Section 03. Online Success Strategies

As you know, taking a class online is quite different from sitting in a classroom. Without the dedicated class time and in-person interactions, it can be difficult to focus on the material and assignments. The course participants are presented with these useful Online Success Strategies to use when taking an online course for the first time, or to review even if you've taken online courses before. Directly or indirectly, you can support them using these strategies to achieve their goal of completing our course.

Making Time    

Set aside a specific study time each week, and make this a time that you honor and commit to every week.

Your Learning Space 

Have a dedicated study space with reliable internet. Maybe this is your home, or a relative’s home. It could be a public space, such as a café. Whatever it is, make it work for you, and try to minimize distractions. This will be your “classroom."

Thinking About Your Goals 

Develop your study goals. What do you want to get from your course? Maybe you want to improve your classroom teaching, or receive a promotion with your new skills. Whatever this goal is, write it down and focus on it during your course.

Assignments and Deadlines 

When you receive the syllabus, look over each module and make note of all assignments. This course is self-paced, so you should be proactive about scheduling when you will complete your assignments to make sure they are complete before the course end date. Use a calendar, either a paper one or online, to chart out your assignments and set deadlines for yourself.

Canvas has a calendar feature that will store all of your class-related deadlines, and you are encouraged to use this. Canvas also offers a Notifications feature that will alert you, via email or SMS, about upcoming due dates. 

Create a Community

Online learning can be just as much of a community as the classroom. Interact with your colleagues and fellow AE E-Teacher participants as much as you can! In discussions, sign your name and indicate your country so other participants know who and where you are (example: Danielle - USA).

Technology  

Understand the technology. Become familiar with the technology now, so you won’t have problems later.

If you have technical difficulties, don’t wait to ask for support. Ask for help early.  (See Section 6 for details on how to get help.)

Utilize Handouts and Downloadable Resources

All of the modules and resources you will see in your course will have offline versions as well. You can use these by downloading them, if you have the space and connectivity available, and reading them offline. This will help you succeed in your course, even if you have less than reliable Internet access.

Do Your Work 

Complete all of your assignments and projects. Treat this as you would in a physical classroom, with your instructor and peers relying on you to complete your work, participate in discussions, and finish your projects.

Save Your Work! 

You will want copies of your work and program resources. While these can be uploaded and stored here in the course, be sure to keep copies of your work so you can access them at any time during and after the course.

Start Early 

While this course will be open for 5 weeks, you should not wait until the last minute to complete assignments! No late assignments can be accepted after the course end date. Remember that the MOOC is set to Eastern Time (ET), which may be several time zones ahead or behind you.

Online learning allows you to be responsible for your own success. Ultimately, it is up to YOU to stay organized, manage your time, ask questions, and complete all coursework on time.