Going to school online is really no different than going to school in person. You’re going to have to your homework, attend lectures, and read chapters each, and every week. What you’re going to find out is that when you’re ready to attend school is that you want an accredited college. So what happens when you’re in the search of an online accredited college? What do you look out for?

Check the college website: The first thing that you want to do is actually check out the college’s website. You will want to make sure that the college is accredited. Many colleges are going to put this on their website since it’s a selling point. What you’re going to find out is that if it’s not listed, or you can’t find, you probably won’t want to go to this college. Colleges really frown upon colleges that don’t have accreditation.

Look at the reviews: Trust me, the Internet doesn’t hold back when it comes down to reviews. You obviously don’t want to get the advice from the guidance counselor, because he/she is going to be biased against the school. Instead, check out online forums, and other resources to see what people think.

There are literally 1000s of online colleges that you can choose from. Make sure that they have the field that you want to get into, make sure that they are accredited, and the most important thing is to make sure that the school has what you want. Take your time, and make sure that you can find what you need, in terms of an education.

Now as you will know, online classes work by providing complete instruction via the internet. Look through the schedule of courses for ones offered as distance learning classes. Read the computer requirements listed on most online classes’ main page before you enroll for the class. You may consider upgrading your computer, or buying necessary equipment such as speakers or a microphone, if the online class requires it. Most students can enroll with just their ordinary computer.

Once enrolled, browse around the class site to familiarize yourself with the setup. Many online classes utilize WebCT and Blackboard. These are computer applications that provide a platform for syllabus information, grades and other resources. Students also can use these applications to post assignments and questions. These discussion boards can be used as part of your class participation grade. There may be posting requirements for students stating that they need to post at least one comment for each topic on the board. Depending on the class, there may be a requirement that every student must start at least one topic for discussion. Other ways of communication include email, chat boards and phone calls if needed.

Many classes will use your social security number as your student I.D. This is the number your grades and teacher comments will be posted under and gives you some degree of confidentiality. Others may give you an assigned password or name for posting, submitting and checking grades. Regarding assessment, tests and quizzes are often online and some may be timed. Open book tests usually give you enough time to finish as long as you know the majority of the course work.

Practice with computer technology before beginning. There are some basic programs and applications that many online classes use. To begin with, you should be able to use a word processing program. This includes knowing how to email saved documents, zipping files, changing margins and fonts and adding charts and tables and some classes may need you to be familiar with spreadsheets or slideshow type presentations. You may also want to practice downloading and uploading files, and take the time to set them up in an orderly way. One important tip before you start your online live classes: If you needed to buy a microphone, make sure you hook it up and test it out before your class starts.