PrintSucceeding in an Online Course
For online courses, the advice most likely to lead you to success is "Engage, Engage, Engage!"
What does this mean? Quite simply, it means being active in the course on a regular basis. It means keeping in sync with what's going on in the course, staying on top of deadlines and assignments, asking for help when necessary, and taking every opportunity to interact with the content and the instructors. It means making this course a regular part of your routine. Do this, and frankly, it will be difficult for you NOT to succeed in this course.
In online courses, the role of both the instructors AND the students tends to shift from the traditional classroom roles. The instructors' role is similar to that of good supervisors, and the students' role is closer to that of a good employee. The instructors define and set overall goals, outcomes, and timelines; make the information, resources, and experiences available to you to meet those goals; and, provide the support, guidance, communication channels, and feedback to help you succeed. The students' primary responsibilities are to stay on task; to manage their time and energy in order to get everything done on a weekly basis; to ask for guidance when in need of clarification; to take every opportunity available to improve their chances of success.
So, the very best advice we can offer you is to be engaged in this course at least nine hours each week, and log on 5-6 days of the week to spread out your study and thinking time. In the final analysis, completing multiple online sessions of quality study time is a tried-and-true recipe for success in this course.
Here are some quick tips to keep in mind when preparing to be successful in an online course:
- Treat online learning as you would a face-to-face class. You should plan to devote at least the same amount of time to your online courses as you would to attending lectures on campus and completing assignments. Other good study habits, such as attending class (logging on) regularly and taking notes, are just as important in an online course as they are in a lecture hall!
- Intentionally schedule your time. You should plan to devote 10-12 hours per week to completing module readings and assignments. Your learning will be most effective when you spread this participation out and engage with the course on a daily basis, if possible.
- Engage, Engage, Engage! Take every opportunity to interact with the content, the instructor, and your classmates by completing assignments and participating in discussion forums and group activities!
- Be organized. Keep in sync with what's going on in the course and stay on top of deadlines and upcoming assignments.
- Ask for help! Ask for guidance when you are in need of clarification. You can also use the Discussion Forum to ask general questions about the course set-up or content.
Recommendations
It is a good idea to record any questions you might develop as you move through the content. Maintaining a digital course notebook is a great idea (you can use Microsoft OneNote, Evernote, etc.) to assist you. The process can be very easy with modern technology including your tablet, or computer. OneNote is often included with Microsoft Office software, and Evernote can be installed as a free app on tablets/iPad's. All software/apps work similarly and can be extremely useful once you get the hang of them, they are especially useful when you want to review content and prepare for assignment work.
- Save all work routinely (at least every 10 minutes). We also recommend you save your work in multiple locations. For tech savvy folks, you can set your computer to do this for you automatically. If you don't know how we recommend that you look this up for your specific computer system.
- With respect to content-related questions as you move through the material…hopefully some of them will be answered as you go, but some might not be. If your questions are not answered, then it is important for you to ask those questions as appropriate, either through discussion with other course participants, additional readings or during communications with the instructor.
And finally, in this course which has a lab component, it is critical that you read the lecture materials before you come to your lab.
The links below will connect you with other resources to help support your successful online learning experience, they are from Penn State but they apply to students from anywhere and are openly available:
Penn State World Campus Strategies to Improve Online Learning - This website provides links to many resources on everything from taking notes online to managing your time effectively. Please note that you must be a World Campus student to receive some of the support services mentioned on this website.
Penn State World Campus - The Corner of College and Allen Blog - This blog features posts by Penn State staff and students on a wide variety of topics relevant to online learning. Learn from online students and alumni, as well as staff members dedicated to student success, how you can get the most out of your online course experience.
Penn State iStudy Online Learning Tutorials - The iStudy online learning tutorials are free and available to all Penn State students. They cover a broad range of topics including online learning readiness, time management, stress management, and statistics - among many others. Check out the extensive list of topics for yourself to see what topics may be of most use to you!