Fall and Winter 2020 classes will utilize a combination of in-person and online activities, and some will require participation during specific day(s) and time(s) (“synchronous activities”). If in-person meetings cannot be held due to public health concerns, any in-person class activities will be replaced by remote or online activities until in-person meetings are allowed again.
When deciding which classes fit your life and learning style, consider WHEN and WHERE the class activities will happen:
WHEN will class activities (aka instruction) happen?
Some classes include only one type; some classes include a combination of both types.
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Synchronous (aka “live” or “scheduled”) |
Asynchronous |
| Description |
Class activities occur at specific, scheduled times, which are published ahead of time in the class schedule.
Any mandatory synchronous activities, whether in-person or remotely/online, will be held during the published days/times. |
Student chooses when to do the activity—as long as it is before the due date! |
| Examples |
Class meetings, lectures, group work, discussions, guest speakers. |
Discussion forums, readings, videos, group work, online apps and activities. |
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Remember that college courses involve both instruction time (aka course activities) and study/homework time. These descriptions apply to instruction time only; you will also need to plan for study/homework time for each class in addition to the time for the class activities. |
WHERE will class activities happen?
Some classes include only one type; some classes include a combination of the types.
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In-Person Class Meetings & Activities |
Online Activities |
| In-Person Meetings Allowed |
On-campus in Monmouth, Salem, or another physical location [1] |
- Course page: Moodle or Canvas [2]
- Class meetings: Zoom, WebEx, Google Meet
- Other apps and sites (e.g. Google Drive, FlipGrid)
- The Keep Learning page has additional information about internet access and technology requirements, including how to borrow any equipment you need (e.g. WiFi hotspot, laptop, headset, etc) from the WOU Library.
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| No In-Person Meetings Due to Health Concerns |
- Some class meetings and in-person activities will shift to remote/online methods. These will be held only during the published days/times for the class.
- Some class meetings and in-person activities will be replaced by online activities that are asynchronous (i.e., they have deadlines but not a specific scheduled time for students to do the activity).
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Need help deciding which type of course will work best for you, or have other questions about choosing courses? Connect with your advisor or the Student Success & Advising Office.
How do I find this information for the classes I’m interested in?
Use the “Day(s) & Location(s)” section in the course schedule to determine when and where a class will be taught:
This example shows a screen from Schedule Planner; the same information is available in Wolf Web and the class schedule webpage.
In-Person
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Day(s)/time(s) and a physical location are both listed, with no other codes.
- The class will meet in-person, on-campus,[1] during those times each week.
- Any mandatory synchronous activities in this class, whether in-person or remote/online, will be held during the published days/times.
- In this example, the class with CRN “11111” will meet in-person on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 2:00pm to 3:50pm, in room 105 of the Math and Nursing Building.
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Hybrid
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The word HYBRD is listed, along with day(s)/time(s) and a physical location.
- The normal weekly class hours will be split between online activities that students complete on their own and synchronous activities (e.g., class meetings) held in-person, on-campus,[1] during the days/times listed.
- Any mandatory synchronous activities in this class, whether in-person or remote/online, will be held during the published days/times.
- In this example, the class with CRN “12222” will meet in-person on Mondays from 12:00pm to 1:50pm, in room 309 of Campbell Hall.
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Online
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The word ONLINE CRS is listed by itself.
- This class is what is commonly considered an “online class” – all mandatory activities in the class will be asynchronous (i.e. no specific scheduled time to do the activity).
- Although these classes do not have live meetings, these are not “self-study” classes. They have a set timeline and deadlines, and follow the same academic calendar as all WOU courses. Students and instructors are in regular communication, and many of these classes provide opportunities for students to participate in forums or other group activities.
- An online class may have optional synchronous activities, such as a Zoom meeting for Q&As with the instructor, but students will not be required to attend/participate. Not all online classes will include optional synchronous activities.
- In this example, the class with CRN “13333” will have all instruction delivered online, without scheduled meetings.
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Online-Synchronous
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The word ONLINE CRS is listed with days/times.
- This class will have synchronous activities (e.g. class meetings), but they will be held online, not in-person / on-campus.
- Any mandatory synchronous activities in this class will be held during the published days/times.
- This class may also have online activities.
- In this example, the class with CRN “14444” will meet online on Wednesdays from 10:00am to 11:50pm.
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Online-Synchronous
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The word ONLINE CRS is listed with days/times, but with fewer hours than other sections of the same course.
- For this sections, the “missing” meeting time has been replaced by online learning activities. This is similar to a Hybrid course; the difference is that the synchronous activities (e.g. class meetings) are held online instead of in-person.
- Any mandatory synchronous activities in this class will be held during the published days/times.
- In this example, the class with CRN “15555” will meet online on Wednesdays from 10:00am to 10:50am, and will also have online learning activities as part of the instruction for the course.
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1. ^ a b c Most in-person courses meet on our Monmouth campus; some meet on our Salem campus or at other locations, as indicated in the schedule. If you have questions about where a course will meet, please reach out to the instructor or the Student Success & Advising Office.
2. ^ During Fall Term 2020, some classes will be using Moodle and some will be using Canvas, as WOU will be transitioning its Learning Management System (LMS) from Moodle to Canvas during the 2020-21 academic year. We will publish a list of which courses are on each platform before the start of Fall Term, and will send an announcement email when this is ready.
If you’d like more details about the course delivery methods, you can review the Course Delivery Definitions for Fall 2020 information provided to faculty.
