This section gives you an overview of a typical week in an online class. Though your specific course requirements may vary, these are the types of activities you will engage in during a typical week.

Log onto your course and check notes, announcements, your course syllabus and calendar. Always read announcements thoroughly each time you log on. You may have important messages from your instructor or from the DCL support staff regarding technical information, schedule changes or assignments.
Work through the unit sections. Depending upon your specific course, you will explore assigned unit sections each week. The online units enrich your understanding of the concepts by presenting relevant art, photographs, and maps, and by linking to related Web pages that further explore the topic. There are activities to complete that must be done online. If you want to study away from your computer, you also can print out the units and consult the additional materials online at a later point.
Read assigned book chapters, Web links and other articles. Depending upon your course, it's likely that you will have assigned readings from a textbook, relevant Web pages, e-reserve articles, or other books..Consult your online syllabus for weekly reading assignments.
Participate in group discussion or group work. In a typical week you will interact frequently with your fellow students and your instructor for various reasons, including assignments. You can communicate by email, the discussion board, or even by the old-fashioned telephone. Some courses may work with live chat functions. It is important that you stay in contact with your peers to exchange ideas and to feel like a part of your online learning community.
Work on assignments. Designate a certain time each week to complete activities. You may be asked to watch an online video. You may have a quiz to take. It helps to get a head start on any long-term projects you have and avoid procrastination. You may choose to explore topics in the first week, research your topic in more depth the second week, specify your interest, and share it with your instructor in the third week, and so forth.

Is Online Learning for Me?

A Typical Week as an Online Student