It all sounds so wonderful that some students start online courses with an idealistic and unrealistic vision of online learning. In reality completing online courses generally require just as much, if not more, time and energy as traditional classroom courses. Also, online learning requires that you have specific computer skills and learning strategies in order to succeed.
Before enrolling in an online school, check out the tips below to get a better idea of what it takes to be successful in online learning.
Persistence is perhaps the most important key to success in online learning. Students who succeed in online learning are those who are willing to tolerate technical difficulties, seek help when needed, work daily on every class, and persist through challenges.
- When you run into a challenge, keep trying and ask for help.
- Set up a manageable study schedule for yourself and stick to it. Most online learning programs require that students log into class each weekday and make progress. Students who succeed are those who log in every day – even after the novelty of going to school online starts to wear off!
Effective Time-Management Skills are essential in online learning because many courses are taught asynchronously
(not in real time)
and there are no set times for classes (although some online programs do have synchronous or on-site, in-person components).
This flexibility is one of the great benefits of online learning, but can also be a drawback for a student who procrastinates, is unable to stick to a routine study schedule, or is not able to independently complete assignments without daily reminders from a teacher.
Effective time-management skills don’t just happen, they have to be learned. Online courses provide a great way to practice time-management strategies and develop good habits that will benefit you throughout your life.
- Review the syllabus for each of your courses and develop a long-term plan for completing your major assignments.
- Make a daily “To Do” list and have fun checking things off the list as you complete them.
It takes time to develop good habits, but over time, you’ll start to enjoy the satisfaction that comes from being well-organized and accomplishing important tasks.
Effective and Appropriate Communication Skills are very important in online learning because students have to be willing to seek help when they need it. Teachers are very willing to help students, but they are unable to pick up on non-verbal cues, such as a look of confusion on a student’s face.
Many online schools and programs provide several ways for students and parents to communicate with teachers and staff, including email, discussion groups, chat room office hours, cell phones, and even text messaging! Teachers and staff are glad to take questions from students and want to help you to succeed in their classes. If your teacher has chat room or cell phone office hours, don’t be shy about using those tools to communicate with your teacher.
These ways of communicating with your teachers may feel unfamiliar to you. Even if you’re used to talking with your friends in chat rooms or through text messaging, it may seem awkward at first to talk with a teacher this way.
Equally important is an understanding of appropriate communication for a school setting. Many students are used to a very informal style of writing in chat rooms, blogs, text messages, and so forth.
When communicating with teachers and other staff members, you should write in full, grammatically correct sentences and with a respectful tone.
Online teachers are professionals and must be treated with respect and courtesy. Because of the distance, it’s tempting for some students to say things out of anger, frustration, or even just to be friendly that they would never say to a teacher in person. Online teachers are professionals and must be treated with respect and courtesy.
- Use the tools provided by the school to communicate with your teachers.
- Use appropriate language for school.
Basic Technical Skills, such as the ability to create new documents, use a word processing program, navigate the Internet, and download software are absolutely necessary and will reduce the level of frustration as you get started in your online courses.
Most online schools have new student orientation programs to teach students how to use their learning management system and other online tools, but they typically don’t teach the basics.
If you are unfamiliar with basic computer skills, you may want to find an online tutorial. One such tutorial is available through The Library Network:
You’ll also want to check the online school’s main website for their hardware and software requirements, to make sure your own computer meets those requirements.
Reading and Writing are the main modes of communication in online learning. Although some hard copies of textbooks are available at school, you should be relatively comfortable reading extensive documents on a computer screen and typing without frustration.
If you type less than 25-30 words per minute, you may benefit from a typing software program before beginning online classes.
Some tests and quizzes have multiple choice questions, but many of your assignments will involve writing short or long answers.
Motivation and Independence are factors that are closely tied to persistence and time-management, but are worth discussing separately.
To be successful in online learning, a student has to want to be successful. Online learning requires independence, internal motivation, responsibility, and a certain level of maturity.
Have you given some thought to your own personal reasons for attending school?
Are you determined and self-motivated to succeed in school?
There are many worthwhile reasons to work hard in school and continue your education in college – ranging from a greater level of personal satisfaction with your future career, to personal pride in your accomplishments, to a wider range of opportunities available to you with higher education, to substantially higher lifetime earnings.
Counselors in online schools and “bricks-and-mortar” schools are available to talk with students about their personal goals, college plans, and career exploration.
A Good Study Environment is a critical component of academic success. Students need a quiet place to work without the distractions of the television, siblings, or anything else that hinders concentration.
Consider uninstalling your computer games to avoid temptation, or keep the games on a different computer in the house.
Turn off your cell phone, and let friends and family members know the hours that you will be “at” school.
Beware of the dark hole of the Internet! We all know how easy it is to wander off through the Internet for much longer than planned when you only really intended to look up one thing!
You will spend many hours at the computer, so don’t forget to take ergonomics into consideration.
Your work/study space should have adequate lighting (the lighting in the room should be at least as bright as the computer screen to avoid eye strain), comfortable seating, and an ergonomic wrist rest to avoid repetitive movement injuries.
Wrists and elbows should be level and parallel to the floor, and wrists should not be bent while typing.
Page last updated in May 2007.
K-12 Online Learning
