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Plan for Success
Imagine that your online
course starts next week.
What should you do before
the first day of class?
Whether this is your first
online course, or your
fifteenth, the world of
online education is
constantly evolving, which
means that you need to keep
up with the changes in order
to succeed.
A solid game-plan for your
class will promote
organization, and help
prevent additional stress or
anxiety that may come from
handling last-minute
problems.
Here are a few guidelines
that will help you get the
most out of your online
class, from registration to
final grade.
Before The First Day of
Class
Read the syllabus
carefully. If you
have any questions, be sure
to e-mail your instructor.
The syllabus is the general
"one stop shopping"
document, and in an online
course, it's the single most
important piece of
information you'll have. It
will have your readings,
assignments and their due
dates, and course policies.
Become familiar with
the learning management
system. Does your
school use Blackboard or
WebCT? Desire2Learn? Angel?
E-College? While all the
systems have similarities,
they have significant
differences. Be sure to log
in and make sure that you
understand where everything
is located. The best
approach? Click everything.
Don't worry - the course
management system will not
explode.
Browser check.
Although some learning
management systems work well
with Firefox or other
browsers, most are created
to run with Internet
Explorer. You'll need to log
in and make sure that you
can access all the spaces in
your online course that
you'll need.
Plug-ins.
Do you have the latest
versions of Flash,
Shockwave, Windows Media
Player, Adobe Acrobat, and
Quicktime? Be sure to run a
"plug-in check" and to
download the programs you'll
need in order to run the
media.
Contact information
for instructor.
Some instructors want you to
send them an e-mail to
confirm your participation
in the class. Others have
websites, web addresses,
phone numbers, IM addresses,
skype IDs, and blog / wiki
address in case you'd like
to communicate in other
ways. Make sure you have all
of them at hand.
Purchase books and
materials before the first
day of class. Not
only should you have them
before your first day, but
skim through and review your
new texts to get a sense of
what kind of material your
course may cover.
Stay on Schedule
(Time Management)
-
Determine your
most effective time of
day. Use it for
productive study. Are
you a morning person? A
night owl? Do you study
after your children are
tucked in for bed? It's
important to have an
idea of when and how you
can have uninterrupted
quiet time for bed.
-
Map your time.
Make sure you have an
idea of when and how
you'll study for your
course and progress on
your assignments. It is
useful to schedule
weekly blocks of time
and stick to your plans.
-
Set deadlines.
Keep your deadlines in
mind as you start to
write papers and do your
assignments.
-
Set learning
goals and study goals.
Don't study in a random,
unfocused manner. Learn
to set learning goals
and make a list of the
outcomes you'd like to
achieve at the end of
your study time. Then,
separate those tasks
into manageable chunks.
-
Create testing
conditions and do your
practice tests in them.
Will you be taking timed
quizzes and tests? It's
not enough to study the
material, you need to
practice taking the
tests. The best way to
practice for an exam is
to replicate the test
conditions as closely as
possible.
Study Skills &
Academic Advice
Here is a collection of some
tips for staying on task in
your online course. With
enough planning and
preparation, you will be
able to handle a variety of
study situations with ease.
Staying Motivated in
Class
Especially for parents and
working adults, it can be
difficult to maintain
motivation in an online
course, especially if the
class deals with a subject
that is not interesting to
you, or if you feel
disconnected from your
classmates. Here are a few
ways to keep yourself
motivated:
-
Set goals and be sure to
find smalls ways to
reward yourself when
you've met them.
-
Feeling alienated?
Disconnected? Post items
in the discussion area
and reach out to your
instructor.
-
Find points of interest
for each course. Even if
the topic bores you, try
to find small things to
keep yourself
interested.
-
Make connections between
your reading/assignments
and your life goals &
personal interests.
-
Find virtual study
buddies.
-
Remind yourself of the
rewards you will receive
by achieving your goals.
Working Well in a
Group
School is a laboratory for
life, and working in online
groups is great preparation
for the kind of work you're
likely to have in the
future. You're probably
already working with people
on group projects at a
distance (i.e. telecommuting
co-workers, office
conference calls, email,
etc.).
Online group projects are an
excellent chance to further
develop the skills and
confidence you already have
to work within a group
successfully. Here are some
methods to help you get
along with your online
group:
-
Get to know your team
members.
-
Seek common ground.
-
Practice positive
communication/e-mail
tactics
-
Try rehumanizing the
space??share personal
information (talk about
your interests, pets,
children, favorite
movies, etc.)
-
Make sure that everyone
has the same goal in
mind.
-
Develop a common, shared
vision together.
Getting Along With
Your Professor
Don't sabotage yourself
without knowing it! Here are
some guidelines for proper
protocol, etiquette, and
attitude when addressing the
instructor of your online
course.
-
Avoid addressing your
instructor too
informally (such as
using a first name).
-
If you call or send an
email, be patient in
waiting for feedback.
-
Ask for extensions far
in advance of deadline
(rather than after the
deadline has passed).
-
When presenting an
argument, use "I"
statements as much as
possible.
Throughout the course, there
are small (but important)
ways to show your instructor
and classmates that you care
about your education and
your work. Have regular
contact with your instructor
and classmates, keeping on
top of your work, and asking
questions are ways of
demonstrating classroom
engagement.
Of course, there are also a
few things to avoid doing in
your online classes. Here is
a list of things that will
not impress your classmates
and instructor.
-
Plagiarism, poorly cited
sources, or excessive
paraphrasing in your
assigments or in your
postings.
-
Making excuses for
having missed project
deadlines.
-
Not checking your
assignments for simple
spelling and grammatical
errors.
Keep Your Goals in
Mind
These suggestions are meant
to help you get started and
keep progressing through the
duration of your online
class. What if you have a
wretched semester and
everything goes wrong? Don't
despair. The nice thing
about online education is
that every semester is a new
beginning. Remember:
-
Maintain a positive
attitude.
-
Focus on lifelong
learning.
-
Remind yourself of the
rewards??short-term as
well as long-term.
Stay focused and keep
yourself from falling behind
in your assignments. Your
family and your future will
thank you for your efforts.
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