By Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D.
While there are many "college success" guides, many of them do not precisely address the challenges confronted by the elearner. Even if they do, they may be addressing the elearner of 2002, and not 2008 or later, whose distance institution, along with environment, technologies, and materials have changed dramatically in an ever-evolving, unfolding approach to learning.
Some of the "eternal verities" of learning success still hold true, albeit with modifications.
- 1.) Set long-term goals. Your long-term goals may involve earning a degree. At the same time, they may involve goals of slightly shorter time span. For example, one long-term goal may be to complete all your courses for the term. You should not set too many goals, and the goals you do set should have relevance to your overall life plans, career objectives, and more.
- 2.) Don’t forget short-term goals. Your short-term goals should mesh nicely with long-term goals. For example, a short-term goal may be to finish reading the materials for the unit at least two days before the due date. Be sure to reward yourself, and to give yourself a positive affirmation when you do.
- 3.) Manage your time. Time management is not possible if you do not have any idea what the real time requirements are for the various tasks you must do. So, one of the first items of successful time management must involve making an assessment of the required tasks and then measuring time on task. Plan your time accordingly. Be realistic.
- 4.) Keep yourself financially solvent. If you are having to work too many jobs, the implications are clear. You will have no time for studying. In addition, there is significant stress associated with financial insolvency, which may undermine your relationship with your family and your key supporters. Find ways to reduce overhead, and try not to fall prey to debt traps.
- 5.) Have supportive family and friends. Surrounding yourself with people who share the same goals, values, and beliefs about the transformative potential of education is very important.
- 6.) Take enough courses to make progress toward your goal. Obviously, you want to make sure you’re taking enough courses to eventually reach your goal. As you map out the progress toward your degree, make sure that you understand just where you will be at the end of each term. Pace yourself, and make sure that you remind yourself that you’re making precisely the kind of progress you need to be making. Balance and equilibrium cannot be underestimated in this case.
- 7.) Do not sabotage yourself with too many courses. One of the quickest ways to fail is to overcommit and to start having incompletes and bad grades. Not only will you fail to make progress, you run the risk of being suspended for lack of satisfactory academic progress.
- 8.) Find appropriate rewards for large and small successes. Reward yourself. Think of appropriate extrinsic and intrinsic rewards and line them up for yourself.
- 9.) Understand your learning preferences. Are you a visual learner? An auditory learner? A kinaesthetic learner? Most of us are a combination of several. If you understand your learning styles, you will be able to develop study strategies that play on your strengths and position you to do well in your assessments, and in demonstrating mastery of learning objectives.
- 10.) Build on your strengths. Not only is it important to build on your strengths as they relate to learning preferences, but also as they relate to your unique inventory of cognitive, emotional, relational, and community assets. Do you have a strong learning community? If so, work it. Make sure that you are letting yourself stay connected and to build on the force of many.
E-Learning specific success strategies can help you successfully complete your course.
- 1.) Good advising. Try to guide your own path, when possible. Stay in touch with your advisor. Self-advise when possible.
- 2.) Good assessment. Find practice exams, quizzes, and assessments in order to be on target with your tests. Do not distract yourself by taking practice quizzes from the wrong edition of the text, or by reading extraneous materials. Focus on what you’ll be required to master.
- 3.) Good team. Make your education a family affair. Develop a support system.
- 4.) Good mentoring. Develop an excellent relationship with your instructor. Find study buddies.
- 5.) Good community. Make sure that you participate in the discussion board area. Introduce yourself, reach out to others, and provide appropriate and supportive feedback.
If one could distill all of the points to one of primary importance, it might be "Invest in yourself!" You might be surprised at the strength of that mantra. Invest in yourself in all ways, every day. If you do not see an immediate dividend for your investment, don’t worry. Continue to invest, and you’ll eventually receive the rewards if you stay focused, and maintain dedication. By investing in yourself, you will automatically visualize the end point, and the desired results of your investment. In many cases, that could be a degree, a job, and a better life.
Download Dr. Nash's podcast at:
http://community.elearners.com/inside_elearning/attachment/6468.ashx
(4.19 MB)