Help! I Am an Online Degree Student!

OK! So you have registered for a program in an online degree in a University of your choice, sorted out your financial aid, gave them all your information including your grandmas' phone number, arranged flexitime for the next few weeks at work, secured childcare and loaded all the software needed on your laptop. Now what!

You log into class and find out that you have already missed the first day of discussion, and your professor's welcome note reply deadline. A late assignment message is already in your tray! What do you do now?

You cry out, Help!! I am an online adult learner trying to finish my degree! Someone help me!

Relax; you are in good company, there are thousands of other returnees back into the education arena trying o finish their degrees amidst a host of responsibilities and a Global recession. You are not alone!

Here are some immediate strategies that may help you today!

• Create a 10 - 20 minute time slot to familiarize yourself with the online classroom environment and tools, e.g. E-mail, Discussion Forum (asynchronous), and the learning management system you are using e.g. WebCT, Blackboard, D2L and the like.

• Navigate the major areas of the main and individual classroom forums and browse through the postings for any messages that need immediate attention.

• Download and Browse through the Syllabus to get an idea of the course coverage.

• Download the Reading text for the week. Place it in a visible spot on your desktop e.g. My Documents Folder.

• Take note of due dates and create a notepad with the name of the assignment and due date posted onto your desktop.

• Spell and Grammar check everything you post into the class or individual forums including assignments!

• Create a word document for each assignment or checkpoint and name it. This means you have started on it already! Add the date to the document name e.g. IT233_dueMonSept 28th

• Read the question and write an approximation of how long it will take to address it at the top of each assignment document. (This will help create a mental note of how much time you need to carve out of your schedule to complete the work before the deadline date).

• Relax! You have just taken action! Take a break and note a time on your desktop to come back to the online class later, you are one step closer to your degree!

You can Do this!

A.Brewer
http://www.myonlineedu.com