1. S M T W R F S
A Week in the Life of an
Online course
Hi, I’m Ted. I’ve been taking
online courses and will walk you
through a typical week in an
online course. This will give you
and idea of what it’s like to be an
online student.

2. At the beginning of each week, I log
into my online course website to see
what my readings and assignments
are.

3. Most of my professors send updates through the course Announcements or email.
I check these frequently for updates.
May 4
Announcements
Dear class,
I hope you had a great weekend, the
weather was gorgeous over here.
This week, we’ll be looking more in-
depth at the …
Prof. Sullivan

4. Then, I check the section of the website where our professor posts materials. Here I
find the readings and assignments that I need to work on for each week. Throughout
the week I complete my readings and assignments. To turn in my assignments, I can
upload files or take exams online depending on the course.
Week 1
Weekly Materials
Week 2

5. Since our class is online, most of our discussion takes place on an online discussion board
in the course website. The professor posts a question or prompt for me and the other
students to respond to.
For this course, I have to post at least one message to the discussion board by the middle
of the week, and then I have the rest of the week to continue the discussion. My
professor does this to help keep the discussion moving. If everyone waited until the last
minute, we wouldn’t have time to respond to each other…
This Week’s Discussion
Date Sender Subject
May 13 Li, Phan Ethical Dilemma Assignment
May 12 Barr, Lisa This week’s reading…
May 10 Byrd, Bob RE: This week’s reading…
May 10 Paquin, Karla RE: This week’s reading…
Reply

6. In addition to the discussion board, I sometimes send email to my
classmates or professor when I have a question.
When I have group projects online, I work with my classmates using
tools like email, google docs or skype.
My professor also holds online office hours once a week so I can ask her
more specific questions. I can also make an appointment to chat with
her via phone when needed.

7. At the end of the week, my professor helps us wrap up the week, and opens the
materials for the next week so we can get a head start. We also get grades
throughout the course so we know how we’re doing.
Week 1
Weekly Materials
Week 2
Week 3