Online Classes Community – What you need to know about selecting online classes at your local Community College -
- How are online classes taught at your Community College?
- Which online classes are the best to take online at a Community College.
What format will your online class be taught in? Whether your distance learning college classes are taught online, audio based, correspondence classes, video or television based will depend on the Community College, and the classes they offer. It’s likely that your local Community College offers classes in a wide variety of teaching methods. Let’s look at the most popular and current class delivery methods in this article.
Online Classes Community – Correspondence Courses
Correspondence classes are the original format for distance learning classes. These might be a great option for you if you live in an area with limited or no internet connection, and no access to a computer. Correspondence classes offer great flexibility in start dates, and are a viable alternative to online classes at your Community College. You will need to have good reading and organizational skills, and have access to the mail. There are some downsides to correspondence classes versus online classes at your Community College. With strictly correspondence classes you will limit your teacher interaction and feedback. If you’re taking classes that are easy for you, this might not be a problem.
Challengng classes might not be appropriate for correspondence classes through your Community College. Also keep in mind that each student will have a preferred learning style. What is meant by this? Some students learn best by reading and thinking about the written word, some don’t. If this style works well for you, great! If not, you may choose to continue reading about other styles of education, including audio classes, for online classes community.
Online Classes Community – Audio Bases Courses
Audio based Community College classes were popular in the days before television, (if you can imagine such a time!) Classes were taped and broadcast over the radio. You might still find this type of class offered through your Community College. This is great for the working parent that needs to stay home with small children and cannot attend classes in person. Classes broadcast over the radio involve a minumum of fuss dealing with checking out cassettes or cd’s. Whether broadcast over the radio, or audio cassette or CD’s which are checked out of the school, this form of classes can be very effective for students that learn best when they hear information, versus read information. Some learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, can be accommodated with audio courses quite effectively. Although community college classes generally require a written test, please inquire with your local community college for classes that you might be able to take a verbal test for your exams in the case of learning disabilities or vision impairments. Quite a few community colleges are very prepared to assist students with learning disabilities, vision impairments and physical impairments, you’ll just need to give the community college a call and find out how they can help you! (After all, community college classes, whether online, in-person, or other delivery methods are for you to prepare yourself for success!) In addition to audio cassettes and CD’s, some college classes offer a teleconference program, or even shortwave radio. Audio classes with online interaction with the instructor are popular with foreign language classes, giving you the opportunity to hear and repeat the phrases you need to learn.
Online Classes Community – Video Based Courses
Some online classes taught at Community Colleges utilize video technology. These classes might be broadcast over the television through cable or satellite television, or might be recorded on individual video tapes that you will need to check out in person or by mail from your Community College. What type of student are you, and what education style works best for you? If you love to watch TV, and are studying a subject that you need to see to understand, such as a science or art course, video classes at your community college might be a very good option for you. Although video classes are generally much more expensive to create than audio classes, you’ll need to check with your Community College for classes offered by video. Video is a great teaching tool, and could be the perfect solution for you if you already own the equipment necessary, the television and VCR or DVD player. If you need to stay at home to watch children, or live far away from your Community College, or work when classes you need are offered at your Community College, video classes are a great option for you!
Online Classes Community – Computer Based Courses
Computer based online classes at your Community College might be online or stand alone computer based. Online classes will give you a website to log into to comple your work and interact with your teacher. Stand alone computer classes will direct you to do the work on your computer, and then turn it in, either by mail, fax, or email to the teacher. Some online classes at your Community College will utilize simple software that practically any computer can accomodate. Some online classes, such as autocad or project management scheduling software, might require extremely expensive software that can only be operated on a specific type of operating system with sufficient memory available. You’ll need to research the system requirements to make sure the computer you have access to can be utilized. This might be an extremely expensive proposition! Online classes through your community college will require an internet connection, generally high speed. This can be expensive, and difficult to obtain. If you live in a rural area without cable television or high speed telephone connections, you might still be able to obtain high speed internet connections if you have access to the clear view of the sky. You’ll need to check with a company such as Wild Blue Internet Satellite for your area, and they’ll tell you which portion of the sky (such as a southern exposure) that you will need to have access to in order to provide a satellite dish with internet connection. We’ll give you a link here to check with Wild Blue in case it is the lack internet connection that is holding you back. Satellite internet speeds fall somewhere between dial-up and high speed internet connections. Not as bad as dial-up, not as good as high speed.
