Distance Education
Prospective Students
Are you ready to learn in the online environment??
Introduction
Online courses at Southern Oregon University are treated as regular face-to-face courses. In other words, the course content is the same, courses are taught by regular full-time faculty, the time frame for completing the course is the same, and the courses are transcripted on your student record the same. Students enrolled in an online course are graded on an A-F scale and credit is awarded toward their degree as usual. Southern Oregon University operates on a quarter system with four quarters in the year. Online classes are not open-entry open-exit (start and finish when you want) and they are not self-paced--you must work at the pace set by the instructor.
When do I go to class?
As the saying goes, "Out of sight, out of mind." It's easy to forget about your online course because you don't have to face the instructor two or three times a week. You'll be expected to keep up just as you would in a regular course. It's very important that you schedule time for your web class just as if you were taking a class. In most cases, online courses are asynchronous, which means that students and instructors do not need to participate at the same time. Students access a course website to engage in the course. The course can be accessed from anywhere in the world and requires very little face-to-face contact with the instructor. It is likely that you will meet with the instructor and other classmates at the beginning of the term to get introduced to the course material and the class website. Some instructors like to meet two or three additional times throughout the term to keep in touch with students, provide additional instruction that may be difficult online, or to provide testing. Each course is different, so it is critical that you attend the first face-to-face session.
How does online learning work?
The online courses at SOU are managed by software called Blackboard. Blackboard is used by many instructors in the traditional classes to post syllabi, assign exercises, deliver quizzes, and communicate with the students outside of class. In an online course, students rely on Blackboard for accessing lecture materials, participating in class discussions, accessing other websites for research, and keeping up-to-date on their progress and any changes to the course schedule. Some online courses have supplementary materials such as printed materials, lectures on CD, interactive exercises, or additional software. There is a great deal of email contact with the instructor as students have questions or need to submit assignments.
You may have one or more reasons to learn online. Some may include:
- Class not available when or where you need it.
- You want to take a class from a certain teacher.
- You have a changing, busy schedule. You can't commit to a specific class time for the next 11 weeks.
- An online class is more affordable. When you take into account time and cost of travel or paying a babysitter, it would be more economical for you to learn from your home.
- You think that you can express yourself to other students and the instructor better in an online course.
- You want to learn online.
The most important reason should be that YOU WANT TO LEARN ONLINE. If you do, then you can overcome any barriers you have. Where there's a will, there's a way. Some people learn better in an online environment than others, so everyone experiences different challenges. People who learn online vary by age, background, and life situations. However, to determine how suitable an online course is for you, please take the Student Online Readiness Assessment developed through Cerro Coso College. If you score low on the self-assessment, you should think about taking the course in the traditional face-to-face format. If you really want to take the course in the online format, understand that it will take more work and resources on your part. You may want to talk with the instructor about what you can do to make it a more successful and less frustrating experience.
