Create a schedule for “attending” class.  It is recommended that you sign on to class at the same time on the same days every week. 

Print the schedule of assignment due-dates and test dates and post it in a visible place in your study area.

Spend three hours a week online, reading the materials and participating in the class, if you are enrolled in a three-credit class.  The number of hours spent online in class, increases respectively for every credit hour you are taking.

The suggested number of study hours outside of class is the same as a traditional class, two hours outside of class for every one hour spent in class.  A three-credit online course would require an additional six hours every week to read the textbook, complete assignments, review notes, prepare for tests, work on projects, etc.

Buy a three-ringed binder and a three hole punch.  Keep copies of all the lecture notes and supplemental web site materials in the binder.

Use email to “talk” to the teacher and ask questions.

Call the teacher on campus if you are having problems.  Don’t sit around being stuck for hours.

You will be expected to participate in class discussions. When you are in a traditional classroom, your body language may tell the instructor that you are interested and paying attention.  Since the instructor can not see how attentive you are, you must participate more actively in class by entering into online discussions, asking questions, and responding to class discussion items.  Keep in mind, that teachers will often take an idea or quote from a class discussion and use it as a topic for an essay question.

Studying for tests is usually based on the text and any other links that the course refers to.  Print material from the referred web sites or “bookmark” them in “my favorites” so you can readily access them during a test.

Assume the tests are open book, open notes.

Because you have almost unlimited time, there is a tendency to sometimes spend too much time on one problem.  Limit the amount of time you will work on each problem, or you may burn out before you’ve finished the test.

Many tests will include essay questions.  Because you have ample time to complete the questions, you may be evaluated on how well you’ve written the essay as well as the content answers.  Check written work carefully for correct sentence structure, spelling, and punctuation.

Print the lecture notes. 

Read and then underline or highlight the main ideas and significant details.  Write your own notes in the margins, summarizing the most important ideas in your own words and making connections to other ideas discussed in class or in your own experience.

First, survey the textbook by looking through all the assigned pages in the textbook, reading headings, subheadings, summaries, and review questions.  Look at any pictures, graphs or charts, as well.

Second, turn the subheadings into questions before you read.  For example, the subheading, “The Spread of the Protestant Reformation,” may be turned into, “How did the Protestant Reformation Spread?”

Third, read the paragraphs that follow each subheading to find the answer to the question you created.

Fourth, after every paragraph, or several paragraphs, highlight the topic of the paragraph(s) and then the most important information about the topic.  You then will have identified the main idea(s).  At the end of each section, write the main idea(s) in your own words.  Using highlighting and margin notes, you will have recorded the most important ideas.

Fifth and finally, after you have read the text and recorded main ideas, you will need to review the textbook information periodically, ideally once a week.

The majority of the class work must be completed on your own.  You need to be disciplined and set aside the hours required for success in the class.

It is up to you to contact the teacher if you do not understand something.  It takes more initiative when you’re taking an online class because you have to write the problem down and email it.