Helpful Links and Guidelines

A Student’s Role in an Online Course

Your role as a student is different.  In a face-to-face (F2F) course, you go to class at a specific time. The instructor facilitates your learning by lecturing, leading discussions, using a PowerPoint, etc.  The instructor is in charge of the pace and timing.  In an online course you as a student take on a more active role in your learning. 

Student-Centered

An online course is much more student-centered; the instructor is more of a facilitator of learning than directly in charge as he/she is in the F2F classroom.  This has its pros and cons.  Since the material is in written form and on the Web site, you can go through it at your own pace, and can go back over it.  An online course favors different learning styles than an F2F course.  Obviously visual learning is supported very well by an online course.  Oral learners may not benefit as much by an online course. 

Self-Motivated and Disciplined

Importantly, since an online course does allow you to work at your own pace, you are in charge of when, where, and how fast.  As an online student, you need to be self-motivated and disciplined.  You will need to set a schedule for yourself to login and complete work by the deadlines. 

Any help you will need you will need to seek from your instructor by email, phone or other methods as determined by your instructor.  It is very easy to let the class get ahead of you thus ending up with you in the position of trying to play catch-up.  If you keep up with all assignments and deadlines, a Southeast Online course should be as great an experience and of equal quality as an F2F course.

Convenience and Flexibility

Online courses provide a great alternative to education at Southeast Missouri State.  An online class allows you to:

• take the same quality course taught on campus from a distance. 

• attend a course without setting foot on the Southeast campus. 

• take a class at a convenient time. 

With an online class, you now have the opportunity to take a class not otherwise possible because of scheduling conflicts.  A Southeast Online course shows in transcripts the same as an F2F course.  In fact, nothing in your records distinguishes an online course from an F2F course.

Once you have enrolled in your online course, the next step is to make sure you have anything you need to access the course website the first day of class.  The following section will guide you through the steps you’ll need to take to make sure the first day of your online class will be a success.

Please note: Some course websites will not be “active” until a day or so prior to the first day of classes.  If you can’t access your instructor’s online course website before the first day, don’t be alarmed.  If your Southeast Key is active, you will have access to the course. If your Southeast Key is activated and you still have problems on the first day, don’t hesitate to contact support@cstl.semo.edu and they will be happy to assist you.

>>Please click here to go on to the next section of the class (Accessing your course).

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