About Missouri State Online

Program Overview

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The Missouri State Online student is just one of over five million college and university students across the United States who are choosing to "go to school" via the Internet. As the worldwide "Distance Learning Revolution" continues, Internet-based instruction continues to grow in popularity. And why not? Now you can further your education, advance your career, or take classes just for fun without ever leaving your home or office, commuting to campus or spending time away from your family.

Simply put, Missouri State Online is a campus without walls--an asynchronous (anytime, anyplace) learning environment accessed by both the student and instructor via the Internet. In an online course, students and instructors are linked through a computer connection and use a special course management system to communicate. Limits of time and space virtually disappear, saving commuting costs and eliminating scheduling conflicts.

Though they are asynchronous, Missouri State Online courses are not self-paced. You'll find beginning and ending dates for each course, and there are deadline dates assigned for homework, reading, and online discussions. These will be outlined in the course syllabus posted on the course page. Your instructor will also provide specific instructions for submitting assignments via e-mail, regular mail, or fax.

Your participation in the class will be monitored by your instructor. He or she will keep track of your responses in discussions. In many cases, students will be required to post a response to the topic of discussion within a scheduled time period, i.e. within one week of the topic being posted. Again, this will vary from course to course, so make certain you understand what's expected from the very beginning.

How are Missouri State Online Courses Delivered?

The method of delivery for online courses is via the Internet through the Missouri State Online course management system, Blackboard. You will follow a series of steps entitled “Getting Ready for Classes” that will allow you to set up your User ID and password, which you’ll be required to use each time you log on to the Missouri State Online Blackboard system. The steps under “Getting Ready for Classes” will also assist you in the process of “enrolling” or getting into your course website.

To give you a brief description of a typical course website, on the first page you’ll find a series of buttons that run down the left side of the screen. For instance, there’s a “Discussion Board” button, which when clicked takes you into the discussion board area where you may be required to discuss a current reading with your classmates. Another button is the “Assignment” button, which when clicked forwards you to the area that lists various assignments for the course. Some instructors list one assignment at a time while others list all of them at the beginning of the semester. On the right side of the screen, you’ll find the “Announcement” section. This is where your instructor posts various announcements throughout the semester. This is an important area to check frequently because it’s one of the primary ways for your instructor to communicate with the entire class at once. These are just a few of the tools you’ll find in Blackboard that will assist you in navigating your course website.

Missouri State Online is coordinated through the Extended Campus -- a leader in distance education throughout southwest Missouri and beyond. For information about this and other Missouri State University outreach programs, call Academic Outreach at (417) 836-4128 or toll-free 1-888-767-8444.