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So You Want to be an Online Learner

Tips for the Online Learner

Many online universities have moderate acceptance standards. However, that doesn’t mean that everyone will succeed. In fact, as many people fail at online learning as at anything else. Before you commit to online learning, you need to consider a checklist of qualities, attitudes and values that will help you be a good online learner.

  • Learn how to set a time for your online learning. Everyone has commitments, but you need to think about how to arrange these around the time you have set aside for online learning. Where will online learning be on your priority list?
  • Take courses that you like. If you like the course of learning, you will find time for it, and you will want to learn. Get a feel for the course within the first week or two, and if you have too many reservations, drop it. As any university student can tell you, there is nothing worse than closing in on final assignments of a course for which you have no enthusiasm.
  • Discuss your schedule with others. Let other people know that you are trying to improve yourself by taking online courses or acquiring a degree online. Don’t make this a preamble to an excuse to be late for work frequently or duck out of child-rearing responsibilities. Let others know your schedule then manage it.
  • Consider others. If you plan on studying late at night, buy some headphones so you can listen to lectures and other materials without disturbing others. Thinking of the needs of others will help make your experience of online learning more rewarding.
  • Be realistic about your goals. Persevere, certainly, but don’t overdo it. Pace yourself. Keep in mind that learning at a delayed pace is still learning.
  • Interact as much as possible with other students. Part of the joy of learning is learning from your peers. Online learning includes forum participation and many other kinds of interactivity (some of these are in technologies that are still being developed or perfected). You can ask questions of other students, participate in discussions and more. Another advantage to using forums, for example, is that you can really compose questions or search through archived forums and FAQs to find questions that have already been dealt with.
  • Take time to think. Take advantage of one other thing that online learning gives you: flexibility. When you are coming to final assignments, you can take an extra week or two to consider topics more fully. You need not worry about deadlines nearly as much as you would in a campus course.