Succeeding Online

Do you know how to use Virtual Campus (Moodle)?

Oglala Lakota College (OLC) has adopted Moodle as the Learning Management System (LMS). This means that even if you take a class from different departments, you will use the same platform to access your classes. If this is your first time taking an online class, you may want to watch some of these short videos to get started.


University of Massachusetts Amherst has a great Moodle support site for both students and faculty. So instead of trying to create something similar we will make use of their work that is ready for our use.

This is a link to their website: https://www.umass.edu/it/support/moodle The site provides a great deal of help for the using the various elements of Moodle.




How do you communicate with your instructors?

  • Check your campus email (or the account where you forward your campus email)

  • Check your course announcements in Canvas. Reply to an announcement with any questions if something about it is not clear.

  • Use your OLC email to contact your instructor or email your instructor if you have additional questions.

  • Ask for what you need! Your instructor can’t tell when you have questions, so reach out and ask for help. You might not normally do this, but these are not normal times. Your teachers know you have the ability to succeed and want to help you do that! Here are some examples:

    • Ask for clarification if you don’t understand what to do.

    • Ask for accommodations. If you are registered with your campus disability support program and have already requested accommodations, make sure those accommodations are made online–just like they were in the classroom.

    • Ask for help connecting with group members in your class.

    • Ask to submit assignments in an alternate format. For example, if you’re using your smartphone to take classes, ask to use Google docs for your essays instead of Microsoft Word.

    • Ask for deadline extensions.

  • To help your instructor, include these details no matter what:

    • List the course name in the subject line.

    • Introduce yourself with your full name.

    • Make your question(s) as specific as possible.

    • Tell your instructor what you tried before contacting him/her.

How do you review course content and materials online?

  • Before you start reading a textbook or watching a video lecture, list a few key questions that you think the material will answer.

  • Take notes as you go. Write down new words to look up and questions you have about the topic.

  • Pause videos or stop reading every 5 to 10 minutes. The brain needs time to take in new information. Take time to summarize in your head what you just listened to. If you can't really put the information into your own words, you should go back. When you get to the end, it’s helpful to summarize readings or videos to help determine if you understood the main concepts.

  • Purdue University Global’s How to Create the Perfect Study Environment for Online Learning“article discusses creating a study environment for online learning that minimizes distractions and puts you in the mindset to concentrate

  • If you need another perspective, supplement your class materials with other online resources

    • Khan Academy has free video resources and practice problems in many subjects

    • LinkedIn Learning has hundreds of courses broken into 3 – 5 minute videos

How do you engage with other students online?

  • Participate in forum discussions.

  • Visit discussions more than once.

  • Reply to different classmates each time and respond to people who gave you feedback on your post.

  • Be active in group projects. Group dynamics sometimes change when the group is online. Some students wait for classmates to take the lead, so help your group to get started, get organized and get the project done.

  • Collect contact information from friends and classmates so you can talk to each other about how you are doing, as well as school projects and assignments.

  • The article 4 Ways to Avoid Isolation as an Online Student provides tips for staying engaged.


Additional Resources and Support

  • The OWL, online essay writing support

    • Through the The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University students will find information to assist with many writing projects. The OWL houses writing resources and instructional material, as well as writing support video workshops. They are provided as a free service.

  • PDF document Converter

    • Allows students to convert any file to PDF in seconds.

  • Wolfram Alpha -Online source of and info for class assignments

    • A site that allows students to do calculations of all kinds, including math, science, and more. Wolfram Alpha has a seemingly endless source of facts, data, and information to help get you through your class assignments.

  • Quizlet, online study help

    • Helps college students study for literally any class you may be taking by offering simple, free learning tools like flashcards, games, and more.

  • Google Drive

    • Google Drive is a free service that allows you to create, store, and access files from anywhere in the world where you have an internet connection. You can also create files that can be edited by multiple people, so it’s a must-have for group projects.

  • Carnegie Learning iCulture, online language immersion tool

    • A cultural immersion resource for Spanish, French and German language learners, is available free through the end of the school year.