Vance-Granville Online

As an online student, you will interact with faculty and students from diverse backgrounds and cultures just as you would in the face-to-face classroom.  To promote student engagement in the online classroom we use technologies, such as forums, blogs, web conferencing, chat rooms, messages, and emails for student-to-student and instructor-to-student interactions.

VGCC courses are asynchronous — meaning you don’t have to attend online classes at a specific time although some instructors may offer virtual classes that are scheduled at a set meeting time.  There are also required assignment deadlines.  Each course is outlined in a syllabus located in the Step 1 on your Moodle course’s main page. This syllabus tool provides instructor information along with course description, units and methods of instruction, grading policy, attendance policy, and the course objectives. You’ll complete a variety of weekly assignments; such as readings, discussions, and group activities, as well as exams and other activities designed to enhance the learning experience.  Online learning offers you the flexibility to study at the times most convenient to your schedule. You should plan to spend 4 to 8 hours per week per course depending on the credit hours to enhance educational success.

There is no fee charged to students enrolled in distance education courses for the verification of identity.

Tuition and Fees

Online classes require a distinctive set of skills that differ from those used in a face-to-face classroom. Before signing up for an online class you need to know and understand the needed skills and commitment that are vital to your online success.

The responsibilities of a successful online student is greater than it is in a face-to-face class. To be successful in online classes you need to have the following characteristics:

• Self-Motivation: You will need to log-in daily to your online classes to find information about assignments and to ask for help when needed.
• Self-discipline: Even though online classes are flexible and have no set meeting times, you will have weekly due dates. You need to be able to meet these due dates and not get behind.
• Time Management: Some falsely believe online classes do not take up as much study time as traditional face-to-face classes. The truth is, online classes take up just as much, if not more, time than face-to-face classes. You will need to dedicate at least 6-9 hours a week for each 3 credit hour class (e.g., if you are taking 12 credit hours, you will need to spend 72-108 hours per week of study time).
• Excellent Reading & Writing skills: With online classes your learning is done independently and much of what is learned is through assigned readings and writings. Online classes usually require more reading and writing than face-to-face classes.
• Good Computer Skills: You must be able to send and receive e-mails, know how to send an e-mail with an attachment, navigate web pages, and use computer software such as a word processing program.
• Reliable Computer: you must have access to a computer that meets all the technical requirements and has dependable Internet access

To help you decide if online learning is right for you evaluate your online readiness by completing the Readiness Assessment, which will help measure how prepared you are for online learning.

Are You Ready for Online Learning Assessment?

Based on the outcome of your assessment choose the online environment that best suits your abilities from the class options on the page

Guide to Course Names & Numbers. 

1. Before you can take an online course, you must follow VGCC’s admissions, testing, and registration process. To begin this process go to  VGCC’s Office of Admissions
2. Once you have completed step one, you will go to the Vanguard ID webpage on our website to set up your VanguardID. Your VanguardID will also allow you to access your VGCC email and serve as your Moodle username and password.
3. Log into Moodle and complete the VGCC Introduction to Moodle Course to help you prepare for online course work. Students are encouraged to complete this orientation prior to taking an online course.  The orientation is designed to help familiarize you with VGCC’s Moodle course navigation and tools. This orientation is free and there is no “Pass or Fail.”  We just want to make sure that you are prepared for your online courses and to ensure your success in meeting your academic goals.
4. To access your online classes, log into Moodle on your course start date. Your class will not be available in Moodle until the start date of your course! To find the start date, log into myVGCC and click on the link for “My Class Schedule”, select the correct term. The course start date should be under the course description.

Vance-Granville Community College offers many online courses each semester. To locate a course that you want to take go to VGCC’s Class Schedules . If you have already applied and been accepted to Vance-Granville Community College please contact your advisor to register for the course.