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Taking Online Courses |
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During their time at college,
many students choose to take online classes with their regular face-to-face
courses in the classroom. These classes are set up using course management
software such as WebCT and create a kind of virtual online learning environment.
Instead of showing up to a class, students logon to the specified site on the
Internet and access the class syllabus, reading material, and assignments from
the comfort of their own home, dorm room, coffee shop, or wherever they choose.
There are several reasons why a student may decide to do this, for example, a
class might be required or the student especially wants to take the class, but
it clashes with the rest of her schedule. Taking the class online eliminates the
schedule clash, since the student doesn’t have to go anywhere to complete it.
Online classes can be very beneficial to the student
because they can be worked on anytime, anywhere. You don’t have to meet once or
twice a week at a specified time and place. You simply log on and spend time
reading, doing assignments, and quizzes in your own time. As well as providing
the syllabus, reading material, and assignment information, students can also
read announcements from the instructor, check their grades, submit assignments,
take tests, and interact with other students taking the class via bulletin
boards and chat rooms. This allows students in the class to have discussions and
debates just like they would in a regular face-to-face class. |
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Time Management and Study Skills |
 Taking online classes requires a good level of time
management and study skills (See sections on Time Management and Study
Skills). To make sure you spend enough time working on your online
course, you may want to schedule a certain amount of time per week that
you will spend on your course work. In a sense, you will be scheduling a
class for yourself; but unlike the regular face-to-face classes, you can
schedule a time that is best for you. And, you can juggle your online
class time with your other commitments on a weekly basis. For example,
you may schedule two hours of time on a Monday one week, and then twp
hours on a Thursday the following week. You don’t have to stick to the
same day and time every week, as you do make time each week to spend on
your course. To see if online courses are right for you, take this
quiz. |
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Can I
take online courses before college? |
 Aside from taking online classes during your time at
college, you may also take online courses before you start college. The
Online College Courses in the High Schools (OCCHS) Program at Marshall
University offers a variety of college courses to high school students
at a discounted rate.
The classes are taught by instructors at the University and offer the
same depth and scope of material as regular classes. The online
facilities are the same as described above. High school students have
access to the course syllabus, reading material, tests, assignment
information, and virtual chat rooms. They can submit their assignments
online, chat with classmates and e-mail their instructor with questions.
Taking online courses while you are still in high school can help you to
prepare for college, fulfill some of your prerequisites, save you money,
and improve your college application profile. So this is definitely
something to consider doing, especially during your junior and senior
years. The kind of classes offered are often general education classes
that are required of all freshman students, required by specific
programs, or are prerequisites for higher level courses. Some of the
popular courses are Psychology 201, Sociology 200, English 101 and 102,
Math 130, and Chemistry 203. Most majors require some classes to be
taken outside of the major field, as well as classes within the major.
You can find out what is required of your chosen major by logging on to
the department homepage of your chosen school's website to see what
courses you need to take. |
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Qualifications |
 There are some qualifications necessary for admission
depending on your year of application. If you are in your junior or
senior year of high school, the following requirements are applicable:
- Be currently enrolled in high school or an
approved home-school program
- Completed admissions application and application
fee ($30.00)
- High school transcript reflecting a cumulative
minimum GPA of 3.0
- One letter of recommendation from a counselor or
principal
- To take a Math course, a student must have a
qualifying ACT score of 19 or a SAT score of 460 in Math. Some Math
courses may require a higher ACT/SAT score. To take English courses,
a student must have an ACT score of 18 or a SAT score of 450 in
English.
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Additional Requirements |
 If you are not yet in your junior year of high school,
the following additional requirements are applicable:
1. Completed admissions application and application fee ($30.00)
2. An ACT/SAT at the 85th percentile or above (ACT = 26/SAT = 1170). If
the ACT/SAT exam has not been taken, The ACT/PLAN composite score must
be at the 90th percentile or above. If Stanford Achievement Test scores
are available, scores must be at the 85th percentile or above in every
academic category.
3. High school transcript reflecting a cumulative minimum GPA of 3.0.
4. A letter of recommendation from a counselor or principal.
5. A letter of recommendation from one teacher who is familiar with the
student’s academic performance.
6. Maintain a 2.0 GPA in all college courses. |
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Are online courses more difficult? |
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While the learning and delivery methods are different,
the course content offered in an online course is the same. Depending on
the course type, you might focus more on reading and writing rather than
listening and observing. With online learning you need to be more
disciplined since you are arranging your own times to work on the
classes, but the level of work is no different than regular classes. The
requirements vary from course to course, but many courses do require
exams. You must be prepared to do your own work and take your own tests. |
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How do I apply? |
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Admission
procedures for online courses at Marshall University are the same as for
on-campus courses. You must be admitted to Marshall University to be
eligible for an OCCHS course enrollment. Applying to Marshall is easy
and can be done online! The following items are necessary for high
school juniors or seniors to be admitted to Marshall University. First
of all, a
High School Application for Early College Credit at Marshall University
form must be filled out. You would then send the form along with a $30
check for the admission fee and a $366 check for the course fee. The
$366 fee is per a 3 credit hour course, so if you are taking more than
one class you would send a check for the total amount. You will also
need to arrange for your letters of recommendation, transcripts, and
test scores to be sent. Once you have been admitted to Marshall you will
be registered for your chosen classes and notification will be sent to
you with information about how to logon to your courses.
For more
information about Online College Courses in the High Schools, logon to
the
website,
e-mail occhs@marshall.edu, or
call 304-696-7084. |
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