How to Succeed in Your Online Classes

For the past year and a half, I have been attending seminary via online classes. This experience has been very convenient for me since I don't have a set time that I have to be in class. Despite the convenience however, I have made several mistakes while taking classes online. In learning from these mistakes, I have concluded that there are several things people can do to have greater success in the world of online learning. Outside of the obvious things that any student should do to have success in school (such as attending class and studying), there are strategies you can implement to increase the likelihood that you succeed. Here are two:

1. Check Your E-mail Box Daily and Thoroughly. While many technologically savvy people already do this, everyone who opts to learn online is not in love with the internet or immensely familiar with its inner workings. In short, many online learners are not accustomed to checking their e-mail daily. This can be very problematic for the online student because of the fact that many professors and student instructors make e-mail the primary mode of communication about things pertaining to the class. If you are not checking your e-mail daily for updates, you may miss important information. Moreover, if you are just skimming through your e-mails rather than specifically looking for messages from your professors, you are likely to miss important information. I had an encounter with this recently. After taking a midterm for my Practical Biblical Communication class, I went in to check my e-mail and discovered that the professor of the course had sent us all a message with specific information regarding what to study in order to do well on the exam. If I had checked my e­-mail box thoroughly, I would've seen that I had a note from my professor entitled "BE522-SP13 Midterm Review" and I could've accessed extra data pertaining directly to the midterm that could've boosted my score.

2. Make Sure You Have More Than One Computer or Laptop At Your Disposal. This tip is important for a reason that is probably obvious. Irrespective of how new your machine is, it can break down at any moment. Because this is the case, you want to make sure that you have more than one machine you can access in order to complete your assignments. Personally, I have one laptop from which I do the majority of my work. But if it were to break down, I have at least two other options for study: the business center of my apartment and the library of my undergraduate university. The business center contains two computers which are available for use when the apartment office is open. The university that I attended at the undergraduate level has at least one hundred computers that I can still make use of because I purchased an alumni card. Irrespective of the sources from which you access your alternate computer or laptop, make sure you have at least more than one at your disposal. Not doing so means that you will have no back-up source from which to work if your own machine breaks down. If this happens and you have an assignment due immediately, it could negatively impact your grades.

As mentioned earlier, there are specific things that students can and should do upon deciding to take courses online. I believe the tips I've listed above will help you have greater success as you pursue the world of online learning. Good luck!