Make the most of your online course
- Communicate with your teacher through e-mail and discussion forums when you can.
- Complete a learning plan and keep the course end date in mind.
- Create a schedule with:
- All of your teacher's due dates
- Your own deadlines and activities that you set for yourself
- Stick to the schedule!
- Understand the course requirements and deadlines.
- Be responsible for your own computer and software. If you experience hardware or software problems during your course, you must find another way to complete the work on time.
- Break tasks into easy pieces.
Tips for success
- Have the right hardware and software before your course begins.
- Make sure to get work done on time.
- Make time to do the work.
- Carefully read the textbooks and answer any study questions provided.
- Complete any assignments neatly and clearly.
- Keep copies of all work you submit to be graded.
- If the teacher needs exams, class meetings or other on-campus activity, contact the teacher IMMEDIATELY when you know you will not be able to do this. Do not wait until after the test deadline to tell the teacher.
- GET HELP EARLY! If you are having problems, do NOT wait to ask for help. The longer you wait the bigger the problem becomes!
- The first person to contact is your teacher. If they cannot answer your question, they can direct you to someone who can.
Manage your time well
- Make time every day to work on your courses.
- Make contacts among your classmates, and create study groups when possible. Read your lesson the first day it is available. If you have any questions, contact your teacher immediately.
- Many online courses require that work be completed every day. It is necessary to review the course and schedule for these dates.
- Make a to-do list.
Ask questions!
- Read the course introduction carefully to find out how you should ask questions. Some teachers will ask you to post all questions to a class discussion forum while others will ask you to e-mail them directly to the teacher, or post them through private discussions.
- In a regular class, everyone gets to hear the question and answer. So the teacher may ask you to post all questions to the class discussion board so that the whole class can view all questions and answers.
- Find out how or when you can contact your teacher for personal meetings
