What Do You Need to Succeed Online?
According to a study of community college online students from 2001 to 2010 (Fetzner, 2013), students named the following top three reasons when they did not succeed in their online courses: I got behind and it was too hard to catch up. I had personal problems (health, job, child care). I couldn't handle studying plus work or family responsibilities. Don't let this happen to you! Use the following tips to write your own success story!
Stay current: Avatar Learning is a “proceed at your own pace” approach to education but don’t use that as an excuse to procrastinate. Don't allow yourself to think, "I can push my study off till later”. Be diligent, set a schedule for yourself and follow it. Maintain precise organization even though you might have additional flexibility in your online courses. Log In early and regularly. At the beginning of each unit review all course activities and assignment goals for when you will complete them. If you have questions, post them early in the forums so that you can still complete the work at the schedule you set. If you do fall behind and are unable to keep up with your set schedule despite your best effort then review why you couldn’t and determine whether you schedule or your study habits need to be revised.
Plan for the unplanned: All students experience personal problems at some point. The difference between successfully riding out those storms and failing is how you anticipate and deal with life's unexpected events. Create a cushion. Often, it is not a matter of “if” items of a personal nature will infringe on your academic study but when it will. Plan ahead and leave yourself a cushion of time in the schedule to deal with these issues when they arise. The key is Time management, use good time management and planning skills. Don’t leave your academic study to the last minute and remember to prioritize tasks.
Work your coursework into your life: It takes an effort to successfully balance academic study and your other responsibilities, but it can be achieved! Set goals. Develop long-term and short-term academic goals, with timeframes, for completing your work. Whether your goal is to complete a course, take an exam or register at a college, plan the time it will take to meet your goal while handling your other responsibilities. Do not take on more work than you can reasonably handle and make sure to integrate with your family and work responsibilities. If you see in advance that a particular week is full of other responsibilities, plan to complete your academic study ahead of time so you can meet your goals.