Frequently Asked Questions: OA Courses

Yes! Live attendance is not a requirement. In fact, we've had many happy asynchronous students in the past; judging from course evaluations, they get a great deal out of the course.

We send out recordings of each session within a few days, so you get pretty immediate access to what happened and was said in the virtual classroom. With the way Zoom recordings work, you can even see the chat transcript right alongside the recording, so it really makes for a full and multi-faceted experience. You'll also get emails from the instructor with weekly writing assignments, and have the chance to pose questions directly to the lead instructor, not to mention to the guest authors (via the lead instructor).

There's also a unique resource-sharing component to the course that you'd still be able to participate in, via a shared Google doc in which students share their bios, their needs (in terms of writing partners/accountability check-ins, writing groups, etc), and any resources related to the course topic. We really aim to foster connectivity among the folks who take our courses, as they tend to be advanced writers with a great deal of overlap in interests and needs.

Two months from the end of the course.

Yes, a limited number of scholarships (full and partial) are available for each course, and the deadlines for applying are within the course description. We don't have any specific criteria for a scholarship application, just that you present why a scholarship would be helpful for you via an email to courses@offassignment.com. We don't require proof of income or anything of the like, just an honest case for why such assistance would be propulsive for you as a writer, and perhaps what in particular compels you about the course you’re hoping to enroll in.

Alumni of previous courses also get a discount code for any future OA courses they wish to take.

You won't be submitting work to your instructor for feedback, but our instructors do create room for students to pose questions and sometimes to talk about what they wrote in response to homework assignments (what obstacles they encountered, what surprised them, etc.).

We ask our instructors to make the readings manageable for folks who are working full-time, raising kids, or handling any number of major responsibilities. Yes, there are homework assignments, as well as in-class writing prompts, but no one is looking over your shoulder to ensure you did them. Students do with them as they please.

You’ll receive a "welcome email" a week or two before the start of the course, where you'll find all the required readings as well as a more granular, week-by-week sense of the course.

Due to popular demand, we’re working on this! If you sign up for our education newsletter, you’ll be among the first to hear of this offering.

Reach out to us at courses@offassignment.com and we’ll get back to you soon!