Going to college and earning your diploma is a big commitment—not only because of money, but because of the time you must give to each class and assignment. With American National University’s High Tech, High Touch™ approach to your education, you can attend your classes all from the comfort of your own home. Our classes are 100% online – no longer do you have to take the time to drive to a campus and sit in class – all you need is an internet connection and a phone or computer to join your once weekly session of classes. And with how easy we make it for you to join our classes, it makes it all that much easier for you to do well in your academic journey.
Why is attending class so important?
There are many reasons why you should attend class and make it one of you top priorities when in school. Those include:
- You are learning from experienced career professionals – with our Global Learn™ initiative, we have instructors teaching our classes that have true experience in their fields. From business programs, health science programs, to computer science programs, our instructors have dedicated their time to learning their field, working in their field, and now teaching you in their field. They have practical experience and connections/networks that they will pass on to you.
- Learn from your peers – when coming together, you can meet with your classmates and learn from them, rather than all on your own. Discussions can open up new understandings to your education and programs that you may have not considered. And in those discussions, you could be creating your own network to have when you join your fields career force!
- Gain clarity on assignments or upcoming exams – meeting with your classmates and instructors will allow you to not only be able to find new understandings of the material, but you can also gain clarity on the assignments you’re doing or anticipate upcoming exam questions to better prepare you.
With so much knowledge intake during your educational path, it can be hard to pinpoint what you really should be doing to make the most of your weekly sessions. Here are some tips:
- Have all of your assignments and discussion posts completed and up to date so that you can actively participate in your class discussions. That way you are getting the most out of your education. Manage your time effectively to give proper attention to each of your assignments and class meetings. Learn more about Time Management and how it can help your education from our first Let’s Talk About… blog!
- Be present with your instructor and classmates. You don’t always have to jump into the discussions, but it does benefit you to be engaged with them. Not only will you learn from your instructor and your classmates, but it will allow you to maximize your education to learn from sources other than your textbooks and own research. Reduce distractions so that you can stay present with your class.
- Take notes so that you aren’t scrambling to remember information when doing assignments, discussion posts, or exams. These notes will be helpful when it comes to studying later on! Read our Effective Studying blog post to learn more about note taking strategies and how to utilize them later on!
Life isn’t perfect, and things happen that we cannot avoid. If you have to miss class for any reason, it is important to stay up to date to see what you missed. What can you do?
- Plan a meeting with your instructor – the first person that you reach out to about missing class should always be your instructor. Not only should you let them know you will be missing, but you can also work with them to create a plan to make up for what you’ve missed. They can help you catch up on what you missed out on in your weekly session. This could be the time for you to clarify any questions you have and strengthen your knowledge of the material you are learning.
- Speak with your classmates – as mentioned before, discussions with your classmates will always help your understanding of the information you are learning. They can help you by giving you notes they took during the session you missed, and also discuss the material with you. You will not only gain what you missed, but you will not lose out on the knowledge they can give you – all while growing your network and connections with your classmates!
As mentioned before, ANU has weekly course sessions that students attend 100% online from the comfort of their own home. Below is what you should expect from your ANU classes – if you have anymore questions, you can contact your admissions representative or student services for more clarity, or you can read through our student catalogues posted for your use.
- Attendance is required for you to pass your classes at ANU – per our student catalogue: “Whether the course is delivered in a physical classroom or via Global Learn, students enrolled in a class with required live class sessions are expected to attend each live session. Unless otherwise stated in your course, students who miss more than two hours (120 minutes) of total combined class time will receive an F grade.”
- Students are not only expected to show up to all of their classes but be present via webcam and microphone during their online, weekly meetings. You should not join a class while driving or riding in a car – we not only want you present in your classes to maximize your learning, but you should also be safe and distraction free while doing so.
- You should be in an appropriate location with appropriate attire and without inappropriate language. We want a safe and comfortable environment so all of our students can learn to the best of their abilities.
- We also know things happen and life does not stop for any of us – if you have to miss a class, you are encouraged to watch the video posted of the class session you missed. Per our catalogue: “. If a student exceeds the allowable absence time of the live, synchronous class session requirements, the student may request an attendance exception. The exception still requires the student to be responsible for the delivered content and are encouraged to watch the posted video of the class session(s) missed.”
American National University – Be live, in class, from anywhere.
Original source can be found here.
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