An online course uses the Internet and a learning management system, Blackboard Learn (ANGEL edition), to deliver course materials and to facilitate student-student, instructor-student, and student-content interaction. To participate in online classes, you should have a good understanding of computer hardware and software applications and the Internet.

With a few exceptions, online courses deliver the course content online, saving you gas and travel time. However, you may be required to take proctored exams or on-campus assessments at a testing center.

Although online courses allow for flexibility in your schedule, they are not self-paced. Online courses have a beginning and end date, and your instructor will set deadline dates for assignments and assessments.

To find out if online courses would be a good fit for you, take the readiness survey at http://www.aacc.edu/virtualcampus/readi/. This survey is a web-based tool designed to predict the likelihood for success in an online learning course.

A hybrid course combines the learning formats of in-class instruction and online computer-based learning, resulting in a reduction of the amount of time spent on campus. Students registered in hybrid courses must attend scheduled campus meetings, as printed in the AACC Schedule of Credit Classes.

Your computer will need to meet certain requirements in courses. To see if your computer is ready for ANGEL, go to http://ola.aacc.edu/sysreq and click on Systems Requirement Check.

You will access your online course by logging into the college’s portal page, http://myaacc.aacc.edu. For complete instructions, you can watch a short tutorial at Accessing Your Distance Education Course.