Online courses give you the freedom to learn at your own pace and take extra time in challenging areas. Therefore, the number one skill needed for taking an online class is time management. Online courses run on the same schedule as face-to-face courses and require the same time commitment.
Check in daily
Log-in to your courses daily to make sure you stay up-to-date on new deadlines and student discussions. By visiting your course every day you are able to break down the work into a more manageable workloads. This can prevent feeling overwhelmed and keep your coursework in the front of your mind.
Make a plan
Structure is helpful for online success and creating a plan for yourself will help you management your time effectively. Using a study calendar and adding syllabus deadlines to it can help you stay on track. Also, keeping a weekly schedule of designated times for your classwork can assure you have the time needed to complete the work. If your online instructors use the Calendar application on Sakai, you can track your assignments and deadlines right in Sakai.
Look ahead
Stay aware of your course deadlines and assignments by looking ahead. Don’t wait until the day an assignment is due to start – if you have any questions it might be too late to ask your instructor! Starting assignments early helps you gauge how much time the assignment will take and leave room for adjusting your schedule if necessary.
Speak up
As soon as you notice yourself falling behind let your professor know. S/he can help you plan your time accordingly, or if necessary, work with you on deadlines. However, if you have not stuck with your plan, checked in daily, and stayed aware of your deadlines it might be too late for the professor to help you.
In case you are struggling in a course, we do offer free tutoring for some CS/IT courses. Sign up for our one-to-one sessions here to meet with one of our tutors weekly at the time of your choosing.
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