I’ve been an online college instructor for almost 15 years, I’ve discovered the students who practice the following tips are more likely to succeed in their online learning experience. Check out the 7 Tips to Master Online Learning.
Be Prepared
Although online learning is not traditional class, you must be as prepared for online class as you would if you were going to the campus. Prior to the first day of class, review the text book, supplementals, and make sure you have a pen and paper. Learn what the online course objectives are. Arrive to the class prepared to learn.
Stay Organized
Staying organized is key to success in your online course. I know we are in a digital era, but if possible print the course syllabus. Review it thoroughly. I’ve been a college online instructor for almost 15 years and 90% of the questions asked by my students are already addressed in the syllabus. A good syllabus should have the dates of all tests and major assignments. Copy that information into your planner or enter it on your phone. Reminders can work miracles. Make sure you are always organized for your online course with the necessary information.
Learn the Course Schedule
Most instructors have the same course schedule for the entire term. For my online courses, the same assignments and requirements are due each week. Learn your course schedule and plan to work around it. For example, if a weekly assignment is due on Fridays, be prepared to review and complete it prior to each Friday.
Create Your Weekly Schedule
After learning your course schedule, create your own weekly schedule. Your schedule should include your entire life, not just school. Are there days you have to work late at work? Do you have any standing appointments or responsibilities? You have to plan your online course work. Review your syllabus to determine how many hours a week should be designated to your online course. Block out those hours in your planner.
Plan the process… not just the result… "Mattie James" Click To TweetReach Out to Your Instructor
It is okay to reach out to your instructor. The instructor is there to help you learn the online course content. The syllabus should state the approved modes of communications. The instructor may offer what is called “office hours.” If so, feel free to contact them during the designated time. You may also be able to email your instructor or communicate through the online learning portal. If your instructor allows text messages, only text them during day hours. Also remember to always include your full name and name of the course you are taking in all correspondence.
Create a Designated Learning Space in Your Home
It’s very important to create a space that will welcome learning. Although a designated home office would be great, it is not required or realistic. I do not recommend reading your books or taking your online course in bed. Find a comfortable chair away from distractions to sit in. You should also have an area with a writing surface so you can take notes.
RELATED POST: 7 MUST HAVE ITEMS FOR YOUR HOME OFFICE
Don’t Procrastinate
Don’t wait till the last minute to submit your assignments or take an exam. Anything can happen. For every semester of online courses I have taught, at least 2 students had problems submitting a test because they waited to the last minute. As much as we rely on wifi, it can always fail. If you plan on submitting your assignment or exam at least a day earlier, you will allow room for any mishaps to occur.
I hope you find these tips useful. These are just a few of my observations as an online course instructor. Please feel to share your thoughts and comments below.
As always, if you need help getting your home and life organized, feel free to register for my free “5 Days to an Organized Home & Life” email course. Each day you will receive strategies for keeping your home & life organized and having a “company ready” home at all time. You can register for the free course at www.decoratorsvoice.com/free5daycourse.
For information about my Full Home & Life Organizational Strategies course, please visit www.decoratorsvoice.com/homestrategiescourse. In this course, you’ll receive tons of useful information, a one on one private consultation, access to my private Facebook group, and a physical organizational kit.
Thanks for stopping by. If you have any organizational or decorating questions, please do not hesitate to ask. I would love to hear from you. For information concerning our decorating services and products, please visit www.divineelementsofdesign.net
This is a great information on online learning! It is very important to grow with time and learn as much. I’m did an online Vocational training course for this and was a great experience for me.
Thank you for sharing this valuable information this was a great experience for me
What a relevant topic to post about in late 2020, I love reading articles oriented towards the changes that this post-COVID world demands of organizations. I’ve been a remote worker for a while, and I think that people who have done online employee training (or even online college instructing, such as yourself!) had a unique leg up in our new virtual-based workplaces. Online learning is very different from traditional learning, and you need to be prepared, which is where a lot of people were running into issues throughout 2020. When you haven’t prepared for virtual work, you don’t know what you don’t know, and many people weren’t preparing for meetings, training, and conferences the way they would have if they’d need to leave the house for them. I get it, but guides like this are now more important than at any other point in history. Proper organization is crucial, as is an awareness of the course schedule. This naturally leads to creating a weekly schedule since it makes it easier to stay on top of the course schedule for most people. Reaching out to the instructor is one of the most commonly overlooked points I’m seeing. It doesn’t seem as natural for some people to reach out to their instructor or manager in our new virtual environment, which is setting people back. The same goes for creating a designated learning space. Even though I learned the importance of this some time ago, I’m still guilty of breaking this one from time to time, and I pay for my mistakes sometimes. I’m not as focused, or I don’t get as much from the meeting, which makes me realize that I should’ve just sat down in my home office instead of on the couch. Anyway, I could go on, but I just wanted to thank you again for these tips!
Great topic especially in this pandemic we need these kind of articles to encourage students to be part of online institutes and courses so we can all be productive. I am a student myself, and i faced a lot of problems at start but at Udesign you can opt for a self-paced course which to be honest is a great idea.
Really useful tips in mastering online learning. During lock down situation in the city due to Covid-19, these tips have really helped me to in online courses
Thank you for sharing these great tips! Creating a designated learning space has helped me a lot as I was able to concentrate on my studies. However, online learning is not as simple and easy as it sounds. There are a lot of hurdles that one might face when learning online. However, I came across Oxford Learning College, which is one of the world’s leading distance education providers. They work with highly respected education partners to provide quality home study courses including A-Levels and Accredited Diplomas worldwide.
Awesome post! Reading through the tips you shared, I have identified the bad habits my friends and I have allowed to linger; we will make the necessary changes.
Your work is very good .So nice.