Online Attendance

You will use the Internet to access course syllabi, do research, and hold discussions online with class members and the instructor. Usually there are weekly assignments and discussions. You will want to know what your assignments are and when they are due.

Most online courses are asynchronous, which means the students and instructor can access the online classroom at any time; there is no specific time during the day that you have to be online.

Other online courses may have a designated time for chat rooms that requires synchronous participation, which means the students and instructor need to be online at the same time. Many online courses start at the beginning of the term and finish at the end of the term, just as onsite classroom courses do.

Here are some of the advantages of taking a class online:

• You can interact with your instructor and fellow classmates using email, bulletin boards, and chat rooms online.
  
  
• You can attend class online when it is convenient for you.
  
  
• You can devote time to completing assignments rather than driving to and from class.
  
  
• You can access resources via the Internet to broaden your perspective for a particular discipline.
  
  
• You might be able to accelerate the time needed to complete an online course in some of your classes.
  
  
• You can continue to develop your computer skills.