With Western Iowa Tech's online classes, students can choose from hundreds of course offerings. They can earn college credits or even some entire degrees. All that is needed is a computer and internet access... just login and follow the instructions. Tech support is available 24/7. In many courses, students can ask the instructor questions, take tests, access grades and take part in threaded discussions... all online, anywhere.

How do I know if Online Learning is for Me?
Online courses are a convenient way to pursue your educational goals, however they are NOT self-paced and have regular deadlines for homework and tests, just as you would in the classroom. You have flexibility of working your homework and "class time" into your busy schedule, but assignments, papers, quizzes, exams and such will need to be done on the class's schedule so no one falls behind. If you aren't sure whether online learning is for you, try taking a demo course.

You will potentially have students from all over the country, with different perspectives on things. Show respect in the online classroom and treat others how you would want to be treated.

Pay close attention to the type of class you sign up for or think about taking, there are differences.

• Hybrid Courses combine online with classroom experience to make the class a little more flexible, but still give the classroom time some courses may require to be most effective.
• Eight-week courses compact the entire 16 weeks of material and learning into eight weeks. As you can imagine, this is faster paced and requires more discipline than a 16-week course. The benefit is getting it done quicker so you can take two eight-week classes per semester.
• Sixteen-week courses run the course of the entire semester and are a little more relaxed than the eight-week course.

For more information, visit www.iowacconline.org.