Just wanted to share an email from a website visitor who emailed us recently feeling scared about her upcoming online course:
"Hi,
I am registered to start online classes next session and I am really having second thoughts about it.
It has been almost 20 years since I have been in school and worry about how well I will be at juggling kids, work, activites and studying!
I plan on starting out with one class eng102 and then philosphy next session. I would like to get my associate in psychology.
Any advice? Could you tell me about how much time you spend on your studies?
Thanks,
Debbie"
Here is our response:
"Hi Debbie,
I can totally understand being nervous about going back to school, especially if it's been a long time since you've been a student and now you've got a lot of other important commitments (like your family and a career) that you have on your plate.
I think it's a really smart move to start out with just one class. Definitely d expect to spend as much time working on an online course as you would if you were enrolled in a traditional, on-campus course, so anywhere between 6-9 hours per week for a 3-credit course like English 102. Because you are just starting out, stick closer to 9, even 10, hours per week just to be safe.
The old saying "Out of sight, out of mind" really applies to an online course - it's easy (and dangerous) to fall behind! My advice is to try to find an hour each and every day (and most likely, you'll need to find smaller chunks of time, like two 30-minute blocks per day) so you can do your readings and work on your assignments. This way you always have school on your mind, or not too far from it, at least.
Also, log in into your course every day, if possible. I always found it easier to participate in a class discussion when I was one of the first people to post -- classmates who got into discussions late tended to write statements like, "I agree with everyone else." Simply posting and not actually contributing to a discussion is the kiss of death in an online course.
My last piece of advice is to know the syllabus inside and out. Read it, print it out, and make sure you fully understand every detail, such as:
- Contact information for your instructor, as well as contact information for tech support
- All required textbooks, materials, software
- Grading criteria and how your final grade is calculated
- Policy on late assignments
- Expectations for class participation, i.e. the minimum number of postings per week in a discussion and any standards for quality of participation
- Whether due dates are calculated by your instructor's time zone
- The turnaround time for feedback or questions you may have -- unfortunately, your instructor is not on call to answer your emails twenty-four hours a day.
- Your school's policy on plagiarism and cheating
Please, please, try not to give in to your fear. Believe it or not, but adult students have a major advantage in, well, being older. You bring a lot of self-motivation, life, and work experience to the table - it has shaped you into who you are today.
Good luck to you!
Hope this helped,
Helen"