Module 1 Online Courses at Montclair State University

Introduction

female student with glasses smiling at her laptop

Online courses at Montclair State University are structured using a user-friendly web environment within Canvas, our learning management system, to provide you with all relevant course information, access to learning materials and activities, opportunities to engage and collaborate with peers and your professor, as well as assessments to enable you to demonstrate your understanding and mastery of the course.

In Hybrid courses, instruction is provided through a mix of in-person and online methodologies. Online activities replace some portion of the traditional in person class meeting time. Students are required to attend on-campus meetings and to spend a substantial amount of time online. The online portion of the course can be asynchronous or synchronous.

Common Structure of an Online Course

An online course requires just as much work as an on-ground format, and the amount of time you dedicate is also about the same. However, the online format—just as a virtual workplace—affords you more flexibility! As long as you meet your deadlines and communicate with your professor and classmates, it doesn’t matter where or when you fulfill the requirements.

Home: A brief introduction to the course, including course goals, and an outline of the Learning Modules.
Syllabus: The syllabus section of courses in Canvas include all relevant course information including, your professor’s contact information, a course introduction, course goals/objectives, required textbooks/course materials, a schedule, assessment and grading system, and more.
Learning Modules: Online courses generally use Canvas modules to structure learning into weekly blocks. Each learning module contains learning objectives, requirements, instructions related to course materials, activities and assignments.
Q&A Discussions: Many courses include open ended discussion forums so students can post general questions and get to know each other. This area is often used for FAQs.

Course Modalities

online education computer cartoon

In an online course, students are not required to be present on campus or elsewhere to meet with classmates or their professor, but some courses may require synchronous (live) online meetings. The modality of a course is important and can affect the expectations of your participation in the course—always be sure to double-check when registering!

Online Modalities

HawkASYNC Online - Asynchronous (AON): The class occurs in Canvas without any specific live meeting times. Students are expected to complete the necessary coursework individually or in groups as determined by their professor. Asynchronous courses are not self-paced since they still require active participation within specific timeframes, but they do tend to be more flexible than in-person courses. Montclair State courses offered in this format are labeled as “HawkASYNC.”
HawkSYNC Online - Synchronous (SON): The class will meet online using a web conferencing platform (i.e. Zoom) during a scheduled time. Online courses with a synchronous component also include many of the elements included in asynchronous classes. MSU courses offered in this format are labeled as “HawkSYNC.”

Hybrid Modalities

HawkLIVE (HLV): Face-to-face (F2F), synchronous instruction held simultaneously in-person and online. Due to limitations to the number of people allowed to be present in a classroom at one time, expect a regular, rotating schedule. You must come in or log in to your class during the days and times listed on your schedule.
HawkFIELD (HFD): Courses that have off-campus, field elements and often class sessions for mentoring and supervision, for example, student teaching clinical activities, internships, co-ops and the like.

Online Degree Programs

Montclair State University provides online degree and certificate programs that represent areas for which the University has a solid reputation for excellence, and in which the University is a state and national leader.

Given the balancing act that adult students face, considerable thought has gone into the delivery and structure of our online programs to ensure that students are able to succeed at a manageable pace. Students generally take one course at a time over two sessions per semester. This provides students with a platform to achieve their degree, while balancing work and other responsibilities.

For more detailed information about each program, please visit the Montclair State Online website.

Online Program Success Stories