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Psychology
Mailing Address: Porter 200

What To Expect in Online Psychology Courses

By Michael Grant
Director of Online Education in Psychology

You will experience a range of examinations, quizzes, assignments, and projects in your courses. You will be using a variety of technologies in the online environment which your professors, as well as Ohio University's eCampus, will help you navigate.

You can expect to write papers, participate in group discussions through text, audio, or video, and develop individual or group projects that expand your understanding of core concepts in the field. Most of your connections to your professors and peers will be through what is called asynchronous communication, in which you don't all have to be present at the same time, but leave messages for each other on a common site. This allows for flexibility while still providing a feeling of connectedness. However, there might be times when synchronous communications are used. Your professor might set up office hours through Skype so that you can ask questions in real time, or the professor might try to schedule a group chat for the class to have a dynamic discussion or presentation.

You may be required by your professors to take exams in a proctored (supervised) environment. The office of Testing Services at eCampus will assist you in arranging this. Exams can be taken anywhere in the country, even anywhere in the world! Keep in mind that some testing centers do charge a fee for scheduling time at their facility.

Faculty

The faculty teaching your online courses are the same faculty who teach at the Ohio University Athens campus. Many have received outstanding teaching awards from the university and participate in on-going teacher training. They are committed to providing the highest quality online education possible and providing you with the experiences you need to accomplish your educational goals.

Community

We strive for small classes in the online degree program. If an online psychology course has a larger enrollment, your instructor will likely group you into smaller discussion sections to create a more intimate and personal feel for the class. The goal is to make you feel part of the Ohio University community and give you as much individualized attention as possible.

Each course you take will develop its own sense of community. You will get to know your classmates through group discussions and project work. One of your first courses, PSY 1090, will help to introduce you to the field of psychology and Ohio University, but also to your peer cohort. A program discussion group will enable you to always have contact with your peers and professors in the program. You will be able to interact virtually outside of your classes, participate in extracurricular psychology activities, get one-on-one advising assistance, and develop meaningful interactions with faculty outside of the class environment.

Support

Ohio University is committed to your success as an online undergraduate student. You will have support from a number of offices and departments throughout the university.

As Director of Online Education for Psychology Department, I will serve as your initial adviser and teach the orientation course for new psychology majors. In addition to the faculty and staff of the Psychology Department, you will have the support of the following offices:

  • Office of Information Technology Help Desk — assistance with the online and computing environment, including a help desk for one-on-one computer assistance. Help Desk hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the weekend.
  • Career & Leadership Development Center — assistance with individual career exploration and job searches
  • eCampus — assistance with any issues you have with your online courses and proctored exam arrangements
  • Financial Aid — assistance with financial aid and loan applications

Responsibilities

OHIO's goal is to provide you with all of the resources that you need to be successful in obtaining your degree, but getting a good job or gaining admission to a good graduate school requires more than a college degree. It requires good grades, relevant practical experiences, and positive letters of recommendation. For this, we need your commitment and your engagement.