Online courses are conducted on the UW's quarterly schedule, and the “classroom” is the course website. Courses are led by instructors, and are often supported by graduate teaching assistants. Students start and complete a course as a group. Many courses are delivered asynchronously (not in real-time) and involve recorded lectures, individual or group activities, readings, posting to discussion boards, and other modes of communication (email, chat, etc.). Other courses involve more synchronous (live, virtual) interaction.
Face-to-face courses might also have a significant online presence via the course website, online discussion tools, electronic assignment submission, or the use of recorded lectures.
In order to determine which courses will be offered online each quarter, refer to the Course Schedules for MLIS and Course Schedules for MSIM.
While there is no difference in the end-value of a degree achieved by fully residential or fully online students, the mind-set for each mode is certainly different. An online student becomes accustomed to checking in on their “classroom” at least once a day. A residential student taking online courses will have to manage two different modes of course interaction: the traditional mode of social learning that takes place in face-to-face lectures, discussion, group work, and so on; and the online mode in which most interactions occur in the virtual classroom.
Some aspects of your first online course in the iSchool may feel confusing. Here is quick overview of a typical online course experience to prepare you for what to expect:
Each online class develops its own culture or community, which includes preferences for communication, social norms, and sense of humor. Each person will bring their own point of view, background, and experiences to the class – which may emerge during the term in different ways. We hope that you will contribute to this culture, get to know your classmates, and have fun!
Because the course is conducted over the internet, your “classroom” will be the course website, which you will find listed by logging in to our Canvas Learning Management system.
Make sure you fully explore the course website at the beginning of the course. Examine every page and ask questions of your instructor if any of it does not make sense. Visit the course website on a regular basis.
For any online MLIS course, most of the course communication and interaction will be asynchronous. In other words, you will NOT be interacting with your instructor or fellow students in real time. Instead, you’ll be doing activities either on your own or within a group asynchronously - for example, by posting messages to a discussion board or sending e-mails. You might chat online (a “synchronous” activity) with your instructor or classmates as part of group work, office hours, or perhaps to kick off activities at the start of the quarter. When you consider how often to check in on course discussions, remember that you would attend an in-person class once or twice a week. In the online mode, this is considered the bare minimum number of visits, and in many cases will not be enough. Some students check the message boards as often as twice a day.
Some online courses may have more synchronous interaction. In other words, you interact with fellow students in real time. These live, virtual interactions will take place via an online meeting space, such as Zoom video conferencing. Many of your activities may be asynchronous, but for residential classes that have been moved online due to pandemic, you might also have weekly class times when everyone in the virtual meeting space at the same time.
Most online courses consist of a series of modules that include a set of activities (lectures, readings, discussions and/or assignments) centered on a theme, topic, or learning objective. Modules often correspond to weeks of the quarter. For example, your class may have ten week-long modules or five modules that last two weeks each. You will work on the activities in the module at your own pace, but you’ll probably be expected to finish a module and move to the next by a certain time. A calendar or schedule of modules on the course web site will tell you how long to spend on each module. A module may include:
Lectures. Many instructors will provide links to lectures that they have recorded. Most modules contain between 15 to 90 minutes of audio or video, split up into one or more lectures.
Readings. Most classes will have a set of readings to complete for each module. Some readings will be in books that you have purchased or borrowed from the library. Others may be provided as links to web pages. Some may be online in an e-reserves area or in an e-book (both available via a link on the course web page). Other may be available online in the UW Libraries catalog (e.g. articles in journals that the UW Library provides electronically).
Discussions. Discussions may center on lectures, readings, or assignments. Your instructor will set a minimum threshold for participation, but students often find that they contribute much more than the required minimum. Course participation is extremely valuable because engaging with the material and with your peers leads to deeper learning. While the instructor imparts important information, each member of the class can also contribute their own knowledge, which enriches everyone’s learning experience.
Assignments and exercises. The number of assignments and exercises per class (and per module) varies widely. Some classes have one term paper, while others ask you to do an exercise in each module. There may be a mix of group and individual assignments. Keep in mind that coordinating with other students when you don’t see them in person can be a challenge! You will turn in electronic versions of your assignments via online tools that will be provided on the course web site. Feedback and grades for these assignments will also be provided online via Canvas.
The lack of face-to-face interaction in an online class means that communication tools will be important. For instance, instead of chatting with other students after class, you might make a discussion post; instead of visiting your instructor’s office, you might send an e-mail or attend an online discussion session. These methods will most likely take longer than in-person methods of communication, so keep this in mind when planning your time! Near the beginning of the term, make sure that you are comfortable using the electronic tools and that you understand the instructor's expectations for communication. If you need guidance, ask for tips from your instructor or colleagues – or check out the tutorials on this site.
If you find that you need help navigating your online course, here are some ways to seek help:
If you have questions about the content and expectations of this course, e-mail your instructor or classmates or post to the discussion board.
If you have any questions about the course web site, the live meeting room, VoiceThread, or other technologies that are not directly related to the content, e-mail olt@uw.edu.
If you need help using the library, send an e-mail to a UW librarian or chat with a librarian.
For general UW information, check out the UW Home page or the iSchool Resources for Newly Admitted Students.
Are you ready for online learning? Prospective students and residential students considering courses in the online mode can take this quiz and get some feedback!
Terms and definitions related to online education:
US News & World Report eLearning Glossary
eLearners.com Online Learning Glossary