Module #4 Module Objectives:

By the end of this module you will: Develop eective time management techniques Set specic goals for online classes Acquire study habits for the online classroom Identify techniques to help you stay motivated

What Will Make Me A Better Online Student?

Time Management - How Important Can That Be?
How important can time management be? For some students it means the difference between succeeding in an online class and dropping an online class. Developing time management skills is one of the most important elements of an online student. A common tendency when taking an online course is to procrastinate and try to catch up and frantically complete all of the coursework in a small window of time. This often leads to negative consequences in that you often become overwhelmed when you wait until the last minute. You tend not to perform as well on your assignments as if you had given yourself ample time to do the work. Some techniques to keep yourself on track include: Commit to staying on schedule Schedule specic blocks of time each week in which you read the lectures and work on the assignments Login to the course every couple of days and spend a minimum amount of time at the discussion board to read other students comments Come back to the discussion board after you have formed responses to fellow students in the class so that your active in the discussion Make lists of your goals for the week and what it is you need to accomplish - then stick to it Designate a familiar area with a computer where youll be able to complete on your coursework

 Dont panic if you get off course Be exible ! Once you have a specic schedule to adhere to each week you have to keep in mind that real life events do come up from time to time and you have to remain exible and be able to adjust accordingly. Sometimes even the best thought out plans have to be altered. There will also be times when the technology may fail you - for whatever reason you may have a problem with Canvas. Although the system is seldom down without us knowing about it ahead of time there are times when it is slow. Be patient. Just be sure to stay calm so that you do not become overwhelmed and frustrated and end up not completing your work. Ive posted a link here from an anonymous online student that posted a few helpful hints on his blog that you might want to refer to from time to time. His message, just keep going, a little at a time can be considered great words of wisdom! http://www.lifetimetolearn.com/blogs/2007/03/time-management-for-online-learning.html Heres another resource from the Virginia Learning Resource that also has few helpful tips on being a good online learner. http://www.valrc.org/tutorials/onlinelearner/organization.htm If procrastination is your problem then be sure to check this site out. Youll want to complete the procrastination self-assessment - the link is at the bottom of the page. http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/Departments/studevgt/onlinsts/time/index.htm This Study Guides and Strategies is the must see link. The main topic is time management. Review the entire link and then for homework this week youll completing the exercise in time management. http://www.studygs.net/timman.htm

Setting Goals Specic to your Online Education

Deciding what you want out of your education might be the rst step in setting your goals. Do you plan to take one online class a semester or a full load? Will you be supplementing your traditional courses with an occasional online class depending upon your schedule? Will you be working on earning a degree or certicate? Will you be transferring to another institution? Will you be working full-time? Do you have a young family to care for you? Or teenagers for that matter. Do you have elderly parents to care for? Do you want to take classes that are not offered at your local campus but available online? All of these are questions are ones that you need to ask yourself when thinking about your educational future -or more specically, your online education.

Although many students take a full load of classes (12+ units) online, I recommend that you start out with a manageable number, about six units your rst semester. Make sure that you are comfortable in the environment and that you have the time to commit to logging into your class on a regular basis, completing our work and participating in classroom discussions.

Study Habits to Enhance Online Learning and Keeping Yourself Motivated

Organizing your space and your course material can be very important when taking online courses. Having an environment that is conducive to learning is very important to doing well. For some this main mean an area that is quiet and free from distractions is essential to study in. For others sound may not bother them too much. Students today report that listening to music while they are studying can actually enhance their learning. Throughout life today weve all learned the value of being able to multi-task. Although it may be tempting to throw a load of clothes in the wash, check the mail, do the dishes in between chapters, its advisable that once you begin your online learning session you remain focused on the material and stay in place rather than becoming distracted on some insignicant task. Staying motivated, for an entire semester, can be a great accomplishment in a face-toface classroom and prove to be even much more difcult online. Sixteen weeks can seem to take forever to get through, but its essential that you keep yourself motivated in order to complete your online course. Remind yourself on a regular basis what your goals are. Reward yourself as you achieve segments of these goals. One of the best ways to stay motivated in an online is to connect with the other students. Stay actively involved with the discussions so that you get to know your classmates. Often times youll develop stronger relationships with your online peers because you end up getting to know them better than students in a traditional class. When you participate in a discussion youll nd that youre actually anxious to see who has responded to your post and what they have to say. This is what keeps the conversation going - the excitement generated at the board! The other reason you want to remain active in the discussion board is so that you dont nd yourself overwhelmed with the number of posts that you have to read. This feeling of being overwhelmed is what often leads to a student dropping a course. Checking the gradebook frequently can also keep you motivated as youre able to chart how well youre doing in the class and what areas might need improvement. Although we encourage faculty to help keep students motivated with the material they present, dont always count on this to happen. It will end up being your responsibility to want to come to class. Learn-Source, which markets itself as an e-learning specialist, has designed some great literature on how to stay motivated while learning online. Although Im taking you to the

link on motivation, I would also like you to follow the additional links in the article on distance learning and succeeding with the distance learning courses. http://www.learn-source.com/education/motivation.html And remember, always contact your instructor if you nd yourself struggling with any area of your online course. Unless you speak up they wont know that youre having a problem. Your online success has a great deal to do with your ability to ask for assistance when necessary and you should never feel lost while trying to navigate an online classroom.