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If you are attending an online course you’ll be accepting assignments and learning from teachers who never meet you face to face. If you’ve never taken an online class, this can seem intimidating; text can sound cold because it has no tone of voice to match with the words, and teachers who don’t use any smiley faces of other cues in their typed statements to show that they are in an amiable mood can even come across as caustic without meaning to.
When taking online classes, such as those found at elearners.com, the important thing to remember is that the instructor and the other students are all living breathing people, even if all that you see of them is text. Online courses make an effort to be more than just a place to log in and do your homework by providing group message boards. Sometimes there are group assignments requiring three or more students to each do a different part of a project.
At the beginning of each quarter, online courses hold a round of introductions so that all of the students can get to know each other. Expect to be asked to write a brief description of yourself, why you’re in the class, and maybe some fun stuff like what hobbies you have. Instructors often do the same kind of post, and this first discussion helps break the ice so that everybody can relax and feel comfortable chatting with each other throughout the quarter.
Classes usually have a weekly discussion board where you will be asked to post something about that week’s study work. Other students will reply to your comment and hopefully start up a lively discussion. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Posting on the bulletin board is a good practice; often, the other students will have good answers for you in addition to the teacher’s response.
