California Community College Online
A Virtual College Option for Busy Distance Learning Students
© John Wu
Jun 13, 2009
For California residents, a community college education is very cheap yet high quality. Most colleges have at least a few online courses. A few schools such as Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California provide fully online courses and degrees. Many other community colleges require a minimal amount of on campus visits, usually for examinations. No matter the school, online community college courses allow the busy student the flexibility needed to complete a degree.
Admissions and Assessment Testing
The first step for the student is to apply for admissions on the college website. Admission to a California community college is not a competitive process requiring high grades or test scores. It does not matter if the student needs remedial work. As long as the applicant is at least 18, and has the ability to benefit from the college, the college will admit the student.
The next step is to take placement testing, which is required in order to take English, mathematics, and some science courses. Unfortunately, these tests cannot be taken online, but they may be available from a local proctor depending on the community college's policy. It may be possible to use assessment test results from another college to determine placement. Previous coursework in the same subjects as the tests can be used to waive assessment testing.
Online Community College Orientation
The state of California requires completion of orientation for most students in California community college, or a registration hold will be placed on the student's record. An orientation course or a meeting with a counselor is usually required depending on the specific community college's orientation requirement. For online students, orientation may require an in-person visit to campus. This requirement may be waived for those who have previous college credit elsewhere.
The Online Course
Finally, the student registers and logs-in to the course for the first time. One of the first things for a student to study is the syllabus for the online course. In it, course requirements such as books, homework, and tests are outlined. For the online community college student, pay attention to the deadlines for coursework and for any in-person meetings required. In many cases, midterms and finals may need to be taken on campus.
The most important factor in succeeding in an online class is to not fall behind. Even though distance learning allows a student to work at any hour of the day, it does not allow the student to take a few weeks off from the course. Deadlines, which are often weekly, still have to be met. But if the student is able to meet the requirements of each online course, the student can rinse and repeat online classes enough times to graduate from a California community college online with an associates degree.
Readers interested in this topic may also want to read about Online Courses for a Nursing Degree, Bachelor's Degree Completion Programs, and Preparing for the GED Online.
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