Online learning—for students and for teachers—is one of the fastest growing trends in educational uses of technology. The Department of Education released a report that analyzes 45 studies that compare traditional classroom instruction to online learning. The conclusion was that students participating in online learning performed modestly better than traditional face to face learning.
What is the online experience like at UVU?
When you login you see a list of courses. When you click on a link, you enter the course and can view all course content. The top of the web page has a syllabus and instructions about where to start. Your instructor will also be in contact with you. The instructor normally holds a web conference at least once per week to go over the material and assignments and answer questions. Web conferences are also good for student collaboration.
How do I complete my assignments at UVU?
All courses are conducted over 12 weeks. Each week there will be lectures, reading assignments, videos to watch, and questions to answer. Problem assignments can be papers, projects, problems or take-home exams. The instructor normally posts an assignment on Monday with a due date of Sunday, so students have the flexibility to work when it is convenient.
How will I be able to learn online?
Most people are able to learn online but it is a different way to learn. To succeed, you must be independent and able to set deadlines for your work. You work at your own pace. However, there are deadlines for the assignments. Instead of having an instructor lead you in a classroom, you will need to complete assignments on your own. You have the option to contact the instructor at any time with questions.
To improve communications, UVU requires instructors to have a web conference at least once per week to go over the posted lectures and answer questions. For more challenging courses there is more than one web conference per week. This tool allows the student to clearly see the instructor’s computer desktop and hear his/her voice. You can ask questions in real time. The video presentations are excellent and even allow full motion video to be shared. We have trained students from around the world with this product. You will receive a link to the web conference. At the appropriate date and time you simply click on the link and you will be automatically logged in. All classes are recorded and available during the course for later viewing. A link to the video recording will be sent after each live web-conference. Most people use their computer to watch the lectures but you can also download the Canvas application and watch from your iPhone, iPad or Android. For technical courses that involve problem solving, videos and web conferencing via Canvas will be used to demonstrate problem solving methods.