FAQs
- Q. What courses are offered online?
- Q. Why are courses offered online?
- Q.How much does an online class cost?
- Q.How different is an online course from a regular face-to-face course?
- Q. If I am a computer novice, should I not take an online course?
- Q. How frequently is each online course offered?
- Q. What is the schedule for online courses, compared with on-campus courses?
- Q. Are online courses easier or harder than on-campus courses?
- Q. How many weeks does an online course typically last?
- Q. What is Moodle?
- Q. What schedule do online courses follow during a semester?
- Q. When does my class meet?
- Q. What type of computer system will I need to take an online course?
- Q. What browser software should I use?
- Q.Will I need to buy and learn to use complicated software?
- Q.What type of Internet connection will I need to take an online course?
- Q. How many online courses can I take in one semester?
- Q. What prerequisites do students have to meet to take an online course?
- Q. Can you give me more information about learning to use Moodle?
- Q. If I sign up to take an online course, will I have to use my Los Angeles Southwest College e-mail address?
- Q. I'm interested in taking an online course, so what do I do now?
- Q. How do I register for an online class?
- Q. I've registered for an online course, so what do I do now?
- Q. If I start an online class but am unable to complete all the requirements over the course of the term, will I be able to make up the work?
- Q. How do the attendance requirements work for online classes?
- Q. Are there any special requirements for students who want to take online courses?
Introduction to Online Courses at Los Angeles Southwest College
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Q. What courses are offered online?
A. Most of the courses in the Los Angeles Southwest College course catalog are offered online. A sufficient number and variety of courses is offered over a four year period to allow students to earn their B.A. degree entirely online.
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Q. Why are courses offered online?
A. Los Angeles Southwest College offers courses online to allow students who live far from our campus the opportunity to earn their degrees. We also want students who attend classes on campus to have the chance to experience the advantages of online courses.
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Q. How frequently is each online course offered?
A. Typically, required courses are offered every year, and optional or elective courses are offered less frequently.
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Q. How different is an online course from a regular face-to-face course?
A. An online course and face-to-face course differs primarily in the way the course is facilitated. Instead of meeting on campus at a fixed location and time, you have more flexibility as to when you accomplish the course assignments and other activities. Most online courses are not self-paced. Most students enjoy online courses because it allows them to work from home at a time that is convenient for them. However, you still have due dates, and you must keep up with discussions, readings, and assignments. Online students have the added advantage of not having to battle through traffic and then locate a parking spot on campus. For more information click here
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Q. If I am a computer novice, should I not take an online course?
A. Many students who claim to be computer novices have successfully taken our online courses. Being a computer novice should not deter you from taking an online course. If you are able to access the Internet, navigate to various Web sites, send email with attachments, cut, copy and paste text you will do just fine. If you lack some of these skills you may want to look at this page for some suggestions.
Q. How much does an online class cost?
A. It costs the same amount as a regular on-campus course at Los Angeles Southwest College.
Q. What is the schedule for online courses, compared with on-campus courses?
A. The online course sequence is fairly close, though not identical, to the sequence of courses offered on campus. A greater number of on-campus courses than online courses are offered each semester.
Q. Are online courses easier or harder than on-campus courses?
A. Online courses are designed to cover the same amount of material as on-campus courses. To make up for the lack of in-class time spent on lectures and discussions, instructors will often assign more reading and/or other tasks, such as online discussions. The overall amount of time required of a student for an online course should be about the same as that required for an on-campus course.
Q. How many weeks does an online course typically last?
A. Online courses usually have the same duration as their traditional couse counterparts. The regular semester is 15 weeks, the summer and winter semesters are 5-weeks. Some courses, may have shorter or longerlonger periods of time.
Q. What is Moodle?
A. The Course Management Tool that Los Angeles Southwest College is currently using for its online courses is called Moodle, a system that is used in many universities and seminaries across the country and around the world. Moodle allows students to read material online, discuss course topics with their professor and their peers, take tests online, ask questions, submit papers, and see their grades any time. To see the LASC moodle site go to http://online.lasc.edu
Q. What schedule do online courses follow during a semester?
A. A regular semester (Fall or Spring) lasts about fifteen weeks. Winter and Summer online courses last five weeks, so each regular semester is divided into three five-week terms: Students in online classes will have a week off during the week of Thanksgiving in the Fall semester and for Spring Break in the Spring semester, so the length of time from the start date to the end date will be lengthened accordingly. Each online course will have either five or ten full weeks of instructional time (minus occasional one-day holidays, which follow the on-campus holiday schedule).
Q. When does my class meet?
A. Technically, there are no class times. Online courses are conducted "asynchronously," which means individuals "take turns" sending messages back and forth between students and instructors or, in the case of self-paced courses, following their own schedule to complete assignments.
What type of computer system will I need to take an online course?
A. A reliable computer with a reliable internet connection. For details see Computer Requirements
Q. What browser software should I use?
A. The recommended browser is Firefox. It is available free at http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/ . For more information click here. Browser_Tune_Up.html
Q. Will I need to buy and learn to use complicated software?
A. No, ususally. The online class sofware (moodle) is browser based, so you do not need to purchase any software to access your class. Some classes may require that you have a word processor, like Microsoft Word or Works to submit assignments. Particular classes (for example CAOT-113 Photoshop) require that you have specific software to take the class. This software is always available on campus in sprecific labs and you may use it there when taking the class.
Q. What type of Internet connection will I need to take an online course?
A. Although we recommend a broadband connection (i.e., cable, DSL, or T1), you can still take our online courses if you have a dialup connection. We design our courses to run smoothly over a dialup connection; however, there may be times when a dialup connection will impede access to the multimedia components of the course.
Q. How many online courses can I take in one semester?
A. Online courses, like their on-campus counterparts, are usually three-hour courses, and on-campus students may take any combination of online and on-campus courses that their faculty advisor authorizes. In most cases, students will be discouraged from taking more than one online class at a time. Students will also be discouraged from taking too many on-campus hours simultaneously with an online course. Students who are taking classes exclusively online should not enroll in more than two online classes per term, and we recommend that students who are working take only one online class per term.
Q. What prerequisites do students have to meet to take an online course?
A. Courses offered online have the same prerequisites as the same courses offered in the classroom. However, although there are no additional requirements, students who are new to online classesare strongly urged take the COAT-133 How to Succeed in an Online Couse prio to thaking an online class. Why?, because students are expected to start working immediately when class begins.
Q. If I sign up to take an online course, will I have to use any particular e-mail address?
A. No you can use any email account. But you should remember to email your professor ASAP, since he/she has not way to contact you unitl you do. Remember to include the class name ie CAOT-85 Online for example in the subject line of your email message
Q. I'm interested in taking an online course, so what do I do now?
A. Talk to your faculty advisor or admissions representative and let him or her know of your interest. Check the schedule of upcoming online terms to see what online courses are offered. Make sure you are familiar with Moodle prior to beginning the class.
Q. How do I register for an online class?
A. The exact registration process varies somewhat depending on whether you are an on-campus U.S. citizen, an on-campus international student, or an off-campus student. See Registering for Online Courses at Los Angeles Southwest College for details.
Q. I've registered for an online course, so what do I do now?
A. You register for an online class with the Registrar's office, but you must also enroll yourself in the class on Moodle. Once you have registered for the class, do the following to enroll yourself on Moodle the LASC online web site.
go to this page for instructions.
It is your responsibility as a student to enroll yourself in the online class promptly. If you do not login by the second day of class, you will be dropped from the class.Q. If I start an online class but am unable to complete all the requirements over the course of the term, will I be able to make up the work?
A. It is your responsibility to drop a class. If there is an emergency, and at the instructor's discretion, you may receive a term grade of Incomplete. Please note, Incompletes are not give very often and require documentation. If so, you will be given up to one year to complete your assignments.
Q. How do the attendance requirements work for online classes?
A. Determining attendance for a particular online class is the responsibility of the instructor. However, in most online classes you will be required to participate in class discussions, quizzes, assigned papers, etc., on a weekly basis. The couse web site logs all of your online sessions and this log is available to your instructor.
Q. Are there any special requirements for students who want to take online courses?
A. Yes. In order to take a online class you need three things:
- A reliable computer with a reliable internet connection. The syllabus for your class, which you will find when you login to your online class's web site will outline the exact computer and software requirements. Remember you can use the various computer labs on LASC's campus to do your online work, but you must factor into your schedule when these labs are available.
- The ability to use a browser and basic windows skills (cut, copy, paste, create folders, save and retrieve files etc.)
- An active Email Account. You can NOT take an online class if you do not have an email account. If you do not have a currently active one, you can get one free from http://hotmail.com , http://yahoo.com , or http://gmail.com . If you have an email already, you can use it in your online class.