Walsh College offers course delivery options designed to give students maximum choice and flexibility. Courses are small, averaging 25 students per class. All courses, no matter which delivery method used, incorporate various media and utilize the college's chosen Course Management System (CMS), Moodle. Courses include a Help feature within Moodle that instantly pages the Online Learning technology staff, which typically resolves requests within 24 hours. To ensure success, students taking their first course at Walsh College must enroll in and successfully complete an online orientation. MDL 001 Orientation for Online Courses is free of charge. Students must have access to a computer that meets all hardware and software requirements.
Walsh College uses the following definitions to explain the difference between the delivery options available:
Online (V section) course: in an online course, the student and instructor are separated by distance and connected via Walsh’s chosen Course Management System (CMS) for delivery of the course content and course interaction. Students taking a Walsh College online course can be confident that they are receiving the same quality and content that they would receive in the classroom. Basic course components include an online syllabus; weekly objectives, readings and lectures; weekly discussion board participation; activities and assignments; and online exams, quizzes, and practice tests. Walsh College online courses are largely asynchronous, meaning student and teacher do not need to be online at the same time, and work can be completed at different times, barring any specific synchronous activities that will be explained in the course syllabus. Students located in any geographic location may complete their studies online and will not be required to come to the location for any of the course components. However, a student may be required to take exams at an approved proctored location. Faculty teaching online courses will hold in-person meetings (face-to-face/Zoom) at minimum, two times per semester, to discuss course content, upcoming assessments, or to answer questions. In-person meeting dates and times will be communicated in the syllabus prior to the start of each semester. Students are strongly encouraged to attend these sessions. Virtual Hybrid (VH Section) course: in a hybrid course, the course is held in the traditional classroom or can be accessed remotely in real time via the College’s chosen video conferencing software. Additionally, some of the course content will be delivered online via the College’s chosen Course Management System (CMS). Students will be notified of the balance of real time (classroom or remote access) and online instruction in their syllabus. Students choosing to access the class remotely will not be required to come to campus for any of the course components. However, students may be required to take exams on campus or at an approved proctored location. Virtual Synchronous (VS section): in a virtual synchronous course, the course is not held in the traditional classroom. A portion of the course requires the simultaneous participation of students and faculty in real time via the College’s chosen video conferencing software. The remainder of the course content will be delivered online via the College’s chosen Course Management System (CMS). Students will be notified of the proportion of real time and online instruction in their syllabus. Students will not be required to come to campus for any of the course components. However, students may be required to take exams on campus or at an approved proctored location.