Your instructor will assess your attendance and participation in an online class in the same way they do in an in person course. You will be required to be present on a regular basis, you will need to contribute frequently, and your contributions will need to add substance to class interactions. You should consider the following criteria when assessing your attendance and participation in online courses:

Participation During the First Week

If you do not log on to your courses within the add/drop period you may be dropped from the course to make room for students on the wait list. Add/drop and withdrawal dates are listed in the Academic Calendar. Some instructors require that you log in during the first day of class to prove your intent to continue in the course. Be sure to check your class for assignments and required activities that are due during the first week to make sure that you meet your instructor's participation requirements. Each online class is unique and individual instructors can have different requirements for how to demonstrate participation during the first week. Just logging in usually isn't enough.

Regular Course Interaction

You are expected to participate in online course activities on a regular basis. This means that it is not an option to wait until the end of a term before completing online activities. It is up to you to decide which days and times you dedicate to your course work. Effective online students will participate in some form of online activity several times a week. In fact, some will login and interact with their peers, instructors, and course materials several times a day. It is a good idea to schedule several times each week to log in and interact in order to keep your class participation regular.

Other Course Requirements

Some online classes require students complete activities or testing in person. Some examples of these in person requirements include on campus lab sessions for science classes and proctored exams for math courses. You may be required to go to a particular campus at a specific time to participate in these requirements. Before you officially register for an online class make sure to check the Course Information Page linked from the online schedule.

Course Information Page link screenshot

In addition to possible on campus participation requirements, this page often includes important information about required software, special course materials or prerequisites.