How Online College Works

(If you're wondering.  If not, just breeze past this post!)

I'm 3 weeks into my first of 4 online college courses in Early Childhood Education.  I can say that I totally love being in this world of learning new things again and have found a schedule that's working well for me. Since the idea of "going to school through the computer" was so foreign to me at the start of this, I thought I'd write out what a typical weekly school schedule looks like, in case you're curious too.

Saturday/Sunday:  Read the first of 2 chapters in the text (usually 40-50 pages) and take notes on the Power Point for the chapter (about 30-40 slides).

Monday:  Read and take notes on the second of two chapters due in the week.

Tuesday:  Write and post a response to the professor's wrap-up from the previous week.  (All responses usually end up being about 1 to 2 pages and, to receive full credit, must include personal examples, citations from the text and evidence of a Christian Worldview supported with specific Bible verses.)  Write the first of 2 responses to the professor's essay questions from the week's text and notes.

Wednesday:  Write the second response to the professor's second question.  Reply to the responses of 2 classmates.

Thursday:. Take the 20 question, open book, multiple choice quiz on the chapters and notes.  Reply to the responses of 2 more classmates.

Friday  Reply to 2 more classmates (for a total of 6 classmate responses, spread across 3 days).  Begin research and a rough draft for paper due each weekend.

Saturday/Sunday:  Submit final draft of paper (usually about 4-5 pages.)  Begin reading next chapter and Power Point.

If I stick to this schedule, I find I am able to have my class work interfere very little with my job of wife and mom.  I am mostly able to get these things done in my 4 quiet hours each morning.  Then on weekends, Dave is here and I am able to read and write while the kids play or have their own quiet time.  This class is comparable to a part-time job-- it seems to require at least 20 hours a week.  But everything that is submitted is graded on a completely objective rubric of points.  If you put the work in, you see good results and so far I am rocking a near-perfect score (missed 2 points on this week's quiz-- grrr!).  We'll see what adjustments become necessary once mornings start filling up with things like Bible Study, which kicks off next week, or helping in the girls' classrooms.

So, there you go!  Everything you always wanted to know about taking an online college course!