Taking courses online isn’t for everyone; it takes motivation, self-discipline, good time-management skills, and basic technology skills.
Self-motivation and self-discipline
There can be a great amount of freedom and flexibility in the online learning environment. Along with that comes a great deal of responsibility. Succeeding in the online learning process takes a serious commitment and willingness to be disciplined about keeping up with the course requirements throughout the term.
In an online course, most of your interaction with others will be done electronically. The absence of direct physical contact and interaction with other students or the instructor can cause some online students to lose interest or motivation prior to completion of the online course or online program. It is important that you develop your own techniques for staying motivated – based on something that is very important to you, such as graduation, a promotion, or a sense of accomplishment.
Basic Technology Skills
Keyboarding and computer skills are very important for your success as an online student. Familiarity with email systems; attaching documents to email messages; ability to create, save, and find files such as word processing documents and spreadsheets; and similar basic computer skills will be very useful.
Helpful Readiness Tools
- What Makes a Successful Online Student?
- How To Read A Textbook
- Active Reading: Comprehension and Rate
- Five-step Strategy for Student Success with Online Learning
- How to Develop Good Study Habits for College
