What is a "LIVE ONLINE" Course?

Online vs Live Online Classes

• Online Courses (Asynchronous)

  Traditional Online courses are delivered asynchronously. Students consume content and submit work on their own schedule (self-paced learning). Online faculty proctor the course, interact with students, and grade submitted work as the course progresses. The course content, which can contain lessons, prerecorded video lectures and tutorials, quizzes, assignments, and discussions can be accessed by students at any time. However, there are often due dates set on learning activities in online classes.
  
  

• Live Online Classes (Synchronous)

  Live Online classes include asynchronous learning activities but also include synchronous virtual meetings (usually through Zoom) where faculty present lectures and coordinate virtual activities with students. Live Online classes require students to attend weekly meetings with faculty. Meetings occur at the same day and time each week. All attendees are expected to be online and connected to the internet during weekly meetings. Faculty can host optional, additional sessions or host office hours through Zoom outside of their standing weekly course meeting.

How Can Students select Live Online Courses?

At registration, students see a designated day and time for which the "LIVE" synchronous meetings will occur. Courses taught in the Live Online modality will indicate they are as such in the course description when students register for classes. 

How can Faculty Host Weekly Virtual Sessions

There are several tele-video conferencing software available to use for your virtual class meetings.  If you are already using something that works for you, you may continue using it.  SPC also licenses and supports Zoom, a software that is used for instruction at colleges and universities across the nation. Zoom integrates directly with MyCourses and there are several tutorials that review setting up and using Zoom for your Live Online classes.  To obtain a licensed Zoom account through SPC, faculty are required to complete an online Zoom workshop.

• Register for On-Demand Zoom Training
  
  

Why did SPC Add the Live Online Modality

The Live Online modality was added as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic but will continue to be available.  Many SPC students have demanding schedules that might prevent them from attending classes on campus, yet they still value face-to-face interaction and instruction.  Live Online is an option that has been proven to be a successful modality. Our goal is to enable students to continue their path towards a degree and provide several modes of instruction to meet their changing needs along the way.