FAQ - General Questions About Online Courses

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ONLINE COURSES

See Santiago Canyon College for more course listings
A. GENERAL QUESTIONS How Much Does An Online Course Cost? How Do I Register For This Class? Who should take the online version of this course? Would I be better off taking it in a classroom? How do I find out about specific course requirements and books? Where can I get my books? What is the "drop policy" for this class? B. QUESTIONS ABOUT COMPUTER HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, ETC. C. SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ONLINE FORMAT OF THIS CLASS A. GENERAL QUESTIONS 1. How Much Does An Online Course Cost? The online version of any class costs exactly the same as traditional classes. Refer to the college Course Schedule (either the printed version or the online version at http://www.sccollege.edu, or contact the SCC Admissions Office at (714) 628-4900 if you need further information or an explanation of fees and tuition. 2. How Do I Register For This Class? Registration for a online class is handled the same as traditional class enrollment: Returning students can use the Touchtone Telephone Registration system OR register online. Further information is available at http://www.sccollege.edu under the ADMISSIONS section. New students must first complete an application and file it with the Admissions Office, Santiago Canyon College, 8045 East Chapman Avenue, Orange, CA 92869, either in person or through the mail. If it is more convenient, it can be filed at the Santa Ana College or Garden Grove Center sites. Applications can now be file online as well. Once the application is processed, new students may also register through Telephone Registration or online as explained in the college Course Schedule and in the Admissions section of the Santiago Canyon College Web site. If you need further explanation of application or registration procedures, contact the Admissions Office at (714) 628-4900. 3. Who should take the online version of this course? Would I be better off taking it in a classroom? Only you can answer these questions, but here are some general guidelines. You might prefer the online version if you: need scheduling flexibility for classwork are a self-managed and self-motivated learner And for computer courses also: prefer using your own computer and are somewhat confident about computing (or have someone nearby who can help you "troubleshoot") You might feel more comfortable in the more traditional classroom version if you have a schedule that allows you to attend all class meetings prefer a classroom setting to concentrate on learning need a lot of "in person" contact with your instructor And for computer courses also: don't mind sharing a computer for any hands-on computer work are very new to computers and don't have anybody nearby who can help you 4. How do I find out about specific course requirements and books? A syllabus and orientation document for each course is available online in electronic format. These documents describe the specific course requirements and any applicable textbooks. 5. Where can I get my books? Not all online courses have a required book; some classes have all the materials available on the web. All required college textbooks are available through the college bookstore and can be ordered online at Santiago Canyon College's Amazon.Com, Barnes and Noble or other sources. 6. What is the "drop policy" for this class? It's exactly the same as for a traditional class. Students have the primary responsibility for this function and should drop online classes the same way they should drop traditional classes. Students must "check into" the first meeting of every class they are taking. In a traditional class, that means showing up for the first class meeting on campus. In an online class, it means either attending the orientation meeting (if one is given on campus) or logging into the class Web site on the first day of class. Any student who is a "no show" can be dropped without notice; any student who misses more than 7% of the course meetings can also be dropped without notice for excessive absence. However, even if a student stops attending class and/or stops submitting work, it is the student's responsibility to drop, not the teacher's responsibility to make sure the student is dropped. Any student who simply "fades away" could end up with a nasty surprise on their transcript when they discover they had 'earned' an "F" grade in their online course.

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