College of Marin offers Online Learning courses by two delivery modes: Online Asynchronous and Hybrid. All online learning courses are accessed through Canvas, the College's learning management system. While some in-person courses use Canvas to supplement classroom instruction, Online and Hybrid courses require Canvas and rely on it for the majority of coursework and instructional activities.
Below you will find definitions for each modality and links to course offerings. Before registering for an online course, be sure to review the How to Register section below and our tips for getting started online.
Online Asynchronous
An asynchronous course is one in which 100% of instruction takes place online. There are no mandatory in-person or online synchronous meetings. While you are not required to meet at designated times, your instructor may still choose to offer optional meetings in Zoom or in-person such as office hours, review sessions, etc. Please note, these are not self-paced courses. Students must complete assignments and course activities following the course outline and due dates.
Hybrid Courses
A hybrid course is one in which instruction takes place both online and in-person with a minimum of one mandatory in-person meeting on campus during the semester. The required on-campus meeting and any additional synchronous (live) meeting dates and times must be published in the College of Marin Class Schedule. A hybrid class cannot have some students attending in-person and others in Zoom simultaneously.
How to Register for Online Courses
Before you register for an online course, review the online course summary and footnotes in the course schedule. Remember, hybrid courses have mandatory on-campus meeting times. Be sure you can attend the class sessions and there are no conflicts with other classes you are taking.
As you are searching for courses, use the Campus column to determine if a course is offered Online Asynchronous or Hybrid.
To view details about the course in the online schedule, locate the Section (CRN) column and click the Course Record Number (CRN) in the for the class you are interested in taking.
On the next screen, view the Footnotes and Meeting Dates areas for additional course requirements such as anticipated hours of coursework online and class meeting days and times for hybrid courses.
Online Example
Notice in this example of an online asynchronous course, there are no additional meeting times and the footnotes state on-campus and Zoom meetings are not required.
Hybrid Example
In this hybrid example, note that students are required to attend three (3) hours of lecture online per week asynchronously. However, the labs are all in-person.
Remember, if you have any questions about the modality and meeting times, you can always reach out to your counselor or enrollment services!