tips to succeed in online learning

Most communication in an online course occurs through the written word. Discussion board posts, written assignments, and email are all common modes of communication in online courses. This is different from traditional classes, where a lot of communication is oral. Be prepared to read and write a lot in online courses.

Respond to discussion board questions with substantive remarks. An example of a bad post would be a very short I agree with the previous post response. A good post would bring up thought provoking questions related to the lessons subject matter and would be multi sentenced. You will likely be given points and grades for your postings, and detail and substance will earn you higher points and grades. A well designed discussion board is designed to generate thoughtful discourse. Use the opportunity to have a meaningful conversation with your classmates.

If you have questions or dont understand an assignment, contact your instructor. Your instructor wont know if you dont understand something unless you tell him or her. Dont wait until after youve turned in an assignment to let the instructor know that you have struggled. If you email or call the instructor before an assignment, quiz, or exam, youll prevent the struggle, and avoid having your grade suffer.

Log on to your course every dayor at a minimum five days a week. Since courses are designed for students to do at least six hours of work each week, its not wise or effective to wait until the end of the week to do the coursework. Manage your time and do some work each day, just as you would in a traditional course.

Online courses often ask for your feedback somewhere within the course or after the course is over. A school will use your comments to build better programs and create better online courses. Remember that online education is relatively new, and theres always room for improvement. The time you take to answer a survey will benefit you as well as future students.

Regular participation is very important to a quality online experience for everyone. Your classmates have a wide variety of background experiences that will naturally come out during discussions and projects, and its a great way to network with future colleagues.

Make sure to check your course a minimum of 4 5 days a week. Once you get into the online discussions, you will want to see who has commented on your postings and read the instructors feedback. If you let too many days go by, you will get behind and find it very difficult to catch up.

Being polite and respectful is not only common sense, it is absolutely essential for a productive and supportive online environment. In a positive online environment, you will be able to express your thoughts and opinions openly and feel your contribution has been valued by both your classmates and your instructor.

Technical difficulties are not an excuse for late or missed assignments. If you are having technical difficulties, or problems understanding something about the course, you MUST speak up otherwise there is no way that anyone will know that something is wrong. Chances are that if you dont understand something, others have the same question.

Apply everything you learn as you learn it, so it will be committed to long term memory. Whenever possible, take the things you learn in your online course today and use them in your workplace tomorrow. Also, make connections between what you are learning and what you do or will do in your job.