Some Tips to Remember When Starting an Online Course

With online courses becoming more and more popular we wanted to touch on some basic tips students should consider when starting an online class. Being prepared could be what sets you apart from the other students in your cohort. Some of the things we mention could seem like common sense, but none the less, a very important part of being successful in an online course.

First and foremost, make sure you have a reliable computer available with internet access. Check with your academic advisor to see what the computer requirements are for your program. Most computers come standard with what you would need, but you want to double check. For instance, you may need the latest version or Excel or Microsoft Word. Usually the latest version of Microsoft Office will be required. As far as internet goes, make sure yours is fast and reliable. You will probably be attaching documents, doing research, and watching videos throughout the program.

Now that you are online with the latest technology, you are one step closer to succeeding in an online program. The next tip is using proper time management skills. Make sure your family/friends know you are about to start an online course. Make sure you have their support before starting a program. You can anticipate about 15-20 hours a week per class in a graduate level program. Set aside some time during the week and on weekends to allocate to the class. You will typically have to complete case studies, papers, quizzes, and group assignments.

Now that you have allotted time to complete your course it's time to brush up on your skills. Depending on what type of class you are taking, there are different refresher courses you can complete. For instance, if you are starting an online MBA course you can complete some tutorials on statistics, finance, and accounting. Or, if you know what textbooks you will be using you can buy them in advance and start studying. You can never be too prepared when starting an online class.

Finally, when classes are getting close you want to complete an orientation in whichever course platform the University uses. For instance, Marylhurst University uses Moodle while University of Oregon uses Blackboard. Your online platform will contain your assignments, syllabus, and access to contact the other students in your class and most importantly your professor. Try and master navigating through your online course room before classes begin.

Pros and Cons of Online Education

There are many things to consider when deciding to go back to school. What school should you attend? What degree should you seek? How am I going to balance my family, work, and school all at the same time? These are just a few. Above all, one must decide whether to attend a traditional campus program or an online degree program. There are some major differences between the two, but there are also some similarities. It is recommended to first check your daily schedule. Do you have time to drive to campus once or twice a week and attend a lecture? How far is the school from your house? These are important questions, because the answers may eliminate on campus programs right away.

Some of the benefits of attending class in person include: face to face interaction with the professor, live discussions, ability to ask questions on a specific subject, and it is usually easier to work in a group setting. Remember, online education offers many of the same features; they are just implemented a little differently. Questions, chats, and group work are done entirely online through chat rooms and emails. Some consider this a disadvantage of online learning since they prefer to work with their classmates in person. Other students are visual learners and need to be in a lecture hall watching and listening to the professor. This could pose a problem for online learners.

A couple major benefits of online degree programs are the flexibility and convenience you receive while in a class. Most of the time a student does not need to log in and complete their work at any specific time. A student can email their professor their assignment at either 5 a.m. or 5 p.m. This is very important when it comes to full-time working adults with families. Another benefit of doing an online classes is being able to complete your work from anywhere in the world. You do not have to drive to campus, park, or walk to class. This saves time and money.

Time management is important whether you are taking classes online or in a classroom. One major difference is if you are attending a campus based program you have a schedule for when you need to be on campus to sit for a lecture. Online courses do not typically have such a schedule. Online students have to manage their own time and log in throughout the week to complete their assignments. This could become tedious for some.

Learn Speed Techniques

Many students need to study up on speed reading because they have bad reading or study habits. In most cases, when we learn how to speed read or when we pick up how to read, we feel pressured from someone or something. Many students cite examples such as issues at home, with the teacher/other students or exam trouble. This may give birth to bad associations with reading (speed reading) which can explain why some people do not read for pleasure but only when they have to.

Accordingly, if you are searching for 'how to speed read', you must look for techniques to relax your mind before you begin. This study skill may be extended to exams and any problematic study areas that you have. In most cases, the 'problem' is all in how you approach it. There are probably a whole slew of solutions available but they are difficult to see when you sabotage yourself by sticking to your old methods.

The first study skill which students should cultivate prior to speed reading is the skill to relax their minds. A very simple method is to take 10 deep breaths. When you do so, keep your awareness solely on the area at the base of your nose. This is a very skill for general study too.

The next step may be taken after you are confident in your reading comprehension. By now you can tell someone the main message of an article after you finish reading it. Start timing yourself when you speed read an A4 page. How much time did it take? Measuring your progress using a stop watch is an essential study asset whenever you want to increase your efficiency. Try to move your eyes faster. Try not to say anything in your mind, search for important words that can summarise the main message for you.

Search for the key words in the preceding paragraph. Have you understood the main message? Are you 'speed' reading? As if seeing colours giving prominence to key words/phrases as you read, move your eyes faster!

Typical undergrads verbalise the text in their mind as they are studying a piece of writing. Undeniably, this is an ordinary process and can help us understand the basic elements of the text. Yet, to maximise your speed reading technique, reading without verbalising in your mind is an excellent reading ability. Simply keep your eyes moving over the words without verbalising in your mind. If you struggle, move your eyes fast enough to register the words but not say them in your mind. First do this with 2 sentences and then check that you understood the main message. You might find it useful to position yourself back an extra 20 cm from the computer or text.

To better understand your learning style and read the free speed reading blog, visit the Study Style Skills Website. I am a teacher and have put together a learning style program which helps students master specific study skills for their learning style and get the best grades now. To check out the program and for more free information, visit http://studystyleskills.com.

Secrets of Successful E Learning Course Design

For every learner who reports a good experience using e learning, there are many more who can vouch for a truly terrible experience. The typical criticism from these dissatisfied learners is the e learning course they took was boring. Usually, they report, it involved nothing more than clicking though endless screens of uninspiring content. Many dissatisfied learners vow they will do their very best to avoid taking an e learning course ever again.

If this describes your reaction or the reaction of learners in your organisation, then read on. This article introduces a different, boredom-busting approach to e learning course design, guaranteed to keep your learners engaged, motivated and (most important) learning.

The first step to success involves moving away from a highly content-centric approach to your course design. Is content important? Absolutely. Should it be the sole driving force behind your development? Probably not.

If this seems like a puzzling response, consider this. The more you focus on content at the very beginning of your development process, the more likely you are to end up with a highly structured content outline that reads like a book. And two key things to remember about e learning. It's not about creating an online book and it's definitely not about creating an online presentation. Save the latter for the lecture hall and the former for your Kindle.

So if it 's not about conveying structured information, what is it about?

Let's think for a moment about your learners and what they might be doing in a typical day of their working lives. Whatever their job role, it's more than likely that they need knowledge and skills to solve problems, make decisions and carry out a variety of tasks, some repetitive and frequent, others more complex and infrequent.

So why not create your e learning to better reflect your learners' reality, rather than just pounding them over the head with abstract content? It's not that they don't need content - it's just that they need to discover and learn it in a meaningful, memorable and motivating way.

To achieve that, you need to adopt a broad, four-pronged approach to your development. How do you start? Choose a context for your learning. What will be familiar to your learners? Look at the context (or contexts) that they work in everyday. Perhaps it's an office, or a warehouse or a customer service desk. Whatever their work environment, there will be any number of familiar contexts just waiting to be used.

Within that context, there will almost certainly be challenges your learners have to meet, so choose a challenge that your learners will have to meet that is relevant to the learning and fits naturally within your chosen context.

To meet the challenge you are setting them, your learners will have to carry out some tasks or activities. It's likely there may be more than one right way to meet the challenge, so give your learners options. Allow them to experiment and try different approaches (through a variety of tasks) to see which gets the best (and the worst) outcome.

Finally, provide plenty of feedback. Not just the 'yes, that's right/no that's wrong' type, but detailed feedback on the tasks they have carried out and the decisions they have made. This could be situational or instructional or a combination of the two. In short, the secret to successful e learning course design is escaping the highly content-centric approach to e learning typically used by very many designers.

Andrew Jackson is co-founder of Pacific Blue an innovative learning solutions company providing boredom-busting e learning course design to businesses. To learn more, get your free 'Bored to Death by E-Learning Guide?':
http://www.pacificblue.co.uk/effective-e-learning-toolkit