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What to Expect From an Online Class · Online with USU

• 0:00
  DAN ALLRED: If you've never taken an online class, you probably have some assumptions, and a lot of questions. Today we're going to get into that. We're going to bust a couple of myths that exist out there, look at some of the stigmas that exist, as well as looking into the weeds about what is an online class and what can you expect.
• 0:15
  So settle in and let's talk. I'm Dan Allred, your host, and this is Online with USU, where education meets real life, so you can build what's next.
• 0:40
  Many people may think that online is a subpar experience. They look at things, and they think, oh, they've just recorded the lectures from inside the classroom and decided to broadcast it, throw it up online with minimal to no effort.
• 0:51
  Online is certainly different than in-person learning. It certainly involves more self-direction, self-management. But just because it's taught online, doesn't mean that it's worse. In many cases, the subject can actually be taught a little bit better.
• 1:05
  My own degree was in history. And I'll tell you, that asking a professor to stop in the middle of a lecture so that you can take additional notes, doesn't go over very well.
• 1:12
  In an online class with a video, you've got no problems with that. Hit that pause button, take all the notes you want to, make sure you fully understand the concept. Maybe do some supplemental readings if you want to, and then start it all over again.
• 1:22
  Online classes are specially built for online. They're not just uploaded videos from the lecture that the professor has posted with their iPhone or anything like that. We've actually got specialized designers that help build the classes, help the professors structure them, make sure that they've got all of the proper components to them to be engaging and worthwhile.
• 1:39
  While online classes do have a separation between you and the professor, that doesn't mean the professor is absent. The professor still maintains a presence in the class through feedback, through discussion, and you can even arrange appointments with them, if you feel like you need that extra help.
• 1:54
  Online is not a subpar experience compared to in-person learning. I wish we could offer every single class online. I actually had a conversation with our Dean of Sciences in regards to chemistry labs. I asked him, why couldn't we develop any of these chemistry labs online through simulation?
• 2:09
  He pointed out that one of the big parts of their chemistry labs wasn't just knowing the reactions and the proper combinations to do, but proper lab procedure. And I realized, yeah, there are certainly some things you cannot teach in an online format. So, yeah, while we'd like to offer everything online, some things just don't work very well.
• 2:26
  A common myth about online, is that it's easier than in-person. This is blatantly not true. Online classes are simply different than in-person classes, very similar to how lab courses are different from lecture classes. Every type of class has its own strengths and weaknesses.
• 2:41
  With online classes, you do have to be more self-aware. There is an element of self-learning, and definitely an element of self-management. You have to make sure that you're on top of things, because when you're going to a regular class, the professor is there right in front of your face, and you can oftentimes get reminders and those sorts of things constantly, because you are interacting with your fellow students and with your professor.
• 3:01
  With online classes, you've got to keep track of that yourself. Online classes may be easy or may be hard, depending on the subject, what else is going on in your life, as well as the structure of the course.
• 3:12
  Really, the difficulty of an online class is no different than the difficulty of an in-person class or a broadcast class or a Zoom class. The difficulty of a class may be more influenced by what's going on in your life, rather than the actual course structure and material.
• 3:26
  Oftentimes, when students experience difficulty in online classes, it's because it's a new format for them, it's a new environment, something they're not quite used to. I've had students come to me and complain about the difficulty of an online class. But more than anything, it was because it was a different format than they were used to.
• 3:43
  Online classes, as flexible as they are, do still have deadlines throughout the semester. They also usually have the same start and end dates as other classes. It's important to keep track of these deadlines.
• 3:52
  Luckily, the professor usually puts these in the syllabus, so from day one what's due when. That's not something you always get in an in-person class. It's very important to make sure that you're aware of dates and deadlines, as well as what classes you're involved in.
• 4:04
  I had a student early on in my advising experience that we were going through final grades, and I commented about how well they did in some other classes, but I saw there was one class that they had failed. And I brought that up as gingerly as I could. It looks like you didn't pass your American history class.
• 4:20
  And they said, I had an American history class? I had an American history class! And they had just completely forgotten about it. It's one of the dangers of online classes, is you have to make sure you keep up on it, because since you're not going to class every week, it can be easy to forget.
• 4:35
  While the professor is not right in front of you when you're taking an online class, it doesn't mean that they're absent from their course. They are actively there teaching the material, providing feedback, and guiding the discussions throughout the course.
• 4:45
  I hear from students all the time in our largest online program, Speech and Hearing Sciences, about how active they are with their professors. A lot of students going into that program are worried, because in order to go on to further degrees, they need letters of recommendation. They need to be able to know their professors.
• 4:59
  I've never heard of a student complain about that, about having difficulty getting to know their instructors or connecting with their instructors. In that program, we're talking hundreds of students, and all of them have opportunities to connect with their instructors on a personal level.
• 5:11
  We take pride in the quality of our online classes here at Utah State. In fact, this studio where I'm recording this, is oftentimes used to record lectures and presentations for online classes where professors bring in interactive displays and designs and programs in order to better teach their students.
• 5:25
  The quality of online education here at Utah State is so good, that a lot of in-person classes use it to supplement their instruction. I had several classes during my undergraduate program that we used online components in order to have additional discussions, post assignments, and make maximum use of our in-person experience.
• 5:41
  Online education is, in fact, so well ingrained here at Utah State, that when COVID-19 happened and we had to go remote, we didn't have to build anything out. We just had to upload material to the space that already existed for every single class here at Utah State.
• 5:55
  This meant that even though the world was disrupted by the pandemic, our students were able to keep on track and continue working on their classes with as little disruption as possible.
• 6:03
  A lot of students worry about being able to reach their professors, and if their professors will respond to them. I have talked with many online instructors that talk about how readily available they are to their students, how often they'll get calls from them or texts them throughout the day, and even into the evening.
• 6:17
  When it comes to contacting professors, there's multiple ways to get a hold of them. You can reach out to them through the learning management system, Canvas, through email. Many of them will include phone numbers, either personal, or certainly office numbers. And many of them also maintain office hours that you can schedule to have Zoom conversations with, as well.
• 6:33
  Another myth stems from the fact that online has that separation to it that we feel where we're not in person. That myth is that there's less support for online students than there are in-person students. That couldn't be further from the truth.
• 6:46
  Utah State University has been dedicated to helping students at a distance. We've talked about this in our first episode, our history of reaching students in rural populations in all different formats. Because of that tradition, we have access to online tutoring for students. All of our services are designed to be able to meet students wherever they're at, wherever they're at.
• 7:06
  And we've got specialized individuals in student support, library, online coaching, and all of these areas to help students that aren't readily available here on campus. This includes two of our big services-- the Student Money Management Center, which helps students identify ways that dealing with the cost of college, and our Career Design Center, which is designed to help with job finding and building a career.
• 7:28
  Some students may worry that online content gets stagnant after a while because it's never updated. We've actually got dedicated designers and individuals to help professors make sure that their material is up to date.
• 7:39
  Professors are actually required to review their material every semester and update it according to industry needs, trends, and student feedback. We actually conduct surveys every single semester with students to make sure that faculty and departments understand what's working well and what can be improved.
• 7:54
  So a lot of people think that online classes don't have group projects, and they think that's a good thing. However, group projects do have very good benefits to them. One of the great things about online classes, is that your group is much larger than it would be in terms of diversity options, than it would be in in-person.
• 8:11
  When I was doing my master's program, I was working with students that were working at all different kinds of institutions. So when we were doing a project on looking at the policies or procedures that would be best for something, we had input in regards to four-year schools, two-year schools, private, public, East Coast, West Coast.
• 8:31
  We even had some international students. So in an online class, you've got a much better option for diversity when it comes to your group work.
• 8:37
  In addition, there's all kinds of good tools that you can use nowadays. Texting, phone, there's all kinds of collaboration softwares online, Zoom. There's things now that exist that didn't exist before that make group projects a lot easier.
• 8:50
  Interestingly enough, we actually developed some classes here at Utah State that were designed for ultimate maximum flexibility. No specific start or end dates. No threaded discussions, so no things you had to do every single week. And no group projects.
• 9:07
  With this group of classes, they had the highest fail rate of any of our classes. So even though people think that they want no start and end dates, no threaded discussions and no group work, those things are pivotal when it comes to learning the material.
• 9:23
  Online classes are not a static recording. They are living, learning experiences. I get a lot of students that ask me if their diploma from Utah State will say that it came from online coursework. This is because a lot of people think that online programs have a stigma to them.
• 9:41
  That may or may never have been true. People certainly think that because there's that separation, that they're getting a subpar experience, like we talked about before. But that's not the case.
• 9:50
  Employers nowadays acknowledge that flexible education is important. Some of the largest schools in the country are offering massive online programs, and employers are enjoying the benefits thereof.
• 10:02
  Here at Utah State, we also have the mentality that a class is a class is a class, whether it's in-person, online, broadcast, Zoom, doesn't matter the format. We strive for the same excellence in all coursework.
• 10:13
  As such, all classes are treated equally here in Utah State. Diplomas, transcripts, and all other school documentation is the same for all students, regardless of how they take their coursework.
• 10:23
  Your diploma will say Utah State University. There is no distinction between online or in-person. And honestly, employers never even check.
• 10:32
  A lot of students ask me, how are your online classes set up? This is because nowadays, there's different types of online. Here at Utah State, a class is online when it's taught asynchronously. That means that there's no specific time that you have to log in. You can engage in the classroom at any time that's convenient to you.
• 10:49
  Synchronous classes, sometimes called Zoom classes, or as we call them, virtual classes, are ones that you do have to log in and interact live with your instructor throughout the class.
• 11:00
  When it comes to registering for online classes here at Utah State, it's the same process as any other type of class. We have special markers so that students can identify online classes versus in-person. And if there's any questions, students can work with their academic advisor to make sure that they get the right type of class.
• 11:13
  If you have questions about taking online classes here at Utah State, you can always reach out to me at online\@usu.edu or the General Admissions Office at admit\@usu.edu.
• 11:23
  Utah State University is on a semester system when it comes to classes, and online classes follow that same schedule. There are classes that are taught for the full semester, with the same start and end dates as a regular in-person classes.
• 11:34
  There are also some online classes that are taught during half semesters, or we call them seven-week sessions, because they're about seven weeks long. One session, of course, starts at the beginning of the semester and runs halfway through. The other one starts halfway and then ends at the same time as the rest of the classes.
• 11:48
  Summers are also an excellent time to take online classes. They can be busy with vacations or internships, or other sorts of opportunities that wouldn't allow you to take in-person classes. However, that added flexibility that online gives you enables you to take advantage of those opportunities while getting ahead in your education.
• 12:03
  While you're taking an online class, it's important to make sure you participate in it. There's usually discussions that are held weekly, times you'll have to post materials, as well as respond to others.
• 12:13
  One of my experiences early on in my master's program, in fact, in my very first class, actually set a precedent for me in all my other master's classes. Keep in mind that master's programs tend to be a lot more in depth, a lot higher expectations than your standard associate's or bachelor's.
• 12:28
  These threaded discussions that we would have that were part of this participation generally required us to respond to a question. The very first post I ever saw a fellow student give had several citations, and was basically a mini essay.
• 12:42
  And I thought, oh, this is a graduate program. I guess this is the expectation that people have. So I responded to every single discussion prompt the exact same way. Full citations, multiple of them, very detailed.
• 12:54
  I quickly found that a lot of other students didn't quite go as depth as I did. And it was rather interesting to see the comparison between those two, because of the expectation that I had from that very first class versus what other people had, which was a little bit more casual.
• 13:08
  Regardless, the professor took all of our responses, and that sort of environment enables for some good discussion back and forth, and is a great example of the diversity that you can find within the participation of an online class.
• 13:18
  One of the big questions the students have when it comes to the actual nuts and bolts of an online class is, how do they take exams. They can be done in a number of different ways.
• 13:26
  One of the most common ways is to be proctored virtually. We use a service called Proctorio, that makes use of a computer's webcam and microphone to monitor the student while they're taking their test.
• 13:37
  If there's any behavior that looks suspicious, they'll flag it. At that point, it will be reported to the professor for them to review.
• 13:43
  If they decide that things look all fine, nothing happens. If not, they'll reach out and work with the student directly. Neither the testing officials at Proctorio, nor the program itself make any decision in terms of what's being monitored.
• 13:55
  In addition to virtual proctoring, students can take proctored exams at a local testing center. Some classes may require a local testing center in order to proctor those exams. If you'd like to, or need to take an exam at a testing center, you can work with our testing center individuals to help you find someone local to you.
• 14:13
  And we can find proctors anywhere in the world. In fact, shortly after I started, just for fun, I wanted to see how many proctors we had in London, England. We had three.
• 14:22
  I've personally worked with students all over the world, including Korea, Japan, Guam, Italy, throughout South America, and even Africa, and we've been able to find proctoring, proctors and testing centers for them. So it doesn't matter where you are in the world, we can find you a testing center.
• 14:35
  As you're looking into online classes, you may see references to different learning management systems or LMSs. Here at Utah State, we use Canvas. We've been with them for quite a while, and have actually developed tools to help enhance the learning experience through Canvas.
• 14:48
  That means that when you register for your online classes, they will all be found right on the Canvas homepage.
• 14:54
  When it comes to how online class is structured, that is determined entirely by the professor. What kinds of materials they use, video, audio reading, so on and so forth. Each online class may be a slightly different experience than the others.
• 15:06
  Regardless of how the professor has the class set up, it's all structured the same within Canvas, and you have access to the same tools for every class. When it comes to online classes, the concerns you have are oftentimes the same concerns that you would experience in an in-person class.
• 15:20
  What is this class going to be like? What's the professor going to be like? How available is everything going to be? The only difference is, is that there's a clear separation. They're not right there in front of you. That separation does not have to be a problem. It does not have to limit you from succeeding in that class.
• 15:37
  Online classes provide a wonderful opportunity to dive into material deeper than you might otherwise in an in-person class. Or pause lectures so that you can fully understand the material and not get left behind.
• 15:49
  There are built-in accessibility options. There captions for videos, subtext for photos, additional information that you can get that you can't get when you're trying to pick things up immediately while the professor is talking.
• 16:00
  Online classes are different, but so are laboratories, so are lectures, so are practicum experiences. Those differences allow us to learn things in new ways.
• 16:11
  So thanks for joining us on this episode. I hope we've answered some of your burning questions. Remember, you can always connect with us at online\@osu.edu. And check out our website at usu.edu/online. So until next time, I'm Daniel Allred, and remember to keep building what's next.