How Do Online Courses Work?
HSU’s School of Continuing Education online courses range from those with a short, self-paced format to others with a multi-week, instructor-led, format. In all cases, they are asynchronous, meaning you can log on at any time – day or night – and read or work at your convenience.
The first thing you will need, beyond your desire to learn, is access to a computer with internet capability. Beyond that, here are some useful guidelines for what to expect:
- Self-paced courses let you log on whenever you want. You work at your own pace, reading course materials, and if the course requires it, participating in discussion boards, taking quizzes, and submitting assignments. For those short-term, ongoing courses without a specific start and end date, most students complete them within a few weeks, but we allow you to take up to three months to finish.
- Instructor-led courses have specific start- and end-dates and run on an eight week term schedule. You log on at your convenience – day or night – to complete assignments, interact with other students through discussion boards, and explore topics under the guidance of subject-matter experts.
The amount of time students spend on a course depends upon the speed of their Internet connection, how fast they read, and how much time they can devote to the learning experience. Most students spend 2-4 hours per week on the coursework.
HSU online courses use the ANGEL learning platform. Technical support is available to students during normal business hours at support@humanesocietyuniversity.org. If you experience any problems accessing or working online with the courses, let us know and we can assist.
Students who complete all coursework will receive a certificate of completion.