How do Online Classes Work? 5 FAQs

    Tuesday, 05 October 2021



    Are you considering studying through online learning but you are not sure how online classes work? Keep reading to find some frequently asked questions by students related to online learning and classes that will give you an idea of what it will be like.

    Students who study online enjoy many benefits. Studying online gives students the flexibility to choose when and where they want to study; it allows them to study from the comfort of their home, which means they don’t need to spend neither money nor time on the commute to college; it is generally much cheaper, since online courses are cheaper than on-campus ones and they don’t need to move if the university they attend is far from home, among many other benefits.

    In spite of all the benefits online learning brings about , many students may be undecided about online learning because they are not sure how this methodology works. For that reason, here you’ll find everything you need to know about online classes and online learning in general. 

    5 FAQs to Help You Understand How Online Learning Works

    1. What do students need to know before they enroll in an Online Course?

    Potential online students should visit their future university’s website and look through it thoroughly, making sure that they understand how everything works at that university. They should also be aware of all the requirements for their degree of interest and the classes they will be taking and make sure they meet them. 

    2. Do students attend classes at specific times?

    Typically, online students don’t attend classes at specific times. Most of the time, online classes have an asynchronous format, with recorded classes students can watch anytime and the amount of times they want. They complete their assignments whenever they want, but they must meet deadlines if they want to avoid falling behind, which offers great flexibility for students. 

    There are some courses that may require students to attend some kind of live videoconferencing online with their professor and classmates and debate, which has been the most common format during the Covid-19 pandemic.

    3. How is an online classroom typically structured?

    The structure of the online classroom changes depending on each university. In general, there is a virtual classroom, which is an online platform where students need to log in. This is a learning management system, or LMS, where students can view the syllabus and their grades, they can contact professors and get in touch with their classmates, access course materials, watch classes, among other things.

    4. Do students interact with each other in Online Courses?

    It is generally not required for students to interact with each other, but working in teams is always a very useful study technique. If students want to study in this cooperative way, they can always reach each other through discussion forums, social media, or email, or they can also contact each other and do video conferences in order to learn from one another. 

    5. How do students sit for exams online?

    In some cases, students are required to connect to a videoconference while they sit for their exam in order for the proctor to watch via webcam that everything is going smoothly and that the students aren’t cheating.

    If you have any further questions, you can fill the form on the right hand side. One of our assessors will contact you as soon as possible to answer all of your questions and give you all the information you need to know either about a specific degree or online learning in general.