One of the most common concerns prospective students have about online education is whether they will actually get to interact with their professors. It is a fair question. Many people picture online learning as a solitary experience — watching pre-recorded lectures, submitting assignments into a void, and never speaking to the person evaluating their work.
At Newlane University, that is not how it works. Faculty interaction is built into the core of every course, and students engage with credentialed professors through direct, meaningful, one-on-one communication throughout their degree.
Why Faculty Interaction Matters in Online Education
Research consistently shows that students who have regular contact with their professors perform better academically, stay more motivated, and are more likely to complete their degrees. In a traditional classroom, this might happen through office hours or after-class conversations. Online programs need to be more intentional about creating these opportunities — and the best ones are.
Faculty interaction is not just a nice-to-have. It is what separates a quality online degree from a content library with a price tag. When professors know your name, understand your goals, and give you direct feedback on your work, your education becomes something personal rather than transactional.
How Newlane Students Work With Faculty
At Newlane, every student works directly with faculty members who hold advanced degrees from institutions like Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Stanford, the University of Chicago, and many others. Here is what that interaction actually looks like:
One-on-One Course Hearings
Instead of relying solely on written exams, Newlane uses oral course hearings — live video conversations between a student and a faculty member. These are not scripted Q&A sessions. They are genuine academic discussions where you demonstrate what you have learned, defend your ideas, and receive real-time feedback.
This format does something that multiple-choice tests cannot: it reveals whether you truly understand the material. It also gives faculty a chance to ask follow-up questions, challenge your thinking, and guide you toward deeper understanding.
Personalized Feedback on Projects
When you submit work at Newlane, a faculty member in your subject area reviews it and provides detailed, individualized feedback. This is not an auto-graded quiz or a generic rubric score. A professor with expertise in your field reads your work and responds to it thoughtfully.
That kind of feedback accelerates learning in ways that automated systems simply cannot replicate. It helps you understand not just what to fix, but why — and how to think more clearly about the subject going forward.
Faculty Available Across Time Zones
Newlane’s faculty are located around the world — in the United States, Canada, France, Belgium, Chile, Brazil, India, and beyond. This global presence means that no matter where you are or what hours you keep, there are faculty members available who can work with your schedule.
For working adults juggling jobs, families, and coursework, this kind of scheduling flexibility is not a luxury. It is a necessity.
Who Are the Professors at Newlane?
Newlane faculty are not adjuncts filling a seat. They are professionals with doctoral and master’s degrees from respected universities who are genuinely invested in student learning. The faculty roster includes PhDs from Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Stanford, the University of Chicago, the University of Florida, Portland State University, and many more.
They bring expertise across the liberal arts — philosophy, psychology, history, English, art history, sociology, mathematics, biology, business, communication, and beyond. And because Newlane’s competency-based model means students progress by demonstrating mastery rather than logging seat time, faculty are focused on whether you actually understand the material, not whether you attended enough classes.
How This Compares to Other Online Programs
Many online programs, particularly large-scale ones, rely heavily on teaching assistants, automated grading, or discussion boards with hundreds of students posting at once. The professor may be a name on the syllabus rather than someone you actually speak with.
Newlane takes a different approach. The emphasis on one-on-one course hearings and direct faculty feedback means that professor interaction is not optional or incidental — it is a required, structured part of every course. You will know your professors, and they will know you.
What Students Should Expect
If you enroll at Newlane, here is what faculty interaction looks like in practice:
- You will have live, one-on-one video conversations with professors who evaluate your coursework through oral hearings.
- You will receive written feedback on your projects from faculty with advanced degrees in your subject area.
- You will be able to schedule these interactions around your own availability, thanks to a globally distributed faculty.
- You will work with the same caliber of professors you would find at a traditional university — because they come from those universities.
The Bottom Line
Yes, online students absolutely interact with professors — and at Newlane University, that interaction is deeper and more personal than what many students experience in traditional classroom settings. Every course includes direct engagement with credentialed faculty who provide individualized feedback and conduct live academic discussions with each student.
If the idea of earning an accredited, affordable degree while still having real relationships with your professors sounds appealing, learn more about how Newlane works or start your application today.