Online Learning

What you can expect

D2L (Desire to Learn) is the main platform instructors use to deliver courses. You will have access to the D2L course site on the first day of your course.  Enter your Camosun ID # (C#) and password once you've navigated to the D2L login page.

Take some time to explore the various online tutorials. The tutorials will help you navigate D2L and Zoom, the key educational technologies you will be using.

Your instructor may use other tools along with D2L. Some instructors make use of Zoom, a web-conferencing tool that will allow you to connect in real time with your instructor and other students in your class.

Email is an important way for your instructors and the college to communicate with you. It’s recommended you check your email once a day for important messages regarding your learning experience.

If you are a student with a disability, connect with the Centre of Accessible Learning before your classes start. It can take time to put your accommodations in place.

Your course may require a textbook. Most textbooks will be available in a digital form and you can find your textbooks, order, and pay for them through the Bookstore. You will need to know your course codes and section numbers (e.g. BUS 150-001) in order to find your textbooks.

Types of online learning

• Online synchronous: Courses will be completely online with online scheduled meetings and expectations for remote participation.
• Online asynchronous: Courses will be completely online with no set meeting schedules. You may participate from any time zone or anywhere in the world.
• On-campus: Courses will be delivered on-campus to students. This will be reserved for applied courses with specific requirements for face-to-face or hands-on activities and courses requiring access to specific on-campus resources or equipment.
• Blended: Courses will be delivered in a blend of on-campus and online.

Are you ready for online learning?

If you have not taken a fully online course, this experience will be different from face-to-face. Remember online learning is not self-paced. There may be specific times in the week you need to be online with your class. You may be required to do some group work with other students, participate in online discussions, and take scheduled tests.

Successful students ask for help. Talk to your instructor, use tech support, ask Librarians, reach out to a counsellor. Camosun cares about our students, and providing the necessary supports and services. We provide them, you just to ask

Plug in, log on

You will need appropriate technology to engage and succeed in your learning at Camosun. You may be able to complete some learning tasks with your smartphone or iPad. However, we recommend that you use a laptop or desktop PC to help ensure you complete your course requirements, and are able to fully participate in your classes.

For most courses, you will need the Office 365 Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams etc.). You can download this software for free.

Most standard PCs or laptops purchased within the last three years should be sufficient for your coursework. Some courses require the use of specialized software that may only run in a Microsoft Windows environment. If you own or are considering purchasing a Mac or other non-Windows device, please check with your program for compatibility before starting your course.

And, make sure you have at least two browsers installed on your computer. You will need the browser to visit course websites. Most computers come with Edge or Safari, however, we recommended that you use Google Chrome for your coursework.

Mac Laptop Minimum Requirements

• Intel Mac Laptop, Core i3/m3 processor or better
• OS X 10.10 or higher
• Minimum 4GB of memory, 8GB recommended
• Minimum 120GB storage, 256GB and SSD recommended
• Most laptops have a built in camera and microphone 
• Optional:  headset for audio and video

Windows Laptop Minimum Requirements

• Intel Core i5 processor or better
• Windows 10
• Minimum 4GB Memory, 8GB recommended
• 120 GB storage or above, SSD recommended
• Most laptops have a built in camera and  microphone
• Optional:  headset for audio and video

Desktop or PC Minimum Requirements

• PC Windows 10 or Apple Mac laptop capable of running Mac OS X 10.11 or newer  (no Chromebook)
• Multicore processor with 64-bit support
• 8 GB of RAM minimum, 16 GB of RAM recommended or better
• 256 GB of storage or better (SSD or hard drive – 7200 rpm recommended)
• 1440 x 900 resolution display or better
• Webcam 
• Optional:  headset for audio and video