School is in session again and more students are taking online classes. Working online saves paper and allows students to complete work in their own time. However, there is a distinct divide in students who have taken at least one subject online: hate and love.
Last fall I finished my first online course, Sociology 101, and I noticed this rift in the other students. They either mastered the course requirements or seemingly disappeared. Online courses allow you to have your notes and book with you while you take tests, write, or solve math. Don’t settle for less than an A. In addition to everything you must do to succeed in a normal class, follow these extra steps to ace your online course:
Save the syllabus to your desktop
Save yourself from scrambling at the last minute. It’s stressful having to email others in your class, asking for the details about something that’s due soon. By saving the file to your desktop, you also don’t have to keep logging in to the course site just to remind yourself about when the homework is due or how many pages your paper has to be. With one click, you have access to the entire class on one page. Even better, you can bring up a sticky widget on your desktop and write all the due dates on it. Then you don’t even have to keep checking the syllabus, and you can delete each assignment as you complete it.
Read the syllabus again
Would you rather read quickly over the syllabus one more time, or have to bring it up again later to remind yourself of a detail? Imagine yourself successfully completing each classroom task as you read the syllabus.
Turn it in before it’s due
Try to turn everything in at least one day early. Finishing and submitting the large assignments early is the greatest relief in any online course. You don’t want to have to deal with a technical problem during the last five minutes before the assignment is due at midnight. If you finish a paper and your teacher requires submission to turnitin.com, turn it in right away. If you don’t already have one, give yourself enough time to create a login account.
Some professors allow you to work on all of the assignments whenever you like from the very first day of class. Did you know that some kids finish courses online is less than one week? If your professor puts up all the quizzes and homework online that early, take advantage of this and knock them out early. If you have 15 units and this online course is 3 units, you can complete this one early and have only 12 units left to think about! You certainly do not have this advantage in a physical classroom, so jump on it.
Don’t rely on the textbook
Just because you can use your book during online tests does not mean it’s so easy to get an A in your online class. Professors know students attempt this, so tests are often more challenging than ones they would provide in a physical classroom. During a timed test, reviewing highlighted passages is better than skimming through all the chapters for an answer. What works best for me is to, long before the test, read the entire chapter and neatly outline it in a notebook. I then keep all the notes from every chapter together for the final.
Be active on the discussion boards
You want to ace your online class, so push for more than what’s expected. If your syllabus says to respond to two posts, take a little more time and do at least one more. This is an online course, so you must exert yourself to avoid looking invisible, which is what will happen to many of the students. You want to stand out. Once you have some variety in the posts on the discussion board, find the ones that interest you and give them a decent response. The students will appreciate it.
What you write must accurately reflect the course content. To do this, type your response in Notepad or Word first. Have your book and notes out and make sure your writing is organized and clearly reflects the course material. You can then copy and paste it to the board after you have run spell check and had a buddy reread your work, editing any other spelling or grammar mistakes. This method also prevents you from accidentally submitting your writing to the board too early. Sometimes we happen to click the submit button too early.
Ace your online class now
Realizing that you can use the book while test taking isn’t enough to ace your online class. Practice self-control and use your best judgment on top of what the syllabus says. If you’re still confused about something, ask on the discussion board or email your professor the question. Top sports teams create schedules and strategies to excel speedily, and so can you. If you follow all of these tips, you will ace your online class and still have time for other obligations outside the digital classroom. You don’t need luck. You now know everything about how to ace your online class.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Great advice! I’m in an online class right now, so these are really helpful. Thanks for sharing!
A very interesting article, thanks for posting! I’m currently trying to keep up with blogging for my Journalism course. The tricky thing is to remain consistant!