Taking Online Classes at DePaul
No matter what school you’re at or what year you’re in, there are always gonna be some classes that you want to take but aren’t able to. Whether it’s because the class is full, there’s a conflict with your schedule, or some other reason, this is the inescapable reality of trying to sign up for classes in college. However, DePaul offers a very handy option that is often a solution to this problem: online classes.
At DePaul, when it comes time to sign up for classes you do it through the online Campus Connect service. Through this service you can see the classes that are available for the upcoming quarter, as well as all the information for each one like the professor, dates and times, number of open spots, etc. Signing up for classes is based on seniority, so if you are an underclassmen there is a decent likelihood that you will have some classes that you want to take but are full.
A very common way that DePaul makes it so you can still have the opportunity to take these classes is to offer an online section alongside the in-person section. There are also classes that are sometimes offered solely online. These classes can be offered as both synchronous online meeting classes that behave like in-person lectures or asynchronous classes, usually with videos or other forms of online instruction.
I have personally found this to be a huge advantage in my time at DePaul so far. In my degree there are a lot of classes that I need to take that have prerequisites, so my curriculum is pretty planned out. That results in a very difficult time with getting the classes I need as everyone else in my major is going for the same classes as I am. However, the online versions of these classes allow me to take them during the quarters I need and have put me on a great path for my degree.
I know that almost all of us probably have a lot of not-so-fond memories of doing online school work during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, but my experience with these online classes at DePaul has been very positive. They allow you to have many more options each quarter and, like my experience, can be very impactful on the progression of your degree.
~Jeff