Learning Experiences

The DEC staff is committed to providing students with quality instruction in any course format, including face-to-face, online, hybrid, and web-enhanced courses.

Face-to-Face Course

In a face-to-face course, teaching and class-meetings takes place in-person with the faculty and students physically in the same place, at the same time.

A face-to-face course is the most traditional type of instruction.

In face-to-face environment, many students derive motivation from live-interactions with the faculty members and their student-peers.

Web-Enhanced Course

A web-enhanced course is a course where traditional face-to-face class-meetings still take place, but are enriched by the use of learning technologies.

Web-enhanced courses incorporate online components such as

• Digital course content
• Supplemental web-materials
• Videos
• Online assignments
• Quizzes
• Digital course communications (i.e.discussion boards)

In a web-enhanced course, the online course components are generally accessed through the Canvas Learning Management System. 

Online Course

At Longwood University, online and hybrid courses are natural extensions of face-to-face, and web-enhanced instruction.

In an online course, 100% of the course takes place online through distance learning technologies, such as the Canvas Learning Management System.

Traditional face-to-face, physical class meetings between faculty and students are eliminated in an online course.

Online courses can be asynchronous (not requiring any virtual meetings or class sessions) or synchronous (requiring some virtual meetings or class sessions). Online courses offer students opportunities to utilize different learning technologies and engage with their peers and personal-learning styles in unique ways.

Often, online courses are asynchronous with more emphasis placed on using the Canvas Learning Management System. 

Hybrid Course

In a hybrid course, at least 50% but less than 100% of the course takes place online through distance learning technologies, such as the Canvas Learning Management System.

Traditional face-to-face, physical class meetings between faculty and students are reduced, but not eliminated in a hybrid course. 

Within a hybrid course, some learning content may be offered using an asynchronous mode while other portions of the content are delivered through synchronous methods.