|
Time
required and computer access: One of the most important
things you can do for yourself when taking an online course
is to establish a study and posting schedule and stick to
it! It is easy to think that an online course takes less time
than a face-to-face course. It doesn't!
Generally,
an online course takes the same amount of time as any other
course. That is, for a face-to-face 3 credit college coarse,
students spend 3 hours in class and an additional 6-9 hours
studying, preparing, and working on course assignments every
week. Total per week: 9-12 hours.
Although
the amount of time may vary by individual, you should expect
the same amount of time per week for an online course. You
will have both online and off-line time.
Online
activities (approx. 3 hours/week) include asynchronous
discussions, e-mail, course announcements and information,
research and some reading. Students need to have access to
the Internet for a minimum of 2 hours 4 days a week. You must
be able to access the Internet easily and be able to remain
on line for periods of time longer than 1 hour. (This means
that you cannot plan to do your coursework during coffee breaks
at work. If you plan to use a computer at work, you will need
to be sure that you will have adequate time for participating
in the course. You will be expected to turn assignments in
on time.) If this is your first online course, you should
plan for some extra hours at the beginning of the semester
learning the software used for the course.
Off-line
activities (approx. 6-9 hours/week) include course
readings from texts, reading packets, and assigned web sites;
preparations, writing input, and assignments.
|
