Step 2:  How to Succeed in Virtual Courses    

Even students who take classes on campus sometimes enroll in distance learning courses as a way to advance toward their degrees, while simultaneously working and/or taking care of their families. This guide provides suggestions and tips covering subjects like study skills, course organization information, and scheduling suggestions for distance learners.

  • Familiarize yourself with the course design. Check the MSVCC website to view the virtual course detail. Spend time looking at the course detail even before you register. Decide if you can be a successful self-directed learner in this particular study content.

  • Identify tools necessary to complete assignments. Before enrolling in a course, make sure you have access to the tools necessary to complete assignments. A word processor can help you to organize your work and communicate your thoughts more clearly. Microsoft Word is required for most virtual courses.  Access to VCR, tape player, a fax machine, computer with adequate hard disk space and modem for E-mail transmission are "musts" for many classes.

  • Be realistic. You will not have to keep a class attendance schedule, but you will have to do regular academic work. Remember you should be spending at least two study hours each week for every credit you are taking. So if there is insufficient time in your personal schedule to do the work of the course, you will be frustrated.

  • Set interim goals and deadlines for yourself, and stick to them. Keep a calendar showing the number of weeks in the quarter and mark it off with the amount of work you need to do each week. Mark in the days when you will expect to take tests, submit projects, contact the instructor. Don't fall behind in your work! Keep reminding yourself that you will always have more to do near the end of a course than at the beginning.

  • Organize your goals in a study schedule. Identify study times when you are fresh and attentive and stick to those times every week. Think of the study times as "reserved time." If you miss too many study times, revise your schedule.

  • Avoid interruptions. Avoid all interruptions and distractions while you are viewing a video program, listening to a cassette, reading the textbook, working on the computer, or studying. Take the telephone off the hook if there is no one available to answer it but you.

  • Know where to study. Find a place that is free from distractions. You might consider work--before or after hours and on your lunch hour--a public library, or a separate room in your home.

  • Stay in touch with your instructor. Contact your instructor regularly, especially when you have questions about course content materials. Instructors are available by phone and/or E-mail, or you may make an appointment for an on-campus meeting. You may also correspond with your instructor by mail or by FAX.

  • Be an active participant in the course.  Participation plays an important role in an online class. The instructor needs to know you are there by hearing your voice. Your comments, questions, and answers are needed to make the class feel like a community.

  • Be persistent and patient.  Persistence and patience are two qualities that will get you far in an online environment. Technical issues may arise or other questions will come up from time to time. Do not wait to deal with these difficulties. Send a note to the instructor immediately.

  • Prepare for assignments and tests. In distance learning, course assignments could involve the use from different mediums: print, videos, audios, and the Internet. Remember you are not just watching or listening. You are learning from the information on those various mediums. Take notes. Imagine questions that might be on a test from your study guide, from your textbook, from videos or audiotapes, or from the Internet course assignments.

  • Use good communication skills. Pay careful attention to instructions and be certain that you understand what is being asked when submitting assignments. It often helps to develop a brief outline before responding to questions whether they are submitted in writing, via E-mail, orally or on video/audio tape.

  • Be clear when using E-Mail.  An online environment restricts the ability to see the smile when you make a sarcastic comment or hear the anger in your voice because you are upset by someone's comments. Please use emoticons to help us know what you are thinking. An example of an emoticon is :). A listing of emoticons can be found at: http://www.randomhouse.com/features/davebarry/emoticon.html

  • Use proper netiquette when communicating with others.  When you send E-mail or place a comment on the bulletin board, remember that there is a person on the other side. If you disagree with someone, do not "flame" the person. It is all right to disagree with someone's ideas, but it is not all right to get belligerent. You would not start yelling at someone in a face-to-face course; the same rules of etiquette apply in an online classroom.

  • Evaluate your own progress regularly. Re-read the course objectives and standards often to see how you are progressing with them.

  • Time your tests wisely. Before you take a test, make sure you understand the information covered in the course assignments that will be the basis for a particular test.

  • Find some study-buddies.  If you feel the need to study with other students from the class, ask your instructor for help in identifying other students who may want to work with you.

  • Discuss your progress. Ask your instructor at various points in the quarter how your progress is going. Also ask for help and point out any areas that you think are difficult or unclear.

  • Use relaxation techniques to focus better.  Relaxation techniques can benefit learning in a number of was: heighten concentration, heighten attention focusing and lessen anxiety. Some common relaxation techniques include deep breathing, stretching, and soothing music.

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