What time is my online class?
When you lookup a class on SCC Class Search Links to an external site. or SFCC Class Search Links to an external site. you can see a number of different Day and Time labels. On-ground courses list the days the class meets, the meeting time and where the classroom is, but how do you know if your online class has virtual meetings? Well, online classes fall into two main categories, Asynchronous and Synchronous.
Asynchronous
Most online classes are asynchronous, meaning they do not require students to attend online meetings or lectures on specific days and times. Students work on their courses in Canvas during times that work best for them as long as quizzes, assignments, discussion posts, etc. are completed and submitted on time.
Synchronous
Some online classes can be synchronous, meaning they have required online meetings or lectures that students need to attend on specific days and times. If your class is synchronous, you can typically find the days and times you’ll be meeting online by going to your ctcLink student account Links to an external site. and looking at the class details. If you have further questions, contact the instructor for the course.
Where to find class time information
In most cases instructors will provide meeting times in Canvas either in their syllabus or in a course introduction. However, if you are signing up for classes or there isn't information currently in Canvas, you can use SCC Class Search Links to an external site. or SFCC Class Search Links to an external site.. This tool allows you to see the class times as labeled in the catalog, with the ability to filter by Instructional Mode like Online or Hybrid courses when you select the More Filters option.
Below is a quick key to the different labels for online courses in Class Search based and whether they correspond to an asynchronous or synchronous course. Since information can vary, always consult the course description to see if the instructor has provided additional notes about the class. If you are still unable to determine when your course takes place, make sure you either contact your SCC instructor Links to an external site. or contact your SFCC instructor Links to an external site..
| Campus | Asynchronous Day | Asynchronous Time | Synchronous Day | Synchronous Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spokane Community College | ARR | ARR | Mo, Tu, We, Th, Fr | Depends. Most classes will be between the hours of 7:30am and 5:00pm. | Online |
| Spokane Falls Community College | ONL | TBA | Mo, Tu, We, Th, Fr | Online |
Let's use our key to decipher the meeting time for ABE 18 in Class Search. We know this class is asynchronous, because it is a SCC course labeled ARR with the location online. What is interesting about this case, is the inclusion of a synchronous day and time at a physical location. When we look at the description we see that this course is using an instructional mode called hybrid, which means it will use a combination of online and on-ground instruction.