Two Types of Online Courses

Online learning is instructional delivery that does not require you to be physically located in the same site as your instructor. Online classrooms are accessed remotely using computers with Internet access. In addition to text content such as lecture notes and course assignments, they may incorporate online communication forums and multimedia technologies. Some courses require textbooks and other supplementary materials. To show what you have learned, you submit assignments and projects to your instructor via our learning management system and, in most courses, sit for a proctored final examination at an approved offline site.

Continuous Enrollment Courses

Continuous enrollment courses have no specific start or end date. You can enroll anytime. You must allocate a minimum of 30 days per semester unit to complete a course; this time frame allows for instructor-led interaction and feedback between assignments. For courses of 3 and 4 semester units, you must remain in the course for a minimum of 90 days. For most continuous enrollment courses, you have a maximum of 180 days from the date of enrollment to complete the course unless otherwise noted in the course description. Submit no more than one assignment at a time to your instructor, and wait until this assignment has been returned before submitting the next one. If you are unable to complete your coursework and do not officially withdraw from the online course, you receive a grade of F. Look for "Online, enroll anytime" or search for online courses in the current "Ongoing" term to find continuous enrollment courses in the online or print catalog.

Fixed-Date Courses

Fixed-date courses feature specific start and finish dates, like a classroom course. You are required to complete homework assignments throughout the time period as set by your instructor. In addition to 12-week courses, Extension offers accelerated fixed-date courses that you can complete in 8 weeks.