Online Correspondence Courses: What Can You Expect?

So, you're considering taking a correspondence course online. Knowing what to expect will help you get an edge on the course and prepare you to succeed.
As with any course, traditional or not, class structure and components often differ from year to year. But when it comes to correspondence courses that are administered online, there has been a push to synchronize some general components. This aim for consistency is meant to create a more comfortable and manageable atmosphere for both students and teachers of online courses. Here are some of the components that most administrators seek to include in their online correspondence courses.

The General Components of an Online Course Web Site

Several focus groups have produced recommendations for class components. Some of them deal specifically with the set up of course web sites. Researchers from Michigan State University came up with the average components of a successful online course website. Here is a brief description of what they suggest:

• Welcome Page Announcements-like it sounds this page offers an introduction to the course and the professor.
• Syllabus-here, as with traditional classes, online courses offer a course overview, class policies, grading policies, and more.
• Course Calendar-this section often provides an interactive calendar that includes assignment due dates, important class dates, and more.
• Lessons-here you can find class lectures, notes, message boards, quizzes, and surveys.
• Class Roster-this provides you with a list of your classmates, which you will need throughout most courses for group work and more.
• Communication-this section often contains links and instructions for chat rooms, polls, class email, news, and announcements.
• Online Grade Book-unlike most traditional courses, the online grade book for your correspondence course can provide you with up-to-date grades on assignments, and most often your current grade in the course.

All of these components are designed to serve you as a student; making the course easy to manage is the goal. Before you sign up for your online class, look for one that utilizes a similar structure. Understanding the major components of the correspondence course's web site and knowing that it is using a recommended model, will help you to have the confidence that the course structure has been built to help you succeed.
Source:
Pedagogy and Techniques

T. Jansen is a freelance writer and Ph.D. candidate in the education field.