Mastering Your Online Courses

Online classes can feel like an overwhelming task when it’s purely personal motivation and time management that gets you through. If motivation and management aren’t your strongest suits, there’s still hope to pass all of your classes with flying colors! All it takes is the willingness to change your current study strategies for ones that will aid you in scholarly success.

Check Your Email Frequently

Obviously, not being in a traditional classroom setting means that communication with classmates and educators is different. Although we give students every opportunity to reach out to others, sometimes the simplest form of communication isn’t properly utilized. Keep in touch through your simple but vital email inbox. Your virtual mailbox is the gateway to important communication with teachers, study mates, and classmates.

Stay ahead of the curve at all times by organizing your inbox in a way that works for you. This might mean solely marking certain emails you know you’ll need to look back on as “important”, or you could go as far as to organize every email into folders based on courses or assignments. Make the effort to keep informed and never miss an important email by checking your inbox at least once a day.

Ask Questions. A Lot of Them.

You should never assume that your teacher notices exactly what concepts in a course your struggling with. It’s best to let them know as soon as it begins to sink in that you need more time with a certain subject or concept. Never feel ashamed of needing assistance. That’s precisely what your educator is here for!

If you aren’t sure about course requirements, the syllabus, instructions for a certain assignment, or you just flat out don’t understand the complexities of a tricky subject, send an email or schedule a chat during their virtual office hours. Teachers are mindful of checking their emails frequently and will get back to you in a prompt manner so you can be on your way. Never let late assignments pile up due to a lack of understanding or resistance to communicate.

Don’t Forget to Read the Syllabus

The syllabus is your greatest friend. Many students choose to glance over it only once before setting it aside in their minds. Don’t make that mistake! Think of it as your guide to the course. There’s a good chance that a question you have about a course or assignment is explained in the syllabus. It’s also an opportunity to have a complete overview of the course that a teacher has planned out. This outline is a great way to plan out our studies ahead of time. Even if your schedule changes frequently, with the help of a syllabus, you won’t be taken by surprise with what’s to come.

Stick to a schedule

Set a schedule for yourself and know when you need to “tap out”. No student learns in exactly the same way or in a predetermined timeline. Create a study schedule that benefits you, even if others might not find it’s beneficial to them. If you tend to lose concentration after about an hour of intense study, understand that continuing to study may be counterintuitive. Take the breaks you need—but stay productive. Don’t use these breaks as a chance to procrastinate on important tasks. Get up and do something that different. Get a snack, take a walk, or read something unrelated to classwork. After that, switch gears and get back to work.

Pick a day each week to set up a weekly work schedule. Even if you can’t stick to it perfectly, assigning yourself course work or study time for certain subjects on any given day of the week will keep you from feeling overwhelmed by your workload. Giving yourself a schedule will help you make sure you’re getting all of your necessary assignments done before moving onto the next day of work.