Is taking online college classes helpful?

Taking online classes helps establish your intellectual curiosity if they are related to your passions and already established interests aka "your spike". Or if you are taking online classes to fill gaps in your transcript like AP Calculus or AP Bio because you need them to graduate. They don't necessarily help if they are random and the school offering them doesn't matter if the course doesn't support the narrative in your college application. There are hundreds if not thousands of offerings to choose from so be selective in what you ultimately decide to pick. Also, some classes just earn you a certificate of completion if you have passing grades while others earn you college credit or yet others prepare you for AP tests so they all have different weights and purposes. If you can contact your HS counselor for feedback or guidance that would be good. But if you are unable, pick something that you feel will add to your passions or spike narrative. Once you complete them, you can add them to your resume and your college application either in the coursework section if it counts and a requirement or elective credit, or the EC section as online learning augmenting your schoolwork.

Whether it helps depends on the school. What college is this course from?