synonyms of word coursework

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Synonyms and antonyms of course in English

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skip out on something

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to avoid doing something that you should do; to leave someone when they need your help

It’s not really my thing (How to say you don’t like something)

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What’s the Difference Between Asynchronous and Synchronous Learning?

How do online classes work? We tapped online learning experts to explain the pros and cons of synchronous vs. asynchronous learning.

As you research the right online program for you, you may come across the terms “asynchronous” and “synchronous.” You might not know what these words mean yet, but you’re probably already considering your work schedule and other responsibilities and how well each program would fit into your life. Are you able to log on and attend classes at specific times? Or is it more realistic for you to complete work each week at times that suit you best – no matter if it’s 3 p.m. or 3 a.m.? ​And, how do online classes even work?

Here’s what you should know: Asynchronous online learning allows students to view instructional materials each week at any time they choose and does not include a live video lecture component. On the other hand, synchronous online learning means that students are required to log in and participate in class at a specific time each week. The main difference between asynchronous learning and synchronous learning is this live instruction component occurring at a set time. We’ll describe more differences in the sections below, as well as some of the pros, cons and best practices of each style.

We tapped Ohio State experts to explain the difference between asynchronous and synchronous learning and what each style actually means when it comes to online classes.

What is asynchronous learning?

Asynchronous learning allows you to learn on your own schedule, within a certain timeframe. You can access and complete lectures, readings, homework and other learning materials at any time during a one- or two-week period.

“A big benefit to asynchronous classes is, of course, the flexibility.  Asynchronous online classes mean that you don’t always need to be online at the same time as your instructor or classmates,” said Instructional Designer John Muir, who works with faculty to develop classes for  Ohio State’s online programs . “We know that students who are looking to take an entire program online are partially looking for that flexibility.”

Online asynchronous classes might include short videos teaching key concepts that you can watch over and over again, if necessary. In some classes, students can also complete homework assignments and receive immediate feedback, as opposed to waiting for instructors to grade them.

But don’t get the idea that asynchronous classes are any less rigorous than their synchronous or on-campus counterparts.

“Just like a student on campus, you should expect to be doing work one week at a time,” Muir said. “You should also expect to have contact with your instructor and classmates every week in a substantial way.”

For example, in HTHRHSC 4300: Contemporary Topics in Health and Society, a capstone course in the  B.S. in Health Sciences program , students do most of their work according to their own schedules. However, they also sort themselves into groups based on schedule and availability, meeting weekly via video conferencing to collaborate on a research project that spans the semester.

What is synchronous learning?

Synchronous learning means that although you will be learning from a distance, you will virtually attend a class session each week, at the same time as your instructor and classmates. The class is a firm, weekly time commitment that cannot be rescheduled. Much like an on-campus class, you will have readings and assignments to complete outside of class time to help prepare you to participate in the discussion. This kind of preparation from students, along with a dedicated agenda set by the instructor, ensures each class session is productive.

“A lot of careful planning and set up ahead of time makes those sessions into meaningful connections,” Muir said. “If the students can do it, and it’s thought through well by instructors, it can be a really powerful thing to add.”

Online synchronous learning doesn’t always just take the form of a live video lecture or an instructor-led discussion. Often, students will lead discussions themselves or give presentations to the rest of the class. In an online class, group work doesn’t go away, it just looks a little different. Muir explains that some instructors will pose case studies to students, who then have to negotiate an answer first as a small group and then together, as a class. Specific types of activities included in a synchronous course depend on the course and the program.

“There’s a lot of discipline-specific, really active things that go on in those sessions that aren’t just the equivalent of a recorded lecture,” Muir said. “It really is the same as doing some sort of activity in the classroom, just in a virtual setting.”

Ohio State’s  Doctor of Nursing Practice program  is one example of a program with synchronous online class requirements. One of the classes, NURSPRCT 8600: Organizational Culture, requires that students attend weekly evening class sessions using  CarmenZoom . Class discussion and interaction with the instructor occurs mainly during these meetings, with homework and readings available at any time in  CarmenCanvas, Ohio State’s online learning management system .

How can I be successful in an online class?

No matter if your program is mostly asynchronous or synchronous, Muir reminds students to be deliberate with their time in order to be successful.

“In an online program, you really have to be respectful of yourself and plan your time and efforts,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re in a synchronous or an asynchronous class, you need to know to block off your time to accomplish those things.”

Vivian Jones, M.Ed., academic advisor, says she often works with students who aren’t sure how synchronous or asynchronous classes will fit into their lives. To start with, knowing yourself and your own limitations is key to making decisions regarding your education.

“Remember that an online degree program itself is time-consuming,” Jones said. “Consider how you will manage a work-school-life balance. There is a lot of self-discipline involved.”

Jones said she also hears from students who fear they’ll feel disconnected or disengaged in an asynchronous, online course.

To combat feelings of isolation, Jones recommends students always reach out to their instructors and classmates and attempt to make meaningful connections.

“Respond to discussion posts and find people with similar interests to you or people doing things you don’t even know about, so you can maybe learn more about them,” she said. “Make relationships just as you would in a physical classroom.”

In an online class, student engagement needs to be more purposeful than an in-person class, where engagement may take place more naturally, but it’s crucial to ensure all students feel invested in their coursework.

“With online learning, student engagement is just different,” Jones said. “I see instructors in online classes really making an effort to make things personable and make people feel included. We’re trying to bring everyone together as one community, because online students are part of the Ohio State community.”

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Word of the Day

What it means.

To lollygag is to spend time doing things that are not useful or serious, or in other words, to fool around and waste time.

// Stop lollygagging and get to work!

// The player was kicked off the team for lollygagging during practice.

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lollygag in Context

“Pete … dates all the way back to 1925 in the Disney ‘Alice Comedies.’ He’s older than Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, who first appeared in Disney’s 1927 ‘Trolley Troubles.’ And he’s older than Mickey Mouse himself, who made his debut in 1928’s ‘Steamboat Willie,’ along with none other than Pete. Back then, however, he was Captain Pete—and a decidedly bad boss to an admittedly shoddy employee more interested in whistling and lollygagging than swabbing the decks.” — Julie Tremaine, SFGate.com , 23 Mar. 2023

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Lollygag (sometimes spelled lallygag ) has been used informally to talk about acts of wasting time since at least the mid-19th century. Some might relate to this 1856 quote from The North Californian : “Oh ye denizens of cooler climes, how we do envy you in these days. Oh, for a lodge on some vast iceberg, or a chance to lallygag amid piles of snow!” In its earlier days, lollygag could also apply to displays of affection; back in 1946, one Navy captain considered lollygagging enough of a problem to issue this stern warning: “Lovemaking and lollygagging are hereby strictly forbidden.... The holding of hands ... is a violation of naval discipline....” Nowadays, lollygag doesn’t usually refer to flirting or cuddling—instead, it’s the “dawdle” meaning that gets the love.

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Fill in the blanks to complete a synonym of lollygag : d _ _ _ y.

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“Americans want policies that give every American a chance to make it to the middle class .” ¶ Middletown ¶ “A leader who understands the middle class because she grew up in the middle class .” ¶ midlist ¶ “We have a chance to elect a president who is for the middle class because she is from the middle class .” ¶ middlebrow ¶ “We are charting a new way forward. Forward to a future with a strong and growing middle class because we know a strong middle class has always been critical to America’s success and building that middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency. And I’ll tell you, this is personal for me. The middle class is where I come from.” ¶ mid ¶ “Everyone in Middletown runs absorbed in keeping his job or raising his wages, building his home, ‘boosting’ his club or church, educating his children.” ¶ middle of the pack ¶ “Kings have frequently lamented the miserable consequence of being born to great things, and wished they had been placed in the middle of the two extremes, between the mean and the great.” ¶ middle of the road ¶ “If any human being, man, woman, dog, cat or half-crushed worm dares call me ‘ middlebrow ’ I will take my pen and stab him, dead.” ¶ middle seat ¶ middle age ¶ “A tepid ooze of Midcult is spreading everywhere.” ¶ middle school ¶ “We have entered the golden age of Mid TV.” ¶ middle finger ¶ Middle Ages ¶ “Be careful: these are dangerous streets for us upper-lower-middle-class types.” ¶ “Americans want policies that give every American a chance to make it to the middle class .” ¶ Middletown ¶ “A leader who understands the middle class because she grew up in the middle class .” ¶ midlist ¶ “We have a chance to elect a president who is for the middle class because she is from the middle class .” ¶ middlebrow ¶ “We are charting a new way forward. Forward to a future with a strong and growing middle class because we know a strong middle class has always been critical to America’s success and building that middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency. And I’ll tell you, this is personal for me. The middle class is where I come from.” ¶ mid ¶ “Everyone in Middletown runs absorbed in keeping his job or raising his wages, building his home, ‘boosting’ his club or church, educating his children.” ¶ middle of the pack ¶ “Kings have frequently lamented the miserable consequence of being born to great things, and wished they had been placed in the middle of the two extremes, between the mean and the great.” ¶ middle of the road ¶ “If any human being, man, woman, dog, cat or half-crushed worm dares call me ‘ middlebrow ’ I will take my pen and stab him, dead.” ¶ middle seat ¶ middle age ¶ “A tepid ooze of Midcult is spreading everywhere.” ¶ middle school ¶ “We have entered the golden age of Mid TV.” ¶ middle finger ¶ Middle Ages ¶ “Be careful: these are dangerous streets for us upper-lower-middle-class types.” ¶ “Americans want policies that give every American a chance to make it to the middle class .” ¶ Middletown ¶ “A leader who understands the middle class because she grew up in the middle class .” ¶ midlist ¶ “We have a chance to elect a president who is for the middle class because she is from the middle class .” ¶ middlebrow ¶ “We are charting a new way forward. Forward to a future with a strong and growing middle class because we know a strong middle class has always been critical to America’s success and building that middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency. And I’ll tell you, this is personal for me. The middle class is where I come from.” ¶ mid ¶ “Everyone in Middletown runs absorbed in keeping his job or raising his wages, building his home, ‘boosting’ his club or church, educating his children.” ¶ middle of the pack ¶ “Kings have frequently lamented the miserable consequence of being born to great things, and wished they had been placed in the middle of the two extremes, between the mean and the great.” ¶ middle of the road ¶ “If any human being, man, woman, dog, cat or half-crushed worm dares call me ‘ middlebrow ’ I will take my pen and stab him, dead.” ¶ middle seat ¶ middle age ¶ “A tepid ooze of Midcult is spreading everywhere.” ¶ middle school ¶ “We have entered the golden age of Mid TV.” ¶ middle finger ¶ Middle Ages ¶ “Be careful: these are dangerous streets for us upper-lower-middle-class types.”

The ‘Middle’ Is a Muddle

Everybody loves the middle class. Nobody wants to be mid, or middling. “Middle” is a tricky word.

By A.O. Scott

Are you middle class? Am I? Is everybody?

In American politics, “ middle class ” doesn’t just name a particular segment of the population, a demographic group whose votes are necessary to electoral success. It represents an ideal, a moral principle, a set of values and interests that are not particular but universal.

At the Democratic convention, the phrase seemed to pop up in every other speech. Full-throated tributes to the middle class were offered by, among others, a governor who is also the billionaire scion of a hotel empire, an actor who happens to be a son and grandson of Hollywood moguls, and a congresswoman who once worked as a bartender.

“Americans want policies that give every American a chance to make it to the middle class .” — Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois

“A leader who understands the middle class because she grew up in the middle class .” — the actor Tony Goldwyn

“We have a chance to elect a president who is for the middle class because she is from the middle class .” — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

And also, of course, by Vice President Kamala Harris, a daughter of an economist and a medical researcher, who was portrayed by speaker after speaker as both a product of the middle class and its champion.

“We are charting a new way forward. Forward to a future with a strong and growing middle class because we know a strong middle class has always been critical to America’s success and building that middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency. And I’ll tell you, this is personal for me. The middle class is where I come from.” — Vice President Kamala Harris

Allegiance to the middle class doesn’t define the left or the right; it transcends such divisions. Political parties are expected to move to the center, and to prioritize the needs of Middle America , which both is and isn’t a geographical designation.

Nearly a century ago, the sociologists Helen Merrell Lynd and Robert Staughton Lynd called their classic study of the American heartland “ Middletown .” It was about Muncie, Ind., but there are plenty of actual Middletowns out there. The one in Ohio is Senator JD Vance’s hometown.

“Everyone in Middletown runs absorbed in keeping his job or raising his wages, building his home, ‘boosting’ his club or church, educating his children.” — Helen Merrell Lynd and Robert Staughton Lynd, “Middletown”

The middle is everywhere. Which, when you stop to think about it, is odd, even illogical. The creme may be the best part of the Oreo, but it exists only in relation to the wafers that surround it. If it’s only middle, it isn’t a cookie at all, just a blob of sweet goo.

That may be why politicians seek out the middle so eagerly.

“Kings have frequently lamented the miserable consequence of being born to great things, and wished they had been placed in the middle of the two extremes, between the mean and the great.” — Daniel Defoe, “Robinson Crusoe”

The rest of our culture often goes in the opposite direction. In art, up high is where the masterpieces are; down low is where the fun is.

The middle — the midlist , the middlebrow , the just plain mid — is a dead zone. Average. Ordinary. Common. Median. Mediocre. Meh.

“If any human being, man, woman, dog, cat or half-crushed worm dares call me ‘ middlebrow ,’ I will take my pen and stab him, dead.” — Virginia Woolf

“A tepid ooze of Midcult is spreading everywhere.” — Dwight Macdonald, “Masscult and Midcult”

“We have entered the golden age of Mid TV.” — James Poniewozik, The New York Times

The middle is not good enough to be great, not bad enough to be trash, and thus comes in for a special kind of contempt. Middle of the pack . Middle of the road . Middle seat. Middle school is miserable, and so is middle age . So were the Middle Ages !

Which, as it happens, is when the middle class got started, as a kind of catchall category between the established feudal ranks. There were people who owned the land and people who worked on it, and then there were people who did other things. Across Europe, those merchants, manufacturers and, well, middlemen tended to congregate in market towns. The French word for that kind of place was bourg , and so this class of non-peasants and non-aristocrats came to be called the bourgeoisie .

“Full of seething, wormy, hollow feelings rather nasty — How beastly the bourgeois is!” — D.H. Lawrence

“The bourgeoisie , during its rule of scarce 100 years, has created more massive and more colossal productive forces than have all preceding generations together.” — Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

Everybody hates the bourgeoisie. Maybe not everyone, but you rarely hear “bourgeois” used as a compliment. The word connotes priggish respectability, pomp and pretentiousness, a way of life lacking the elegance and distinction — the class — of the old landed elite. It also referred to the ruling class, the factory owners and capitalists whose historic antagonists were the workers they employed, also known as the proletariat.

That isn’t a word you hear much anymore. Working class — a term favored by some of the speakers at the Republican convention as well as a few Democrats — is now a synonym for middle class, which only heightens the contradiction. The modern-day middle class now somehow includes both sides of the historical class struggle.

“Be careful: These are dangerous streets for us upper-lower-middle-class types.” — Homer Simpson

The middle is divided against itself — an aspirational ideal and a default setting, a state of equilibrium and a place to get stuck. The center cannot hold.

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Today’s nyt ‘connections’ hints and answers for tuesday, august 27.

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Find the links between the words to win today's game of Connections.

Looking for Monday’s Connections hints and answers instead? You can find them here:

Hey, folks! Fingers crossed your week is off to a great start! After some sketchy weather over the weekend, I’m glad that things are calmer/warmer and I can make use of my pool again. I’m dreading the end of the season, as I find it far easier to consistently work out in the water instead of the gym.

Today’s NYT Connections hints and answers are coming right up.

How To Play Connections

Connections is a free, popular New York Times daily word game. You get a new puzzle at midnight every day. You can play on the NYT website or Games app.

You’re presented with a grid of 16 words. Your task is to arrange them into four groups of four by figuring out the links between them. The groups could be things like items you can click, names for research study participants or words preceded by a body part.

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There’s only one solution for each puzzle, and you’ll need to be careful when it comes to words that might fit into more than one category. You can shuffle the words to perhaps help you see links between them.

Each group is color coded. The yellow group is usually the easiest to figure out, blue and green fall in the middle, and the purple group is usually the most difficult one. The purple group often involves wordplay.

Select four words you think go together and press Submit. If you make a guess and you’re incorrect, you’ll lose a life. If you’re close to having a correct group, you might see a message telling you that you’re one word away from getting it right, but you’ll still need to figure out which one to swap.

If you make four mistakes, it’s game over. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen with the help of some hints, and, if you’re really struggling, today’s Connections answers. As with Wordle and other similar games, it’s easy to share results with your friends on social media and group chats.

What Are Today’s Connections Hints?

Scroll slowly! Just after the hints for each of today’s Connections groups, I’ll reveal what the groups are without immediately telling you which words go into them.

Today’s 16 words are...

And the hints for today’s groups are:

• Yellow group — sudden, loud noises
• Green group — adjectives you might hear on Hot Ones
• Blue group — items you might see alongside shears and mirrors
• Purple group — POKÉMON and PLAYING would fit in here

What Are Today’s Connections Groups?

Need some extra help?

Be warned: we’re starting to get into spoiler territory.

Today’s groups are...

• Yellow group — explosive sound
• Green group — chili pepper quality
• Blue group — classic barbershop supplies
• Purple group — kinds of cards

What Are Today’s Connections Answers?

Spoiler alert! Don’t scroll any further down the page until you’re ready to find out today’s Connections answers.

This is your final warning!

Today’s Connections answers are...

• Yellow group — explosive sound (BOOM, CRASH, ROAR, THUNDER)
• Green group — chili pepper quality (FIRE, HEAT, KICK, SPICE)
• Blue group — classic barbershop supplies (BRUSH, CAPE, CLIPPERS, GEL)
• Purple group — kinds of cards (BASEBALL, MAGIC, SET, TAROT)

Back-to-back perfect games brings me up to four straight wins.

I figured out the blues first, but it took a minute to realize that CAPE was the fourth word I was looking for. The yellows were up next and straightforward enough. It didn't take long to deduce the greens either, and I did spot the connection for the purples before submitting that group. That said, I wasn't sure what SET had to do with the other words.

That’s all there is to it for today’s Connections clues and answers. Be sure to check my blog for hints and the solution for Wednesday’s game if you need them.

P.S. By the time you read this, hell may have frozen over and the long-awaited Oasis reunion may be official. I was a big fan as a kid and enjoyed seeing them live once, but more often than not Liam and Noel Gallagher come across as the surliest middle-aged blokes alive. That hasn’t exactly gotten me excited for a reunion, no matter how many great songs they’ve put out. Anyway, here’s “Wonderwall” (kidding):

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Synonyms for Course

3 651 other terms for course - words and phrases with similar meaning.