The course is asynchronous (meaning 'not synchronized') so there are no regularly scheduled class meetings. You need not come to the VHCC campus for class meetings.
However note that tests must be administered by approved proctors (e.g., by a testing center at a nearby accredited institution of higher education), and that unless you will be testing on the VHCC campus you are responsible for contacting the proctor and submitting the Proctor Information Form (more about the testing process at the link below).
If you are living or working close to VHCC, you may choose to use the VHCC testing center, in which case you would come to our campus for testing. The VHCC testing center knows the procedures and if you will be using our testing center it is not necessary to submit the Proctor Information Form.
You will need access to a Windows-compatible computer to do some of the work required for this course.
Most work can be accessed and submitted using any web browser on any device that supports web browsing, but a significant amount of typing is required. If you have fast thumbs, that's fine, but a keyboard is generally quicker.
Your computer or device in any case needs to have access to the Internet.
Video information is distributed on DVD's. Videos are designed to be played on a full screen, and have not yet been encoded for online distribution.
If you happen to have a computer without DVD capabilities, the total content of the DVDs will be between 4 gB and 10 gB. You could go to a public computer, e.g., in a library or learning center, and transfer the contents of your DVDs to another medium (e.g., a flash memory drive) so you can then transfer the information to your computer.
Your course is normally offered three times a year, once each during the Fall and Spring semesters and once during the Full Term of the Summer session.
Most courses are not available for short sessions (e.g., the two-week intercession between Spring and Summer semester, or the 5-week A and B terms of the Summer Semester). This is due to the extended time necessary for course content to 'sink in'; however in certain cases exceptions to this policy may be considered, and you may contact the instructor to inquire about the possibility.
The course is scheduled during the upcoming term. Enrollment does not affect whether the course is offered.
Please see the information that follows next for more specifics on the course. This information is updated for each new semester not later than 1 week prior to registration. Some of this information will be subject to update prior to the beginning of the term.