At Full Sail, our approach to learning online is innovative and unique. In the spirit of the accessible and forward-looking education that's defined Full Sail from the start, we provide students with a one-of-a-kind experience that incorporates technology, creativity, interpersonal connections, and highly trained faculty. All this is designed to ensure that our online students have an exceptional education that enables them to pursue their career dreams.

We sat down with Full Sail University's Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dave Franko, to help explain what you can expect as an online student.

Jump to:

• A Unique Online Learning Platform
• Equipment and Supplies for Online Students
• Online Instructors and Staff
• Peer Tutoring and Student Success Services
• Online Events and Opportunities

A Unique Online Learning Platform

Our learning management system was built for creatives.

Full Sail launched its first online degree program more than a decade ago, and we have been innovating and evolving our proprietary online learning platform ever since. With our exclusive, purpose-built learning system, Full Sail has been able to shape the online experience into exactly what our students need. Online students won't have to navigate a multitude of applications and portals to do their work. Full Sail gets the frustrating part of learning online out of the way with a seamless, user-friendly experience.

"Knowing how our students learn, the real incredible part is that the students and the faculty had a huge part in playing out how the learning management system was designed," Dave explains.

Equipment and Supplies for Online Students

Hands-on. Even online.

Our classes are not just theoretical. You won't just be reading manuals about how to handle the equipment for your industry. You'll literally take your education into your own hands. We're preparing you for your industry by using industry-standard tools, skills, and expectations you need to hit the ground running.

"We bring kinesthetic learning to a virtual environment because students are shipped not only a computer, but the software, and in many cases, assets and hardware, to create that studio in the home setting virtually," Dave says.

Project LaunchBox™: Everything you need.

Project LaunchBox includes a laptop equipped with media creation software and tools specific to your degree program. It allows students to learn and create from anywhere – no extra expenses for books and supplies.

"What's really important about Project LaunchBox is that students have that studio in their home, and the faculty also has the exact same technology," Dave says. "So when we perform instructional design techniques and create our courses virtually, teachers can use, and understand, and customize that technology when they're designing the course.”

Online Instructors and Staff

Learn from a community of professionals.

Instructors at Full Sail are experienced professionals who stay actively involved in their professions. They're business leaders, filmmakers, producers, tech pros, game developers, and designers who know their industry and the real-world skills you need to succeed in it.

Every instructor is highly trained in online education.

"Upon being hired, every teacher, even if they're not going to teach online, must go through a rigorous training with our LMS [learning management system] on how to teach online," Dave explains. "That's very different from other universities."

At Full Sail, every educator has in-depth training for creating media for online students, hosting virtual conferences, and using the portfolio system online. And every year, they're required to continue their online learning platform education.

Not your typical Zoom sessions.

We pride ourselves on creative problem solving and innovation, and that comes through in how our instructors teach online. With multiple camera angles, professional audio equipment, and motion-tracking cameras, instructors can bring their live lectures to life for online students.

"Our teachers will sometimes teach you from the studios on campus, so you can not only see what they're using on their laptop or what they're using in the studios, but what they're actually teaching from a studio environment themselves," Dave says.

Peer Tutoring and Student Success Services

Need some help understanding an assignment or another set of eyes on your work? Our CoPilot Center is the hub for campus and online students looking for help in all general education courses and some degree-specific classes. Students can access the center’s tutors through Full Sail’s dedicated Discord channel. Tutoring is available Monday through Friday via open door “walk-in” hours or by appointment. Once you’ve connected, you’ll meet one-on-one in a private chatroom or screenshare with a tutor.

We’re committed to accessible online learning.

Full Sail provides equal access to all students, including those who qualify as persons with disabilities. Learn more about our facilities and services for students with disabilities here.

Online Events and Opportunities

Get involved in a creative community.

When we come together, we don't do anything small. Our events include formal networking and career fairs, lectures and livestreams, and big, blowout celebrations. Throughout the year, students have opportunities to meet industry leaders and alumni, attend workshops and panels, and celebrate what makes our school unique.

And that's not limited to campus students. Many of our events are streamed live and often saved in a virtual format so online students can access them any time. We've also held virtual concerts, panel discussions, project feedback sessions, and Q&As with industry experts across several disciplines – all online.

To learn more about Full Sail, sign up for our Virtual Behind the Scenes Tour.