Southeast Online uses a variety of instructional tools to facilitate learning in our online courses. You can expect to see content posted as web pages, PowerPoint slides, PDF or Word documents, and video or audio files. There may also be links to other Internet resources and supplemental materials.

Online courses typically include one or more discussion forums where “classroom” conversations occur. The instructor poses a question, and students post their own comments and respond to the comments of others. You will participate within a specified time frame, but you must not be online at the same time as your classmates or your instructor.  This type of course delivery is also called asynchronous.

Online courses may also include exams and quizzes, which are administered through a program called UTest. Another feature that some instructors use is the course calendar where important due dates are posted. In most online courses, students can track their own grades online via GradeA.  Course assignments will be submitted online through a Dropbox that the instructor creates inside the course website.

We highly recommend completing our sample course, so you can see how our online courses are organized and test how our technology works on your computer. We also suggest reading our Online Student Guidebook for more information about online learning.

Important Considerations

Our online courses follow the University’s regular academic calendar.  Most fall and spring semester classes are 16 weeks in length. Occasionally, courses may be offered in the accelerated 8 week format. Summer courses may be 4, 6 or 8 weeks long. Online courses have regular start and end dates; they are not independent study courses.

Online courses require frequent Internet access and regular contact.  Even though online courses do not meet on a specific day and time, they have deadlines for course assignments, discussion forum posts, exams, etc. Thus, you must have Internet access for the duration of the course. You should access your courses and check your Southeast email account multiple times each week to keep track of important and ongoing updates. Likewise, you should contact your instructors immediately if there is a technical issue that interferes with the timely completion of assignments.

Online courses require self-discipline and motivation.  The convenience of online courses brings increased responsibility for time management. You should stick to a personal schedule for working on your online courses and set reminders to meet assignment deadlines. Avoid waiting until the last minute to complete and submit assignments online; take into account that technical problems may occur.

Online courses require a proactive approach to learning.  In an online course, instructors may serve more as facilitators of learning rather than the sole source of knowledge. You must actively participate in an online course and take responsibility for your own learning. If you have a question or problem, you need to speak up and get help to ensure your success in the course. Both the instructor and other classmates are excellent resources to assist with course questions.

Additional Factors

Learning Style – Online courses typically involve a lot of reading and writing. Students who prefer visual and written learning methods often thrive in the online learning environment, while students who prefer oral learning methods may find online courses to be challenging. For more information on your learning style and helpful study tips, we recommend taking the free VARK assessment online.

Time Commitments - Expect to spend at least as much time working on an online course as a traditional face-to-face course. On average, students should expect to spend about 3 hours per week per credit hour completing work for an online class. Expect to spend double that for an 8-week course and four times that for an accelerated 4-week course.

System Requirements – You must have regular access to a computer that meets the minimum system requirements for online courses. Please refer to the system requirements for PC and Mac for more information. We also offer a system diagnostic program to check some requirements automatically.

Computer Literacy – You must be computer literate to successfully complete an online course. In addition to having basic keyboarding knowledge, you should be able to:

• Connect to the Internet using a web browser
• Navigate web pages and web sites effectively
• Use e-mail to send and receive attachments
• Save and open files
• Use a word processing program
• Install software as instructed (i.e. Acrobat Reader, Windows updates, UTest)
  

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