One of the misconceptions about online learning is that it is a lonely pursuit—you might imagine sitting at your solitary desk, working hard at assignments sent to you byanonymous, far-away faculty, and then turning in your assignments and never having the opportunity to discuss your work, your class, or your learning. What do you do when you have questions? Where do you go?

Online education doesn’t have to be that way—and at Independence University, we work hard to make sure it isn’t. We’ve developed not only our curriculum, but our whole learning-delivery structure around you, the  student, to ensure that you never feel isolated or lost.

We’ve ditched the traditional concept of “office hours.” Faculty are no longer only available during a set number of hours only on specific days—in fact,  Independence University professors are always logging on to answer your questions, check assignments, and address problems. Their goal is to get back to you quickly as quickly as possible—sometimes within minutes. And because e-mail and chat allows communication with professors on a one-on-one basis, you’ll often notice that students who have taken online classes say they felt more connected to their professors than they did in traditional classrooms.

We try to stay as available as possible in other ways, too. Our user-friendly website provides you 24/7 access to student services. Instead of travelling to the registrar’s office, remember that you can register, review your transcript, get your grades or account status, and see other information at your fingertips, online.

Plus, your study materials are available whenever you need them, and you work through them at your own pace. You can consider your syllabus as your personal instructor—it outlines your learning objectives, assignments, self-tests and unit exams. You go through the syllabus on your own schedule. And rather than travel to classes and sit for quizzes and tests in the classroom, you can take them online and get your score immediately.

Online learning has so many positive benefits for students—there’s a reason that online programs have seen much faster growth than traditional enrollment for the last six years. And we work to make sure you never feel lonely—just educated!

Author Bio:
Anne Cunningham is the Registrar for Independence University. Anne started with IU in 2005 and has worked in Student Services as an advisor and a director, Clinical Alliance Admissions, Academics, and in her current role as registrar. With her array of experience, Anne has provided direction and leadership to IU staff, faculty, and students. She has a bachelor of science degree in sociology from the University of Utah.