Thinking of taking your education to the next level with one or more online courses?
Taking college courses online, completing one or more degrees online, can be an extremely rewarding experience, both personally and professionally.
But to be successful, you need to go into the process with the correct strategy for success. To that end, please find the following success tips -- from someone who teaches online.
2. Master self-discipline and develop a time management system. Be organized. Most courses are taught in one- or two-week modules, with various assignments and due dates. Get organized before you start a program and map out all your assignments and deadlines at the start of each class using a calendar, e-device, or planner -- and stick to your schedule as best you can. Remember to prioritize assignments.
3. Understand degree/course options. One of the great benefits of some online programs is giving you the flexibility to design your own course options -- and the timing of those courses. But with that flexibility comes more responsibility on your part for doing the research and planning your program carefully to achieve your goals. With other programs, you may need to obtain approval to take a reduced load or take a semester's leave of absence, so do your due diligence.
4. Know campus/course resources. As soon as you start an online program, spend time learning all the resources available to you to enhance your studies, such as library databases, learning guides, videos, and other educational tools. If you have a learning disability, make early contact with the school's disabled student services office.
5. Solidify technology. Perhaps a bit too obvious, but still needs to be said. If you are planning to study online, you need a strong and consistent Internet connection and a decent computer with a webcam. If you live in an area with weak or slow services, you may find taking classes harder. And having an older computer may slow or impede your progress. Finally, you must be open to working with new learning platforms and portals.
6. Communicate with your professor. Professors are people, and we make mistakes such as giving the wrong due date, uploading the wrong course calendar, or not providing enough information about an assignment. The solution? Simply email your professor. We will not be upset (except with ourselves, perhaps); we want our classes to be as useful and educational as possible. Never hesitate to ask for clarification. (Just remember to always be professional in your emails.)
7. Participate/engage with peers. Some online programs actually force you to engage with your peers, but if your program doesn't, try and reach out anyway through the discussion boards initially, but also by keeping relationships beyond the end of class. Sharing your experiences with others in your program helps keep you grounded and focused -- and prevents you from feeling too isolated and alone, especially when you have questions or concerns.
8. Find dedicated study/work space. Like having time management skills, having a dedicated work space just for school greatly improves your chances for success. Carve out a niche for yourself in your home that is quiet and fits your needs for how you best work. Having a dedicated space helps make schoolwork part of your routine.
9. Make time for study breaks. Most students taking online classes already lead busy and stressful lives, and adding one or more classes makes each day shorter and more complicated. Do not add to your stress by trying to force prolonged periods at your computer. Just about every study shows that taking breaks from schoolwork enhances your results, so get up and stretch, take a short walk or bike ride, or just go stand by a window and let your brain and eyes relax. For best results, take one break per hour.
10. Polish those writing skills. Most online programs require a lot of writing, from posting on discussion boards to case analyses to full-blown research papers. Solid writing skills are essential to your success, so if you have struggled in the past, consider taking a writing class before starting your online program -- and/or purchase a few helpful books, such as The Elements of Style, perhaps the best little writing handbook. Key elements professors harp on deal with grammar, punctuation, and style. (So remember to also purchase a style handbook, typically APA or MLA). Remember the rule of good writing: write, review, revise (and if necessary, do review and revise again). And because it's hard to proofread your own work, ask a spouse or friend to review your big assignments before submitting. See also these 10 Good Grammar Resources.
Finally, always keep your end-goal in your sight -- whatever it is you hope/plan to accomplish with this additional education/degree/training/certificate. Having that goal will be a great motivator for those times when you get mired in the day-to-day class stuff. And if you are struggling with a particular class you need for your goal, just keep reminding yourself: "This is temporary; I will get through it; I will succeed.
Dr. Randall S. Hansen is an educator, author, and blogger, as well as founder and CEO of
EmpoweringSites.com,
a network of empowering and transformative Websites, including EmpoweringAdvice.com.
Dr. Hansen has been helping empower people to achieving success his entire adult life.
He is also founder of EnhanceMyVocabulary.com,
MyCollegeSuccessStory.com, and
EmpoweringRetreat.com.
He is a published author, with several books, chapters in books, and hundreds
of articles. Dr. Hansen is also an educator, teaching business
and marketing at the college level for more than 25 years. Learn more by visiting his personal Website,
RandallSHansen.com. You can also check out
Dr. Hansen on Google+, as well as
Dr. Randall Hansen on LinkedIn.
