By now you might be wondering if an online course is right for you and if you need special skills to be a successful distance learner. On a technical level, Bismarck State College online students must be familiar with computers and the Internet.
You'll also need to have access to a computer system that meets the minimum online course requirements.
Technical competence alone won't make you a successful distance learner. Distance education is an opportunity and a challenge, an opportunity to take courses in a flexible learning environment and a challenge to shape your life and direct your own studies.
The rewards to students who learn to manage their time and education while learning from a distance are great. You get to take some of the finest courses at a time and location convenient to your lifestyle!

How will this be different from taking a course on campus?
Your BSC online course will take place in a different kind of environment than a typical face-to-face course, but there are many ways in which your course will be similar to on-campus instruction. You'll find that our courses still have real instructors, students and course materials. Nothing "virtual" about those! But the courses themselves allow more flexibility than face-to-face classes.

The amout of time a student can expect to spend on a BSC online course varies with each course and with each week the course runs. To determine the time that will be spent on an online course take the number of credits for the course times three to four. For example, a three-credit course would require approximately 9 to 12 hours of course work each week.

The flexibility that you'll enjoy as a distant learner has a flip side. You'll find that this kind of educational environment takes more self-initiative than traditional face-to-face instruction. You'll need to pay close attention to the course schedule and due dates. Since you'll be studying at a distance, it will be easy to put off homework in order to attend to other responsibilities that may seem more pressing. Since your BSC online course won't take any less time than an equivalent on-campus course, you can get behind and feel overwhelmed in a hurry. Developing a personal schedule for completing your course work, and then pacing yourself will be the key to your success!

What will my course be like?
This question is difficult to answer, because each online course varies from instructor to instructor. BSC online courses come in a variety of formats. Some courses are considered "independent learning" - students work through the course materials at their own pace (but still completing by a prescribed deadline) independent of anyone else who might be enrolled in the same course. Other courses are "cohort-based" - a group of students take the course at the same time and follow the same schedule, similar to traditional courses. Regardless of the format, an instructor is always "behind the wheel" to guide the learning process!

What students will receive and need:

• A "welcome letter" from Bismarck State College, which describes how to get started with the course, as well as how to contact the instructor.
• Any print materials required for the course, such as a textbook, study guide and/or reading booklet that are listed on the course syllabus or BSC Bookstore.
• Student ID and password to enter the online courses website.

How are assignments handled?
Throughout your educational career, you've no doubt been given a wide variety of assignments, from completing worksheets and term papers to preparing presentations and portfolios. You'll encounter that same variety of course assignments in your BSC online courses. Some things haven't changed!
The only real difference you'll discover is in the way you submit your online assignments. When taking a course at a distance, it is usually difficult to hand your professor your term paper or give a presentation live in front of class. In such cases, we simply come up with an alternative way to reach the same goal. For example, you might surface mail your term paper or attach it to an e-mail note, or you might videotape your presentation and send the tape to your instructor (Example: Speech class). Or perhaps you'll submit your paper or presentations in the form of a Web page - there are many options! For each assignment, you will receive specific instructions for turning in the assignment.
After an assignment has been received, it will be graded and the feedback shared with you. Once again, the only difference will be the way in which you'll receive your feedback. Since your instructor will be at a distance from you, one of a number of different means will be used, such as surface mail, e-mail or the use of an online grade book. And remember, there is nothing "virtual" about your BSC online instructor - you will still be able to ask questions about the feedback you receive!

How will my learning be assessed?
In the absence of face-to-face interaction with your online instructor, you may wonder how your learning will be assessed. How will your instructor know whether you are actively participating and learning the material? In online courses, we use many of the same assessment strategies used in on-campus courses, including quizzes, exams, papers and projects. How is this all done, you ask? We use a variety of techniques to accomplish the same assessment goals as on-campus courses - we just adapt a little! Here are just a few examples of what you might find in your BSC course:

• Online quizzes that are automatically scored, complete with detailed feedback
• Paper-based exams taken in the presence of an approved proctor. We work with you to select and approve a suitable proctor.
• Course projects that you may work on as part of a collaborative team.
• Research papers.
• Participation in small group discussions that take place online.

Mechanisms such as these are built into every online course to let you and your instructor know that learning is taking place!

How will I interact with my instructor and fellow students?
You live in Kansas and your instructor lives in North Dakota - and the rest of your online classmates live all over the world. How will you interact with one another? At BSC we use a variety of means to bring students and instructors together, including:

• E-mail
• Online discussion forums (bulletin boards, chat sessions, etc.)
• And occasionaly face-to-face meetings!

As each online course is developed, specific interaction strategies are selected to meet the needs of the course, using the technologies likely to be available to the students.

View "Netiquette" rules that govern online communication.