Classes

Students enrolled at Strayer University in undergraduate or graduate academic programs may choose to take courses online, in a classroom, or in a hybrid model.

Students must have access to the appropriate hardware, software, and Internet connections that are compatible with Strayer’s online environment to take any course at Strayer. All course modalities have the same academic requirements and are taught by Strayer faculty. During a course, faculty assess students, respond to inquiries, and interact with the students to support their learning efforts. Student assessment typically includes discussions, videos, written exams, quizzes, projects, presentations, research papers and case studies.

Students are able to contact their instructors outside the scheduled online sessions by email, telephone or by scheduling personal meetings. A constant academic dialogue is maintained as students submit their assignments throughout the quarter and receive feedback from the instructor.

Students who live in states where Strayer has a campus and who enroll online must follow the curriculum requirements and policies of their home state unless otherwise indicated. Students should check with virtualadvisingcenter@strayer.edu for confirmation on program availability.

Students studying in all modalities must meet the same academic, admission and financial aid requirements; must observe the same policies and procedures; and must have the same access to student services and activities.

Online Classes

Synchronous and asynchronous courses are taught online and begin and end on the same dates as ground-based classes, as shown in the Strayer University academic calendar. Synchronous real-time courses are conducted through regular class meetings, where instructors and students are online at the same time. During the scheduled class periods offered synchronously, each class member accesses the university’s learning management system and is online in a conversational mode with the instructor and other class members. Students in synchronous classes must meet during the posted time in order to post attendance.

Asynchronous courses use a delivery platform that allows independent online study within weekly modules, where students can access course content and interact with the instructor at different times. During asynchronous courses, each class member accesses the university’s learning management system and completes weekly work. There are no specific real-time class meeting times. Students should refer to the attendance policy regarding posting attendance for asynchronous classes.

Hybrid Classes

Strayer offers hybrid classes that include two hours of classroom time at a campus each week during the quarter with the remaining class content taught online.

For hybrid courses with discussion question requirements, the discussion and review of difficult concepts should occur in the physical classroom or synchronous method in addition to other learning activities the faculty member has planned. Students should complete all other coursework online (e.g., lectures, readings, content viewing, etc.).

For hybrid courses that do not have discussion question requirements, in-class time should be spent covering difficult concepts, joining class discussions around the topics, spending time in the lab environment (if applicable), and participating in group activities (if applicable).

Attendance in hybrid classes is based on weekly in-person attendance. Students should refer to the attendance policy for more information.

Additionally, for F-1 students, hybrid classes do not count toward the distance-learning limit on credits that are counted toward the full course of study requirement. So, for purposes of the full course of study requirement, hybrid classes will be treated similarly to any traditional on-ground classes.

Effective August 15, 2019, for students using veteran's benefits to pay tuition costs, hybrid classes do meet the requirements to be classified as in-residence training for purposes of meeting the requirements for the full monthly housing allowance.

Ground Classes

Ground classes meet each week for four hours of classroom time at a campus, during which students will participate in discussions and instruction.

Attendance is based on in-person attendance. Students should refer to the attendance policy for more information.

Independent Study Classes

An independent study class is one that offers a student an individualized education experience for the same academic credit as offered in a hybrid or online version of the class. Academic credit is awarded when the student demonstrates mastery of the course outcomes through satisfactory fulfillment of requirements set by the academic department. The amount of work completed by the student must be equivalent to the amount of work completed in a class with the same amount of credit hours. To satisfy attendance requirements in hybrid independent studies, the student must attend all weekly pre-scheduled meetings with their assigned instructor on campus. Similarly, in online independent studies, students must, each week and as determined by their instructor, submit an academic assignment, submit a quiz or exam, or actively participate in a posted online academic discussion.

Practicum Classes

A practicum class is a supervised, practical application course monitored by an on-site supervisor as well as a class instructor. Students complete a minimum of 6.5–8 hours per week of practicum work, 3 hours and 45 minutes per week of classroom time, and a minimum of 4–6 hours per week of outside assignments.