online college degrees

• Determine all of the necessary steps involved with enrolling in a program. What types of forms will you need to fill out? What information is needed on those forms? Do you need to collect information about all of your finances before enrolling? Are there financial aid processes that have to be done within a certain time period? How long will it take from the very first step of the enrollment process (and perhaps that is just as simple as an initial phone call) to the point where you are enrolled? When do you expect classes to begin? If you map out all of these steps and the time involved from start to finish, you will have a better idea of when you will be starting classes, and when you will hopefully be completing them. Then you can arrange things in your life accordingly and make any necessary job, childcare, schedule changes as far in advance as possible.

An Educational New Years Resolution

Are you someone who likes to make New Years resolutions each year? And if so, do you stick them out or do you tend to try pretty hard at sticking with it for the first month of the year or so and then life gets in the way?

I’ll admit, I’m not much of a New Years resolution person. I like to think that if I want to make a big change in my life, I’ll just do it when the timing seems right rather than at the start of the new year. That’s too much pressure for big decisions! However, as my life has shifted a lot in the last few months – I made the decision to go back to school and decided to do it full time, making career changes in addition to the education changes (and I also got married right before starting up classes, so I guess that’s a big change too!) – I am looking at the start of 2015 a little differently than I have in the past. 2015 also happens to be the year in which I turn 30, and though I’m not too concerned about the aging thing, it’s still a fairly monumental life moment. So, with all of that, I am thinking that perhaps this is the year to make some resolutions and to stick with them.

If you’re thinking about enrolling in an online program, but haven’t yet taken the plunge, perhaps this is a great time to take the necessary steps to do it for 2015! Here are my tips for making sure this resolution sticks if it’s one you want to make this year (well, next year, I suppose):

Get organized!  If you’re a follower of this blog, you already know I’m big into organization, and therefore this isn’t just limited to setting up a study plan. I love being organized in everything I do in life. When I started my classes this past fall, I splurged a little on a fancy weekly planner and it just makes me so happy! When I’m talking about staying organized with your educational New Years resolution, I mean that you should consider the following:

• Determine all of the necessary steps involved with enrolling in a program. What types of forms will you need to fill out? What information is needed on those forms? Do you need to collect information about all of your finances before enrolling? Are there financial aid processes that have to be done within a certain time period? How long will it take from the very first step of the enrollment process (and perhaps that is just as simple as an initial phone call) to the point where you are enrolled? When do you expect classes to begin? If you map out all of these steps and the time involved from start to finish, you will have a better idea of when you will be starting classes, and when you will hopefully be completing them. Then you can arrange things in your life accordingly and make any necessary job, childcare, schedule changes as far in advance as possible.
• And speaking of that topic, you should arrange your life to make room for school. Make sure you can think ahead to how long you will need to spend on schoolwork per week and be sure you have that time available. Figure out what needs to change in order to make that time available. Do you need to alter your work schedule? Do you need to come up with alternative childcare options or rely on family and friends more that usual to help with childcare so you have some free time for schoolwork? Do you need to cancel involvement in activities like a book club, church committee, or community volunteer work – just temporarily – while you’re in school? Make those changes now so that you have less to worry about when you’re starting classes.
• Think about the types of classes you’ll be taking. Are they held at a specific time or can you do all of the class requirements each week on your own time? If they are held at a specific time, do you need to plan ahead to make sure you don’t have other responsibilities at that time? An example would be a class that you have to attend around dinnertime – can you change your typical dinnertime to work around the class? Do you need to prepare a meal in advance, so that it’s ready to go right after class or can be made by another family member during class (especially if you have children who’s schedules are hard to change)? Will your sleep schedule need to change? I’m all about getting as much sleep as possible while in school, and not falling into the trap of just sacrificing sleep to get things done by the deadline, but that involves a good amount of pre-planning to make sure that happens.

Talk to family and friends. One of the things I was not quite so prepared for with school was the impact it would have on my relationships. My free time disappeared pretty quickly, which made it difficult to socialize with my friends as frequently as I was used to doing. Additionally, my husband and I had very little time together, and when I was home, I was studying, paper writing, and doing school-related work. Our TV date nights now had a third wheel – my books. Luckily, I have been able to communicate with the important people in my life about all these changes and my limited time as things are happening. My friends know that I can maybe get together once a month and usually only if it’s planned in advance and not around a big deadline. My husband and I are working on trying to do something together once a week or at least every other week outside of the house so I won’t be torn between spending time with him and trying to get ahead on my schoolwork. However, if you’re planning on making 2015 the year of college for you, talk to family and friends BEFORE you start classes about how it may impact your life and your relationships. In retrospect, I wish I had a better idea of how much college would impact my relationships and that I could have talked to people about it before I was in the middle of everything. Be aware of the lack of free time you’ll have and be upfront with them about that, because it’s only temporary. That’s the great thing about college – eventually you get your degree, or at least that’s the goal and what you’re doing this for, and then you get a social life back again!

Find a study spot! I returned to school to get a graduate degree, so I do have the experience of college under my belt already. However, the last time I was taking classes, I was single, living with roommates, and on a college campus with coffee shops and libraries to study at whenever I needed to do that outside of my apartment. Now, I’m married, I have a dog who needs walking and attention, and I am not living on a college campus. I realized that before my classes started, I needed to make a space for myself at home that I felt comfortable studying in and where I could write papers in peace. I don’t have the ability to use my bedroom as a private space, like I did in an apartment with roommates, but I also don’t have to worry about taking over the shared space in the house like I did at that time in my life. I set up a desk for myself in an area I felt was private enough, but also not totally closed off (because I prefer to work in more open spaces that have a bit of noise to them). Make setting up a study space part of your New Years resolution about college.

Budget! My last tip is pretty obvious, but something you have to think about constantly when you’re a student. Think about how you spend your money on a regular basis and figure out where you can cut costs while you’re a student, because you are going to have additional expenses to consider. Even if you’re receiving full financial aid, you will still want to budget – use the savings from budgeting to put money aside for when you have graduated and have to start paying back loans. One thing I discovered, since I like to complete schoolwork in a busier spot that has background noise (if it’s too quiet, I find myself going onto Facebook and other sites when I’m supposed to be working on a paper in order to distract myself), is that I am spending more money on coffee and tea at coffee shops than I did before I went back to school. I had to figure out when it’s okay to spend that extra money, when I need to avoid coffee shops and just tough it out in a quiet spot at home, and where I need to stop spending money in order to have that extra available for coffee and tea (since I wouldn’t feel okay sitting in a coffee shop without at least buying a small cup of tea or something). Thinking about money in a very specific and detailed way, and making resolutions specific to how you plan to spend and save while attending college is super important!

These are by no means all the tips out there for how to make a resolution about going back to college and then stick with it until you get that degree, but hopefully it’s helpful as you think about what you want to do in 2015! So, I say make that big resolution, think about what you need to do all year long to stick with it, and hit the ground running next year.

So You’ve Signed Up for an Online Class – What Now?

Once you have registered for an online class, what’s the next step? When can you access the class, read the syllabus, and order the textbook? All of this information should be available when you register for class. Most schools open online courses several days before the official start date of the term. This gives students extra time to check technical requirements and make any contacts that are necessary (academic advising, disability services, tech support, bookstore, etc.) before class begins.

Waiting until the first day, or perhaps a day or two after that, to log in to your class can potentially delay your ability to complete the first week’s work on time and that is not a good way to start out a course. Aside from being late, there is also the risk of making a poor first impression with the instructor and your classmates.

Here are five steps to a stress-free and successful class start that ensures a good first impression and timely completion of the first week’s work.

• Check computer requirements and skills – All schools have computer information available on the online learning webpage. Double-check to make sure you have all the required hardware and software. Requirements generally include internet access, video/audio software (most of which are pre-installed on your computer or are easy and free to download online), school email account, and word processing capabilities. A basic list of skills usually includes the ability to use a word processing program, send and receive emails, save and name files, and attach files to email and the course assignment dropbox.

• Order the textbook – When students register for class, information about required textbooks is usually available at that time. If not, contact your academic advisor to find out what textbook you need for the class. Do not delay in ordering your textbook; instructors expect students to have books when the class begins and generally do not allow late work just because a student did not order the textbook on time. Once the textbook arrives, don’t just stick it on a shelf somewhere; look through the table of contents and skim through the first couple chapters.

• Log in to your class as soon as you have access – Early access in most schools is three to five days prior to the opening day. You should check that the login username and password are valid, and if not, use this extra time to contact tech support to get the problem solved. Once you have logged in, click through all the information and navigation tabs so that you understand the structure of the course and the scheduling of due dates and the requirements for discussions and writing assignments.

• Print and read the syllabus –Take time to read the syllabus. Generally, the syllabus will have two parts: school information and specific class information. There will be a schedule of weekly reading, discussions, and assignments throughout the course. Take note of any long-term assignments, such as projects or group work, and highlight those so you can put them on a schedule far enough in advance to ensure these are completed on time.

• Mark your calendar – This is vital to your success in any online class. Some students use a calendar (print or online) while others use a chart or checklist. Some people prefer a wall calendar and others prefer an online calendar that includes a daily and weekly agenda. The main advantage to an online calendar is getting email or text reminders. Choose which works best for you and update your schedule for each week in the class as you go through the syllabus and the course prior to the opening day.

Starting early keeps you calm, confident, and ready to make a great first impression when class starts. To gain an even better chance for a stress-free start, spend time during those days before class reviewing and taking notes on the first week’s readings. You might also get a head start writing your class introduction and drafting the first discussion posting. Many students find it helpful to make notes and start writing a draft for the first week’s homework/writing assignment.

What tips can you share for getting an early start in your online classes?

Daily and Weekly Routines in Online Classes

Classes on campus are scheduled at the same time daily or weekly. Students go to class and then work on additional class activities and assignments outside of class. Online classes are different because there is no class attendance scheduled each week. Although some classes do have an hour each week of virtual class time where everyone meets online together, this is usually optional and if schedules don’t work out, then students can review the archives for class meetings at a later time. Even though attendance at a specific time and place are not required, online students still need to have a schedule for completing the class activities and assignments. Not having a schedule can lead to procrastination and late assignments.

Routine and repetition increase successful learning. Students who put off academic work until the weekend, and then complete everything in one or two days, are not as successful as those students who work on class activities and assignments every day of the week. These class activities and assignments include participating in discussions, writing essays, taking quizzes, reading, and taking notes on weekly learning resources.

Students need to schedule school work to make sure there is plenty of time to get everything completed with extra time left over to proofread, revise, and polish the assignments before the actual due date. Rushing through an assignment at the last minute on a due date is never a good idea and instructors will be able to tell that you did not take sufficient time to produce the best work you can. A schedule ensures that your work is thorough and well written.

Here are two sample schedules, weekly and daily, to help ensure success in online classes. Based on individual work and family activities, you can make changes where necessary to fit academic work into your own daily and weekly timeframe. An example of a schedule change might be combining activities/tasks for two days when you need a free day during the week.

Weekly

• Day One: Review and read all required materials for the week
• Day Two: Draft the discussion post
• Day Three: Proofread/revise/polish/submit the discussion posting
• Day Four: Draft the writing assignment and read/respond to classmates’ discussion posting
• Day Five: Read responses in the discussion and reply where appropriate; review/revise assignment draft
• Day Six: Finish the discussion participation requirements; proofread/revise/polish assignment.
• Day Seven: Perform one more proofreading of the assignment and then submit. Don’t wait until the last 2-3 hours before the deadline hour – submit in the morning or early afternoon on the due date.

Daily

• Read announcements
• Check email
• Login to the classroom and check the Question forum to see if there are any new questions/answers.

We all have to-do lists and calendars for work and family events. With all those tasks in daily life, making time for studying and homework needs to be scheduled ahead of time. Without a planned routine for online class work, it is just too easy to put off doing the work until the weekend or the due date. Make a plan that works for you, both daily and weekly, and then stick to it the best you can. If you have to skip a daily task, be sure to add it to the next day so that you are still able to complete all your work on time.

Do you have a study tip that helps you complete your online class work on time? Please share in the comment section.

Get the Most from Instructor Feedback on Your Assignments

Criticism is an integral part of academic success. No one likes to hear negative criticism about their work; however, negative feedback is an excellent way to learn new skills and to help you demonstrate your ability to learn. Implementing feedback suggestions in future work shows that you are open to new concepts and ideas and willing to work hard to reach expectations. Unfortunately, many students react to criticism as if the feedback were a personal attack. Recognizing that criticism and critique are about YOUR WORK and not about you, helps students develop a good attitude about receiving critiques.

Students need to understand and accept the purpose and goal of feedback. The purpose is to instruct students on skills and concepts that need improvement. The goal is for students to study and learn the new concepts or new skills, and then implement this new learning in future work in the class. Read the feedback with an open mind, set it aside for a few hours, then review the comments and suggestions again.

Here are some helpful strategies for getting the most value from your instructor’s critique of your work:

• Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses. Generally, there will be a few comments about strong aspects of your work; however, do not be surprised if the feedback is mostly about areas that need improvement. If there are no suggestions for improvement on a particular concept or skill, then you can assume your work is correct. This would go in the “strength” list. Some instructors don’t necessarily give praise for work that is done correctly or meets the minimum requirements, but might do so when students go above and beyond to meet higher expectations. Review the assignment requirements and note everything that you did correctly in the “strength” column of your chart.
• Read and review carefully all the comments related to areas in which you need to improve. These may be related to expanding on the concepts or content, content organization, or writing skills. Add all these notations to your “weakness” list. For each item, write an example of the sentence, phrase, or paragraph that you wrote incorrectly.
• This next strategy is the most important. Look at each example and rewrite so that you are making the suggested changes and implementing the new concepts or skills as suggested by your instructor. Recheck this list often and check all your current work to be sure that you have implemented the new skills. This should be part of your proofreading process before submitting work for a grade. If you do not understand what needs to be done, contact your instructor.
• Don’t waste time waiting for feedback before starting your next assignment. Get the first draft of your weekly assignment written (discussion postings and writing assignments or homework) and then you’re in the perfect position to make revisions based on the critique of your previous work. After you receive your graded work with feedback and critiques, begin immediately to work on reviewing comments, making lists of your strengths and weaknesses, and implementing the necessary corrections on the current week’s assignment. Give yourself at least 3 days before the due date so you can request assistance and receive additional instruction as needed.
• When requesting help, asking specific questions and providing examples streamlines the communication process. When students ask for help, instructors really appreciate a list of one or two specific items, your original writing that warranted the critique, and also your attempt at correcting the errors. This helps the instructor quickly determine the areas of misunderstanding that need to be addressed and locate additional resources to help with your understanding.

Instructors welcome questions when students don’t understand feedback and critiques and they can help you in a variety of ways. Sometimes an instructor may suggest taking advantage of the writing center or tutoring services if you need additional and ongoing help. Usually the instructor will recommend several specific learning resources available in the course, writing center, or online. Using the feedback and resources from your instructor will help you improve academic work and, of course, improve your grades as well.

What kind of feedback have you received about your work that you found most helpful?