Online courses make it possible to go to college even if you have obligations that prevent regular attendance in a classroom. Distance learning gives you the flexibility of taking courses and completing assignments when and where you choose.
Oakton is a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) and authorized through Illinois and the regional SARA organization to provide online instruction to students residing in the 49 states that are members of SARA. Oakton is also authorized to teach students residing in California. The only face-to-face requirement is for proctored testing in some courses.
The ideal online student is self-motivated, organized and disciplined. Online classes require as much time and effort as those taught in a classroom. Be prepared to work hard for your grades before you enroll. If you are not sure about taking an online class, take these two five-to ten-minute surveys on the Online Assessment System for Internet Students (OASIS) website to evaluate your study skills and/or learning style, and discover tips for making the most out of your online experience.
With Oakton's online courses, you can obtain all general education requirements and earn an associate in arts degree as well as several professional certificates. You can also explore degree and certificate programs that can be completed entirely online.
Learn about getting started with online classes. View technical requirements, familiarize yourself with the Desire2Learn learning management system and more.
Nearly half of Oakton’s online courses, including online math and language courses, require testing in a proctored setting. Explore testing options and requirements for your online courses here.
Students who wish to enroll in online courses must follow the same enrollment steps as all Oakton students. Currently enrolled students can enroll online at myOakton or in person with a photo I.D. at the Enrollment Center on either campus. If you are not a current Oakton student, you will need to apply to Oakton.
Online courses are assessed tuition plus an additional $50/course online technology fee. Financial aid is available to all who qualify.
Illinois Community Colleges Online (ILCCO) is a consortium of Illinois community colleges working together to provide leadership, facilitate collaboration and share resources in online and technology-enhanced education.
No. In addition, all distance learning students are charged in-district fees and tuition, regardless of where they live.
Note: Some courses use textbooks that come packaged with an Access Code for the course, included in the cost of the text, if it is new. Used texts will not have an active access code, and will require the student to purchase an access code separately.
All instruction will generally be via the Internet. However, check the course description. Some instructors have scheduled on-campus lab sessions and/or presentations, which are mandatory. In addition, approximately half of our online courses require on-campus testing. Alternative arrangements for exams can be made for students who live at a distance which prevents taking their exams on-campus.
If proctored exams are required as a part of an online course, local students can take them in Oakton's Testing Center on either campus. Call the Testing Center on either campus, in Des Plaines 847.635.1939 or in Skokie 847.635.1446, for hours of operation. No appointment is necessary. Additionally, some instructors will make their own arrangements with students.
Special arrangements will be made for students who live out of the area to take any required exams. See Oakton's Proctoring Requirements.
In some cases you do.
If you have questions about the placement test requirement, contact the Advising Services department.
Students must possess a minimum level of computer knowledge to function in an online learning environment. They need to be comfortable with the Windows or Macintosh environment and with navigating the World Wide Web. Additionally, they should be able to use email and a variety of search engines.
See Costs and Financial Aid for more information.
Every effort has been made to make Oakton Online courses as technologically accessible to the widest variety of students as possible. Students need to have access to a computer and an Internet connection and any additional hardware/software as specified for a particular course. Students who don't have a computer can use computers available in the open labs on either campus.
Before enrolling in an online course please visit the System Check page; this page will verify your browser version, browser settings and display settings on your computer.
Students enrolled in online courses have the convenience to access their courses anywhere, anytime. To have a rich learning experience, free of technical issues; it is recommended that online students have access to a computer with the following hardware and software requirements:
Note: These are the minimum browser requirements needed for using D2L Brightspace.
Browser |
Supported Browser Version(s) |
Microsoft Edge |
Latest |
Mozilla Firefox |
Latest |
Google Chrome |
Latest |
Apple Safari |
Latest |
For Tablet and Mobile
Tablets and mobile devices such as smart phones should have the latest native browser. Be aware that many features of D2L Brightspace will not function fully or in some cases at all on tablets and mobile devices so students should not expect to be able to complete a D2L Brightspace course without access to a PC or Mac.
Device |
Operating System |
Browser |
Supported Browser Version(s) |
Android |
Android 2.3 version or latest version |
Chrome |
Latest |
Apple
|
iOS 7 or latest version |
Safari |
Latest |
Chrome |
Latest version for the iOS browser. |
||
Windows |
Windows 10 |
Edge, Chrome, Firefox |
Latest of all browsers, and Firefox ESR |
*Note:
Online courses provide students the scheduling flexibility of accessing a course from anywhere at any time, but they also require students to be self-disciplined and organized and to have excellent time management skills. Students must speak up for what they need, whether that is emailing a question, asking for help, etc.
To be successful in an online learning environment, students must keep up with the weekly schedule and actively participate in learning activities.