People who've never taken a course online don't really understand how much goes into it. Online courses are more convenient, but they have the same academic requirements as courses taught in-person. The convenience of taking a course at home in no way means that it will be easy.
It takes a lot of things to happen and be in place to succeed in an online course. To help you assess where you stand, I've organized what it takes to be successful into three categories: Personal attributes, Behavioral requirements, and Environmental needs.
Personal attributes
Being persistent is perhaps the biggest key to success in online learning. Students who succeed are those who are willing to tolerate technical problems, seek help when needed, work daily on their classes, and keep trying when challenges arise.
Taking responsibility means that, as an adult, you're in charge of what you are doing and how you are doing it. It is also understanding that your success (or failure) is because of you: Not your professors, not your advisor, not your parents...YOU. The grades you earn are a reflection of your level of understanding of the material, and is directly connected to how much time you put into it.
Having discipline entails making a schedule, logging in to your courses and saying to yourself, "I'm going to work on this now." It also involves having the dedication to actually follow through. Students who succeed are those who log in and make progress every day.
Required behaviors
Practice time management. The flexibility of online learning can be a drawback to students who procrastinate, are undisciplined to commit to a study schedule, or don't take responsibility for completing assignments on time. When taking an online class, you may not receive verbal or visual reminders of an assignment’s upcoming due date, so it’s up to you to make sure you’ve allotted enough time to complete the work so you’re not starting an assignment the day before it’s due.
Decide when you will log into each course, and put these on your calendar. Just as you might attend a face-to-face lecture at a regular time each week, you need to schedule time (and enough of it) on your calendar to study the materials and complete assignments. Treat those blocks of time as seriously as you would a face-to-face class by sticking to them, letting your friends and family know that you're unavailable during those times, and consistently using your dedicated workspace during those times.
Put all of the due dates for reading assignments, quizzes/exams, papers, etc. on your calendar for the entire semester. If you can see all of the due dates in one place, it will be much easier to spread out your work and complete tasks in a timely manner.
Create a weekly schedule that you will follow, designating certain hours each week to reading, watching lectures, completing assignments, studying, and participating in discussion boards. Commit to making your online coursework part of your weekly routine, and set reminders for yourself to complete these tasks.
When working on your assignments, try "time-blocking," allowing yourself a certain amount of time for each task before moving on to the next one, and setting a timer to keep you on track.
Get organized. As with any course, but especially for an online one, it’s important to stay organized. Organize all of your files in a way that makes sense to you. Knowing exactly where important dates, files, forms, syllabi, books, and assignments live will help keep you on track towards hitting your goals. It’s also wise to keep a copy of anything you submit in case a technology problem requires you to resubmit it—even your discussion forum posts. Also, take good notes while doing your readings or watching online lectures just as you would in any other class.
Actively participate. Participate in the course's online discussion forum to help you better understand the materials and engage with your fellow classmates. This might involve commenting on a classmate's paper on a discussion board or posting a question about a project you're working on. Read what other students and your professor are saying, and if you have a question, ask for clarification.
Make sure you're logging in as often as you can, too. The flexibility of online learning means that if you have 30 minutes before you plan to have dinner, you could squeeze in a discussion response. Find pockets of time a couple of times every day to check in on the class discussion threads.
And if you do feel yourself falling behind, SPEAK UP. Don't wait until an assignment is almost due to ask questions or report issues. Email your professor and be proactive in asking for help. It won't make you look dumb. It will make you look like a student.
Collaborate with your peers. Online classes may sometimes make you feel like you're learning on your own, but this isn't the case. Most online courses are built around the concept of collaboration, with professors actively encouraging that students work together to complete assignments and discuss lessons.
Build relationships with other students by introducing yourself and engaging in online discussion boards. Your classmates can be a valuable resource when preparing for exams or asking for feedback on assignments. Don't be afraid to turn to them to create a virtual study group. Chances are good that they will appreciate it just as much as you will.
If you're having trouble holding yourself responsible, pair up with a classmate or friend who will check in with you as an accountability partner. Let this person know what assignments, readings, exams, etc. you have coming up in the next week, and how you plan to complete them. This partner will check in with you regularly to see how much progress you've made, and is expected to give you a verbal kick-in-the-pants if you're not where you need to be.
Make sure you're logging in as often as you can, too. The flexibility of online learning means that if you have 30 minutes before you plan to have dinner, you could squeeze in a discussion response. Find pockets of time a couple of times every day to check in on the class discussion threads.
And if you do feel yourself falling behind, SPEAK UP. Don't wait until an assignment is almost due to ask questions or report issues. Email your professor and be proactive in asking for help. It won't make you look dumb. It will make you look like a student.
Collaborate with your peers. Online classes may sometimes make you feel like you're learning on your own, but this isn't the case. Most online courses are built around the concept of collaboration, with professors actively encouraging that students work together to complete assignments and discuss lessons.
Build relationships with other students by introducing yourself and engaging in online discussion boards. Your classmates can be a valuable resource when preparing for exams or asking for feedback on assignments. Don't be afraid to turn to them to create a virtual study group. Chances are good that they will appreciate it just as much as you will.
If you're having trouble holding yourself responsible, pair up with a classmate or friend who will check in with you as an accountability partner. Let this person know what assignments, readings, exams, etc. you have coming up in the next week, and how you plan to complete them. This partner will check in with you regularly to see how much progress you've made, and is expected to give you a verbal kick-in-the-pants if you're not where you need to be.
Environmental needs
Create a regular study space. A lot of students I know have taken advantage of using campus spaces to do homework, research, and study. They say it works for them because they have everything they need, and busy lives at home don't make it easy to work there.
Now everyone is forced to work from home, and some people are feeling frustrated because they haven't got a place to do coursework. The first step is to look around your home and find a place to claim as yours. Some students have found a quiet space in the garage, basement, attic, or laundry room. Ideally, it should be a space that's away from the hub-bub of your family's activities, and NOT in your bedroom (which could potentially be a source of distraction).
Once you've claimed your study space, make sure everyone in the family understands that when you're in there, you are not available for anything other than studying. Put up a "Do Not Disturb" sign and enforce it!
Your study space needs a high-speed internet connection, access to power, and freedom from distraction. You'll keep all of your materials there, too: textbooks, notebooks, study guides...you get the idea. This space is where you will go at designated times to do coursework. By completing your work there repeatedly, you'll begin to establish a routine.
Eliminate distractions. Being disciplined means staying away from anything that could distract you during time in your study space, like social media, texting, or binge-watching something on Netflix. Put these activities on your schedule at other times. Ultimately, you will need to find a strategy that works best for you.
Regardless of where you choose to do your work, consider turning off your cell phone to avoid losing focus every time a text message or notification pops up. Another option for resisting the temptation to check your email or surf the web is to download a website blocker. Using apps like Cold Turkey and Freedom can eliminate distractions by blocking the apps or websites that tend to compete for your attention, such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Figure out how you learn best. Once you've established where you'll learn, think about when and how you accomplish your best work. If you're a morning person, make time to study first thing. More of a night-owl? Set aside an hour or two later in the evening to get to work. If you have kids that require your morning and evening attention, carve out study sessions during nap times, after their bedtimes, and even early mornings before they get up. Recruit your partner or spouse to take over the bedtime routine so you can get an earlier start. Do whatever you need to get into the zone and down to business.
Not everyone learns the same way, so think about what types of information help you best understand new concepts and use study strategies to support that. If you're a visual learner, for example, print out transcripts of the video lectures to review. Learn best by listening? Make sure to build time into your schedule to play and replay all audio- and video-based course content.
Now everyone is forced to work from home, and some people are feeling frustrated because they haven't got a place to do coursework. The first step is to look around your home and find a place to claim as yours. Some students have found a quiet space in the garage, basement, attic, or laundry room. Ideally, it should be a space that's away from the hub-bub of your family's activities, and NOT in your bedroom (which could potentially be a source of distraction).
Once you've claimed your study space, make sure everyone in the family understands that when you're in there, you are not available for anything other than studying. Put up a "Do Not Disturb" sign and enforce it!
Your study space needs a high-speed internet connection, access to power, and freedom from distraction. You'll keep all of your materials there, too: textbooks, notebooks, study guides...you get the idea. This space is where you will go at designated times to do coursework. By completing your work there repeatedly, you'll begin to establish a routine.
Eliminate distractions. Being disciplined means staying away from anything that could distract you during time in your study space, like social media, texting, or binge-watching something on Netflix. Put these activities on your schedule at other times. Ultimately, you will need to find a strategy that works best for you.
Regardless of where you choose to do your work, consider turning off your cell phone to avoid losing focus every time a text message or notification pops up. Another option for resisting the temptation to check your email or surf the web is to download a website blocker. Using apps like Cold Turkey and Freedom can eliminate distractions by blocking the apps or websites that tend to compete for your attention, such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Figure out how you learn best. Once you've established where you'll learn, think about when and how you accomplish your best work. If you're a morning person, make time to study first thing. More of a night-owl? Set aside an hour or two later in the evening to get to work. If you have kids that require your morning and evening attention, carve out study sessions during nap times, after their bedtimes, and even early mornings before they get up. Recruit your partner or spouse to take over the bedtime routine so you can get an earlier start. Do whatever you need to get into the zone and down to business.
Not everyone learns the same way, so think about what types of information help you best understand new concepts and use study strategies to support that. If you're a visual learner, for example, print out transcripts of the video lectures to review. Learn best by listening? Make sure to build time into your schedule to play and replay all audio- and video-based course content.
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