Things to Help You Succeed in an Online Course

Internet-based classes can be just as fulfilling as traditional classroom classes. Some people enjoy them even more than traditional classes, due to the level of flexibility they allow. (The prospect of completing assignments in your pajamas, snuggled up with the family pet, is a bonus!)

Just like traditional courses, though, online courses can seem intimidating initially. Here are a few tips on how to get the most out of your online course.

1) Read assignment instructions carefully.

Before you send in an assignment (or a test), make sure you've dotted your "i's" and crossed your "t's." Read the assignment once or twice before beginning it. Then read through it as you're writing. Finally, read through it one last time with your finished product at hand; go through the assignment step by step, making sure that your project fulfills all of the necessary criteria.

2) Don't be afraid to e-mail your instructor with any questions you have.

In an online course, your instructor can't see you looking at your assignment quizzically or desolately. If they could, they would probably offer to help you. However, they are there to help. The only difference is that, in this scenario, you need to contact them.

You can contact your professor through ANGEL's coursemail (select the course, then select "All course faculty") or through your school or personal e-mail address (their e-mail address is usually [name]@sinclair.edu). In some cases, you can also contact them by phone.

3) Think ahead.

There are some cases in which you can either prepare for or complete assignments weeks in advance. If you have some time, go ahead and look through future modules. Read the list of activities to be completed, as well as the assignment guidelines.
Sometimes it helps to copy and paste the assignment into a saved document so that you can access them later. Then, depending on the assignment, you can start preparing in advance. For instance, look through the discussion assignments. Are there any questions that you can write the answers to in advance? You don't necessarily need to complete your entire discussion post for that assignment, but if inspiration hits, seize the moment!

4) Pay close attention to the due dates.

The biggest challenge I've had in an online course was time management. It's amazing how quickly the week goes by! This is why it's important to have all of your assignments and due dates written (or typed) clearly and posted someplace that you will see it everyday.

In most cases, the due dates are well-organized; the dates for respective assignments fall on the same day each week. For instance, discussion forum posts will be due on, say, Wednesday; any other assignments will be due on Sunday.

A good rule of thumb is to have things done at least a day early, if at all possible.

5) Treat online courses like school.

When you're in a traditional class, there is a period of time dedicated solely to school. In an online course, it's wise to take the same approach. Each day, dedicate a block of time to school and studying. During this time, don't accept phone calls (unless it's an emergency, of course), do laundry, or clean the house. Try to promise yourself that you'll finish one mandatory school task in this time. A potential week could be as follows:

Monday: Complete assigned reading and brainstorm for the writing assignment.

Tuesday: Write and post your discussion forum post.

Wednesday: Take your brainstorming ideas from Monday and compose a rough draft.

Thursday: Respond to your classmates' discussion posts.

Friday: Spell-check and edit the rough draft to compose a final draft on Friday.

Saturday: Take the test.

One thing to keep in mind about this list is that this would be your timeline for completing assignments. Generally speaking, you wouldn't whip up a final draft of a paper in two hours. It's something you'd be working on bit-by-bit throughout the week, but on Friday, your priority would be to complete it. Also, discussion forum posts do take some thought, but they generally aren't difficult to write. So on Tuesdays and Thursdays, you may have extra time. Or it may be a post you've already written, and all you need to do is post it.

6) Take advantage of the perks.

Now I'm going to let you in on one of the perks of an online course: you can study anywhere. If you have a laptop, and it has WiFi (wireless Internet) capabilities, you can bring it to the bookstore, the library, or even McDonald's; anyplace that has WiFi. Sometimes a change of scenery helps engage your mind.

My favorite place to study is in my kitchen. My sister makes coffee, and she and I sit and drink coffee while we each study for our respective classes. (Sometimes, I'll briefly help her with her homework, or I'll toss an idea to her to get her opinion on it.) Just because you're studying doesn't mean you have to be alone! As long as it doesn't distract you, it's quite enjoyable to have someone there to keep you company.

Hopefully, this list gives you an idea of how to handle online courses. As you get comfortable with the online format, you'll learn your strengths and weaknesses, and you can find ways to accommodate those. Best of luck to you in your studies!