend a live discussion via the web. Additionally, course content may not be entirely available at the beginning of the semester. Rather, it may become available week-by-week, or in discreet units. You will have greater flexibility than perhaps in many face-to-face courses, but you should plan to devote regular time and effort to your online classes, and login several times each week.
Myth: Deadlines aren't enforced if my computer has a problem.
Truth: You are responsible for knowing how to use your computer (or mobile device) and internet tools such as email and browsers. (This is analogous to a face-to-face class, where you are responsible for getting yourself to the campus classroom on-time.) Additionally, you may be required to learn about web-conferencing or simple video creation. Plus, you must ensure that your device and internet connect are adequate and reliable. Learning basic digital skills and acquiring confidence in using the internet or creating digital media are additional benefits of online courses.