Every student enters an online classroom with certain expectations. The information below explains some of the common expectations that students and instructors have about the online learning experience.
It addresses some of the common questions that students have about learning online.
If you want more information about taking a class online check out our FAQS page!
Student Guide to Canvas
Eric Ichon Dean of Distance Learning, Instructional Technology and Library Services E: ichonej@laccd.edu P: (310) 287-4558
Cyrus Helf Multimedia Specialist E: helfco@laccd.edu P: (310) 287-4592
Hadi Dabbagh Online Technical Support Assistant E: dabbagh@laccd.edu P: (310) 287-4306
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Online College - Taking a Class Online
Are you ready to get started on your future?
If you’re new to learning online, you might have certain questions such as how do I access my course? How do I contact my instructor? The tutorial below answers many of these questions and can be broken into the following categories:
When you walk into a classroom, sitting in one of the desks facing the board is obvious. You wait until the instructor arrives, sometimes chatting to other students. Occasionally, you may participate in group or class discussions by raising your hand; however, the constraints of space and time in addition to the instructor's presence at the front of the course neatly define the learning space.
Now, imagine that you can enter the classroom at any time day or night; however, there may be nobody else present the room and the only communication that occurs happens by writing on the board. When you enter the room, you can read messages that others have left on the board and leave your own messages. The course material exists in a pile for you to pick up and read.
This second scenario represents the online environment and it can be very confusing for learners who have only experienced the face-to-face classroom.
The following topics explore features of the online course environment and introduces you to some of the skills needed to succeed in that environment.
Now that you have learned some of what you can expect during an online course, you might be wondering how you can succeed in the online course environment.
Much has been written about the characteristics that make some learners successful. The list below represents a compilation of the most common features of successful online learners and some of the best practices that can lead to success (Illinois Online Network, 2002).
Your online course is accompanied by a FREE online Quest for Success Program. This program is designed to increase your success in online courses. After logging into Canvas you will see Quest for Online Success on your Dashboard. It allows you to save your work and return to it later.
At the conclusion of the program you will receive an individualized report that gives you feedback and resources to help you become even more successful in your online classes.
This FREE program is available now so I encourage you to take advantage of this great resource.