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    Online Education

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Getting Ready for Your Online Course
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 course 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 Web sites, 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 and 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, e-mail, 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 e-mail, 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 assignments 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.