What is online learning?

Online learning (or distance learning) is instructional delivery that does not require you to be physically located in the same site as your instructor. UC Berkeley Extension online learning courses are either self-paced (you can enroll any time and finish within six months), or have fixed start and finish dates, like a classroom course. The history of online learning lies in correspondence study (study by mail). Today courses are also delivered through computer technologies, audio, video, or a combination.

All of our courses are carefully designed for learning at a distance. Formats differ for ease of delivery.

Online Courses

Online classrooms are accessed remotely using computers with Internet access. In addition to text content, they incorporate message boards, chat rooms, and multimedia technologies. Some courses also require textbooks and other supplementary materials, which can be ordered online. To show what you have learned, you submit assignments and projects to your instructor via our website and, in most courses, sit for a proctored final examination at an approved offline site.

Online Independent Learning Courses

Online independent learning courses offer you the convenience of online learning via Internet correspondence. You access most course material directly from our website, reading or downloading course outline, syllabus, and instructor lecture notes. Textbooks and other supplementary materials can be ordered online. You submit assignments to your instructor via e-mail and/or fax (special symbols, such as mathematics, editing, and physics, may require submission by mail or fax only—this is mentioned in the course description). Your instructor assesses and grades your work, and returns detailed feedback. In most courses, you will sit for a proctored final examination at an approved offline site.

|Top|