When I was accepted to Axia, I called my friend, Jen, to proudly tell her I am a college student now. After a lot of hysterical shrieks, she asked if I was going to Montana State University, the local university in the town where I live. I told her no, and that I didn't have the time to go to traditional school. I said I was going to Axia College, which is a part of University of Phoenix online.
“Internet college?” she said. “Are you joking? How does that even work?”
After chuckling to myself, I explained that my class is set up as a forum, where I log in when I want to go to class. I can speak to other classmates about assignments, just like a regular classroom. I also told her that I could go to class at three in the morning if I wanted.
“How do you speak to your teachers or classmates at three in the morning?” she asked.
I explained we have threaded discussions to talk to each other. We all log in at different times during the day, so we leave messages off of other messages left by my classmates and professors.
After a quick silence from Jen, she blurted out, “What?”.
“We all communicate with each other, but not at the same time. They call it something like, asynchronous communication.”
“Hmmm.” Jen paused. “It seems a little complicated. Why would you chose Axia over MSU?”
“Internet college is the best choice for me and my schedule”, I said. “I can complete my assignments at my own pace. I need to work full time, and I certainly can not have two full time schedules, as I would have with MSU. Plus, I never have to set a foot in a classroom.”
“If you don't go to a classroom, how do you know if you're doing well in class?” she asked.
I told her that my professor leaves feedback for me i ...