What Do You Think It Takes to be a Successful Online Learner?
Online learning is a different from classroom learning in a variety of ways. If you were a stellar student on campus, you might have the right skills to translate to an online classroom. Here are some of the abilities you’ll need to hone in order to be a successful online learner.
Writing Skills are Essential for Online Learning
You might be a brilliant speaker, but when your assignments are all submitted through Word or Google Docs, you better have the writing skills as well. While some high school students wonder why they wasted their time reading classics or writing essays, but this is where a great writer can truly shine.
Not only will you need to be able to put your argument into concise sentences, but you will need to be able to format and structure your assignments to get the grade. Mechanics and grammar are essential as well. Your instructor wants to see your argument well laid out and grammatically sound.
Campus writing centers can help students to strengthen their writing if they need a little boost. Practice, of course, always makes perfect. The more you write for class the more familiar you’re going to become with academic writing. Before you know it, it will be second nature to you.
Don’t Forget About Reading Comprehension
When all of your assignments have written instructions, you have to be able to be able to understand what your instructor wants you to do in order to properly execute your papers and projects. It’s important to read instructions slowly and carefully. It can also help to make a checklist of everything you need to include so you don’t miss anything. Be sure to review the instructions before you turn in your assignment. All too often you can find that you got wrapped up in one aspect and left out an important section.
Time Management is Key to Online Success
When your classwork and homework time is in your hands, it’s easy to figure you can do it later. After all, it’s not due until Sunday at midnight and it’s only Sunday at 10pm. The last thing you want to do is have to rush to complete an assignment and turn it in without copy-editing it. Make sure you have enough study time scheduled into your day to accommodate all tests, quizzes, papers, and reviews.
Putting off your homework can also become an issue when you find yourself faced with an assignment that is more complicated than at first glance. Instead of using the hour you allotted yourself, you might need two or three. This can be panic inducing if you’re up against the clock.
You Have to be a Self-Starter
In the hit musical, Hamilton, the open song describes founding father Alexander Hamilton and states that he, “Got a lot farther by working a lot harder/By being a lot smarter/By being a self-starter.” Indeed, being a self-starter can get you far in life and far in online education.
You don’t have a teacher to stand over you or classmates to send you text reminders that an assignment is due. You have to be responsible for yourself and your classwork. Being able to motivate yourself to do your work and keep that motivation up even when it feels draining is what is going to carry you through to graduation. No one floats through a degree program without once being challenged intellectually. Expect there to be issues that arise and make the decision to meet each one as they do.
Do You Have What it Takes to be a Successful Online College Student?
If you want to study online and earn a degree in a program like health science, criminal justice, business, or technology, ECPI University offers online degrees in all of these fields and more. If you have any questions about signing up for classes, be sure to connect with a friendly admissions advisor today.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
For more information about ECPI University or any of our programs click here: http://www.ecpi.edu/ or http://ow.ly/Ca1ya.