Fast Track to Online Education Programs

Procedures for Online Learning Success

Participation and Commitment

Be sure to check how many days per week you must be online. Be sure you check how many posts (responses) per week you need to make and if there are specific dates these must be made by or if that varies depending upon the professor. Check when your actual online week begins and ends (times and dates). Example: midnight or noon of a certain day each week. This is critical when you are trying to find time to get assignments completed and posted to the assignment area for grading.

Ask what is required to participate and what it means to be in attendance. Be sure you know the difference between the two. There is a huge difference here. Some universities will require substance in everything you do. Ask specifically what this means. Also, check on what, if any, consequence there could be if you were to take a month off from your classes (program of study). How will this affect you and your financial aid? What about exams-how are these handled? Be sure you know upfront!

What Do I Need to do as an Online Student?

"Be sure you are committed to online learning. Online learning means you are fully responsible for your learning outcomes."

Once you have done your thorough background check which covers many of the items outlined in this article and you feel comfortable with your background check and touched base with a real person at the university, be sure to check out the online tutorial first to be sure you are comfortable with the online platform. Remember, once you are enrolled, you are more or less stuck because not only have you invested time and money, but also, most likely, you can't get the money back that you already paid upfront. Furthermore, while this might seem repetitive since it was mentioned before, be sure you have a support system in place that allows you time necessary to take the online classes (program) you are interested in. Having a support system of friends and family will greatly enhance your likeliness of success because they will help you to find the time you need. Family members will help to alleviate daily routine items that you may have done up 'til now, but now you won't be able to do because you no longer have the time.

Set Aside Study Time

I would caution you here though to be sure that the online university has an online system in place that is stable and does not drop you offline every so many seconds. This is extremely frustrating and will make you wish you never enrolled into any online course. It will make you detest the online learning environment when in fact, you could really love it, but because of the frustrations of being dropped you end up not having the patience to enjoy it.

Conclusion

The challenges can be lessened if you are prepared for this fast-paced, intriguing mode of learning. However, start out slowly. Take one class at a time until you have adjusted to the new online learning environment that you are now into. Adjusting does take time. Do not just leap into several classes before you get your feet wet!! By taking into consideration the items described throughout this article, you will be better prepared to take on the many challenges and joys of realizing that higher degree.

Online learning encompasses many aspects of emotions from fear, joy, frustration, intimidation, and so forth, but if you are aware of these emotions and why you are feeling them, that is half the battle to success in online education.

"Education is the ongoing learning that occurs when a person experiences new situations or people or engages in self-directed learning to learn a new skill or a new way of thinking about things" (Jewell-Kelly, 1990, p. 1).

"Through learning we re-create ourselves. Through learning we re-perceive the world and our relationship to it. Through learning we extend our capacity to create, to be part of the generative process of life" (p. 14).

"The online environment is one in which students take on a more focused role in their learning. Rather than a surfaced method, learning now takes on a deeper approach" (p. 63).

References:

• Council for Higher Education Accreditation (2005). Informing the Public about Accreditation. Retrieved on February 15, 2005 from: http://www.chea.org/public_info/index.asp
• Jewell-Kelly, S. (1990). Lifelong Learning in Why Should Schools Be Learning Communities? NCREL, Oak Brook, 1990. Retrieved on October 8, 2002, from http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/rpl_esys/famcomm.htm
• Flood, J. (2002). Read all about it: online learning facing 80% attrition rates. Retrieved October 1, 2002 from http://tojde.anadolu.edu.tr/tojde6/articles/jim2.htm
• Kort, B. & Reilly, R. (2002, June). Analytical models of emotional, learning and relationships: Towards an affect-sensitive cognitive machine. Retrieved on August 8, 2002, from Proceedings of the Intelligent Tutoring Systems Conference, Biarritz, France, 955-962
• Mertz, D. (2003). Online learning, attrition, and emotional intelligence: Perspectives of leaders in online teaching. (UMI Dissertation Services Published)
• Priest, L. (2000). The story of one learner: A student's perspective on online teaching as cited in White, K. W., & Weight, B. H. (2000). The online teaching guide: A handbook of attitudes, strategies, and techniques for the virtual classroom. MA: Pearson Education Company
• Senge, P. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art & practice of the learning organization. New York, NY: Doubleday Publishing
• White, K. W., & Weight, B. H. (2000). The online teaching guide: A handbook of attitudes, strategies, and techniques for the virtual classroom. MA: Pearson Education Company
• WorldWideLearn (2005). The importance of accreditation: What is accreditation? Retrieved on May 10, 2005, from: http://www.worldwidelearn.com/accreditation/index.html

By Dr. Debra Leonard Mertz
Contributing Writer to World Wide Learn. © 2005. All Rights Reserved.

Dr. Debra Leonard Mertz is an online professor for several major online universities including the University of Maryland University College. She is also a management consultant and the former VP for Online Education at a major international university where she instituted a full online program. She can be reached via email at debramertz@aol.com.