Such online courses can be very flexible, but they also demand dedication and self-direction to keep up with the reading, lectures, writing and discussion assignments. You should read the syllabi carefully; make weekly goals and reminders for readings, lectures, performing and writing assignments, and participation in discussions.
Make sure to also speak with your classmates frequently – they might just be the best help you can get to prepare for tests and exams.
1. Get Organized
In addition to lacking the classroom setting and the structure that a traditional class offers, many of these online courses don’t require you to turn in most of your work. This is definitely not a good thing if you easily get lost in the shuffle. It’s a good idea to force yourself to get organised right from the start, from checking your email and reviewing the grades to making sure that you are keeping up on your assignments.
Your best bet is to make ‘going to class’ part of your weekly schedule, and so, for example, plan to read, view the lecture and make your assignment in class each week on the schedule of each course. Either this is something you might do yourself through a recorded lecture or it will be that the professor is posting every week on Canvas a summary of the course assignments and their due date.
Prepare your place to study – a sitting area where you can work productively, without distractions, and with your work supplies stored nearby. Having your study materials together makes it easier to sit down and begin studying. Additionally, each week review your papers and digital files to dispose of unneeded materials while remaining organised, and be sure they all are in their proper place.
2. Get a Good Internet Connection
While large bandwidth is not required for most online courses, the internet service you choose must work reliably in order to avoid the kind of lag-time that could impede your ability to complete assignments on time. Creating a dedicated study space in your home, backed up by wired internet, rather than lugging your laptop around to various hotspots in your home, along with those at your library, coffee shop, and elsewhere, gives you the best chance to earn good grades.
DSL, cable and fibre optic connections offer faster speed than what satelite connections offer. A satelite internet connection goes through a satelite, which orbits Earth. This brings about slow internet speeds because of the distance from the ground to the satelite.
Again, when facing such digital inequities, if a student did not have access to certain opportunities, they should reach out to their instructors and professors to discuss what enablements might be possible, such as accepting a paper later, giving more time on exams, or shrinking down files and data to reduce time spent downloading.
3. Get a Good Computer
If you plan to take a course online, buy yourself a solid computer. Make it fit well above the minimum here, and try to ensure the software that the course will require you use, to the best of your ability. That way, you’ll buy yourself the gift of being as prepared as possible, giving you the ability to focus on the materials themselves and not struggle with the technologies.
It would be wise to purchase a new computer or upgrade your existing computer as some of your courses may require an electronic submission of an assignment or project. You will not only get good marks but will be punished because these assignments will be harder to do on your smartphone and will take longer.
Besides, a good computer will help you improve your study habit when studying, through which you can access some time management apps and tools that are benificial to your study habit. What is more, the digital technology skills you acquired from taking online courses will come in handy regardless of where you go with your career after obtaining your degree.
4. Get Yourself a Study Space
Without the traditional classroom space, the distraction can be acute for online learners; students should create a clear study environment with a dependable high-speed internet connection in a location with which you associate study – your kitchen table, your local library, the corner booth of a favourite espresso haunt. By studying in that spot regularly, you create a routine.
Keep that calendar handy and write down the dates of assignments due and the dates of tests coming up. Use your BakerMail calendar to add reminders and notices for yourself too.
If you live with roommates or family members, enlist their support in your agenda to stay on task by discouraging intrusions while you are trying to complete coursework. If you’ve fallen behind due to missed deadlines or poor performance on exams, and cannot overcome your procrastination on your own, seek out an accountability partner (a classmate would be ideal) who can check in with you to keep you on task, or someone who will demand a legitimate reason for not having completed your ‘to-do’ list for the day.