How to Keep on Track With Online Learning

One of the major success factors for completing any type of online learning program is having the right attitude. For successful completion, the online student has to be self-motivated, self-disciplined and practice good organization to keep his learning on track.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Three-ring binder Section tabs for the binder Calendar or planner

Get Organized Before Starting the Online Class

1. Complete the proper registration requests, including logging onto the classroom site and entering in a personal profile.

2. Print out all of the administrative tasks provided by the classroom site. Administrative items include information about the instructor, including his email address and other contact information, the mission and scope or learning objectives, course outline and schedule, reading or materials lists, chat room log-on information, user name and password maintenance and all other types of information about the course or the learning site you will need as you get started.

3. Use a three-ring binder with section tabs to save all of the information printed in step 2 above. This will help keep you organized and help maintain a quick reference guide for you when you have questions about the course as you progress.

4. Setup a calendar using Microsoft Outlook, a PDA or a paper and pencil planner. Enter in all of the important dates, such as assignment due dates and chat room meeting dates for the entire course.

5. Determine the best days or evenings for you to log onto the online classroom and complete all of the online activities. Enter those into your class schedule or planner.

6. Purchase all of the necessary reading and other materials needed for the class. If you are taking a computer software class online, you will more than likely need to have the software purchased and installed on your computer before the first class.

Keep on Track with Online Learning While Taking the Course

7. Log into the classroom site daily to get messages from the instructor or other online students. Getting these messages daily is vital because the instructor will use the online classroom for all communications to all students. Online instructors will use email to communicate with individual students, but when the instructor wants to address the group, ge will use the chat room and message boards.

8. Participate in chat room meetings when assigned. When taking any type of course work--online or in a classroom--participation is usually a part of your grade or evaluation. Most online instructors encourage the chat room participation by making it a part of your final evaluation.

9. Use the network of other students, either via chat room or email, to ask questions or share ideas and concerns. Online students can often feel alone in their endeavor, which is the furthest thing from the truth. Online courses could have 10, 20 or hundreds of other students who would also appreciate the online fellowship.

10. Complete your assignments on time, including all of the reading that may be assigned. This is where self-discipline is important. The assignments are an important part of your learning experience because they help increase the comprehension of the subject matter and help you build the intended skill set.

11. Embrace the technology and the learning experience. Online learning is an exciting and fulfilling learning experience. Getting involved with the chat rooms will allow you to meet students from around the world.

12. Provide constant constructive feedback about the course and instructor when asked. You can play an important role in the future development of the course by making suggestions on how to make it an even better learning experience.