After the dozens of failed calls to EDD, after getting hung up on every single time I thought I'd successfully navigated the phone maze, after every frantic attempt to jigger my schedule to make time for a phone interview ....

I sent a long, thorough (polite!) email through the system explaining my online classes and how they don't interfere with my job search.

And I just got an email saying:  Your online courses have been approved. The telephone interview has been cancelled.  Your check will be mailed tomorrow with the subsequent claim form.

Note: Now we'll see what the forms say, and if they make up for lost time.  But in the meantime, my budget is sighing a small sigh of relief.