While many of you may have had online classes before, for quite a few of you this might be the first time you’ve taken an online class. Or perhaps you took an online class before but didn’t do as well as you thought you could. You might be a bit nervous about studying online and maybe you’re asking yourself, “What are some things I should do to make sure I succeed in an online course?”
Well, U.S. News and World Report published a helpful article containing 5 tips for succeeding in an online course. In short, here they are:
- Confirm technical requirements
- Connect with instructors early
- Create a schedule
- Stay organized
- Have a consistent workspace
These are all great tips, and you can read the full article here. Don’t get overwhelmed however, by trying to do all five things at once. Just pick one thing first and do that. “Connect with instructors early” is a good place to start, so perhaps you could send a simple message to your instructors telling them that you’re looking forward to taking the class. That’s a simple step that lets your instructors know you’re serious about studying and hoping to do well.
I’ll add one more tip:
- Believe in yourself
When I first took an online course, I was pretty nervous about a lot of things. Would I understand how to navigate the course? Would I not find assignments? What if my internet connection died in the middle of a test? Would I be able to learn things when working on my own? How would I communicate with my teacher? What if the course was too hard? What if I fell behind? What if I didn’t understand something? I was filled with worries.
What I realized after a bit, though, that all these things tend to work themselves out over the first couple of weeks. If you work hard and keep telling yourself that things will be okay, they’ll be okay. Really. It’s like anything else in life. So if you find yourself freaking out in the first week of a course, use the above five tips, work hard, and keep believing in yourself. You can do it.