TIPS for SUCCESS --TIPS for Being Successful in Online Courses

 

Personal Skills

Research indicates that successful online students are: self-reliant (direct their own educational activities), self-efficient (better manage their time & energies for the most effective use of their resources), and are persevering problem-solvers.

As an online student, ask yourself these questions:

Do you like to work independently?

Are you self-motivated and good at managing your time?

Do you have "computer operations comfort" and ability to "surf the Net" so you don't spend lots of time being frustrated with the technology rather than concentrating on the course content?

Do you like to explore, learn new ideas/practices, and devote special effort to solve any challenges/problems?

If you answer yes to all of the above questions, than there is a high probability that you will be successful in this online learning experience.

Study Skills

Other studies indicate that there is a normal period of adjustment needed for new online students. Comfort with the new learning environment requires spending some time learning the navigation options and procedures as well as the rhythm and patterns of online communication.

4 Before you begin this online course, take some time to look around the course to familiarize yourself with it a bit. Be sure to scan the lessons, lesson activities, and course requirements/assignments (esp. know how to submit your work to your instructor). Make sure you understand the purpose/objectives of the course and the instructional activities used to accomplish these goals. Also, check out the navigational devices used to get around in the course's web pages. For example, check out and try links (do they get you to and back from the right web page?), so you know what they do. Remember, with external links you may need to navigate with your browser's toolbar icons such as the "Back" or "Forward" icons/ buttons. We strongly encourage you to get started as soon as possible so you are comfortable with operating the computer and moving around on the Internet.

J Be realistic about how much time your online course will take. Schedule your "class" and "study" time weekly (approx. 10 hours a week), just as if you were physically coming into class. Start as soon as possible, pace yourself to read and complete two lessons (& assignments) a week, and reward yourself weekly for staying on schedule (e.g., go on a picnic).

J Stay focused. Decide what you want to learn each week. Visually post this weekly goal (perhaps on your screen saver or bathroom mirror). Decide you will finish assignments first (perhaps placing other interesting sites in your "To Read" or "Favorite/Bookmark" files for reading later). It's very easy getting distracted with all the numerous links (esp. those on the Internet with enticing advertisements).

J Stay in touch. Log on to the class and Internet materials at least once a week. Things are ever changing in cyberspace. Also, participation is important (with your instructor & classmates). We need to feel your presence, *hear* your comments, and share in your learning.

Basic Computer Skills

General procedures: You ought to recognize all the components of your computer system (monitor, CPU, mouse, modem, etc), know how to turn on and turn off (correctly) your computer system, and know how to use your operating system (OS) to locate and launch the applications you'll need.

File management: You should understand the fundamentals of creating directories (folders) on your hard drive, and storing files (documents) in those directories, as well as creating, finding, and moving files and directories. Knowing how to save (with meaningful names), and retrieve files are essential skills. Also, when naming files be aware of the file naming rule (for PCs) which is a file name should be "no more than 8 character filename (no spaces or special characters such as #, ", etc.) with a 3 character extension" (for e.g., a correct file name for Word files is myfile.doc) for those touchy (and usually older) file servers.

Word processing/typing: this is a critical skill since all of your communication will be by writing. Know your word processing program name (e.g., Word 2002) and the basics such as placing your cursor in the text box, typing text, using your spell-checker, copying & pasting text, saving and submitting (sending) assignments (through WebCT's server) to your instructor.

Passwords: You will need to know the importance of remembering your username and password, and of saving them in a safe and accessible place.

Connecting: Whether you're using a local ISP or an online service, you'll be responsible for having your telecommunications software properly configured and knowing how to connect your system to the Internet.

Using the World Wide Web (WWW)/Internet: You'll need to know how to search the Web, enter a web address (URL), navigate/browse the Web, how to create a folder, and how to get help (esp. online). See MPC Library's handout, "How To Use The World Wide Web". In addition, MPC offers short (1 or 2 day) Internet courses, see MPC schedule under the Library Services 70 (Intro to the Internet) and 71(Internet: Intermediate Searching).

Trouble-shooting. Most of all, you should feel comfortable enough not to panic when something goes wrong, but to calmly assess what has happened, what might have caused it, and how it might be remedied. Remember, use the variety of resources available to you -- your problem solving abilities, your instructor, the technician classmates, librarian(s), friends who use computers, books and online help. Don't be shy -- ask for help! Although you may not be able to see your instructor and your classmates, they are all available online.

Troubleshooting Tips. The World Wide Web is a complex network that relies on working connections at all points on the route. When one connection on your particular route is busy or not working, you may feel connected to the World Wide Wait! To troubleshoot, ask yourself these questions:

Is my problem in my own computer? For e.g., does your computer boot? Is it a monitor problem? If there seems to be a problem here, troubleshoot the problem with a "techie" friend. If everything seems OK, move on to the next level.

Do you have a modem problem? Is the modem connection working? Have you configured your modem correctly? If these things seem to be a problem, get/hire a "techie" to check your connection.

Does the problem appear to be a phone line problem? It may be easiest to troubleshoot with your ISP before you contact the phone company. If your ISP reports that everything is OK at their end, move on.

Does the problem appear to be a WWW problem? Here the possibilities are almost endless. Two common error messages are: 1. You May Have a DNS Error or 2. You Have an Error 404/File not Found. Possibly, for both of these errors, you misspelled the web page's address. Or, possibly, the connection between you & the page can't be made. Usually, the problem is on your side -- your ISP or your modem is acting clunky.

 

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