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Go Inside e-Learning with Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D. Get an insider's look at online education by a former associate dean for liberal arts at a well-known online university.
Her latest book, Excellence in College Teaching and Learning: Classroom and Online Instruction, was co-authored with George Henderson and published in 2007. Leadership and the e-Learning Organization, was published in 2006.
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Mind-Mapping Your Way to a Term Paper
Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D.
Have you ever been stuck while writing a term paper? It happens to all of us. You try making lists, you attempt a few
"free-writes," and you even try discussing the topic with peers in the discussion board. But, still the thoughts are not flowing, and there is no depth to the topics you’re working on in your body paragraphs.
Try mind-mapping!
Mind-mapping is a graphical approach that engages different parts of your brain to see relationships and to trigger thoughts. By putting a together a mind map, you can easily associate ideas and initiate chains of related thoughts and ideas.
Mind-mapping is effective if you are working alone, and can be dynamic if you're working in a group with other people. For example, if you are using
Web-conferencing software such as Adobe Connect or Elluminate, you can collaborate with other people in creating a mind map. Each person can draw on the whiteboard and add his or her ideas or insights.
The technique works for writing, math, creative problem-solving, and in developing creativity. For example, a study conducted with engineering students (Zampetakis & Tsironis, 2007) found that mind-mapping was an effective strategy for explaining in detail all the possible applications of an engineering design or problem, particularly in team assignments.
What is a mind map?
Essentially, a mind map is a diagram on a piece of paper. It is a freeform space where you can put topics and then attach what comes to mind to them. Remember that you can use graphics as well as words. So, for example, if you’re writing about pit bulls, you can put a picture of a pit bull in your map as well as words. As thoughts occur to you, you can put words or images next to them, and draw lines to denote relationships.
How does a mind map work?
Mind maps are extraordinarily effective because they minimize the cognitive overhead required in processing text on a page. Your mind does not have to decode all the words and the concepts. It can go straight to the work of generating ideas, associating words and concepts, and triggering chains of related thoughts.
You are doing semi-structured knowledge modeling, and in doing so, you are enabling your mind to represent structures from various information tools (Volkel & Haller, 2009).
In mind-mapping, you are creating a form that employs the following:
- Spatial layout
- Freeform layout and structure
- Nesting of ideas
- Zooming and telescoping
- Non-related free associations
- Clusters of same-category ideas, concepts, examples
- Blend of abstract and concrete knowledge
Tony Buzan, who has written extensively about mind-mapping, is an advocate because he points out it is an excellent way to use both sides of your brain. His book,
Use Both Sides of Your Brain (1991), points out how our brains use different hemispheres to process different types of information, and if you have techniques for harnessing both sides, your thinking processes will be enhanced. Later, Buzan came to be regarded as the originator of a certain approach to mind-mapping that seeks to trigger both sides of the brain. His book,
The Mind Map Book, has been widely adopted, and Buzan’s approach has influenced instructional strategies in many parts of the world.
There are many ways to do mind-mapping. The key is to remember that mind maps are spatial, and they are intended to be freeform. You’re trying to engage both sides of your brain, and you should welcome any of the associations that the words, images, or spatial arrangement trigger. Here is a step-by-step approach:
Step 1: Draw a circle in the middle of the page, then write your topic in the circle.
Step 2: Draw a few lines coming out from the circle, and label them with ideas about your topic.
Step 3: Analyze the lines. Which ones can you develop further? Draw more lines as you see relationships, and place labels on them. Write details when they seem appropriate.
Step 4: Repeat the process until you run out of ideas. If you see a cluster of ideas developing, circle it. Discuss whether or not that would be something you can write about.
After you complete the steps of mind-mapping, you can then focus on a cluster and use that as the basis of a paper, or a body paragraph. The mind map can be utilized in conjunction with your thesis statement, your outline, and your
"free-writes" to add information and depth to your argument. You can also use it to critique your argument, your supporting evidence, and the logic used in constructing your case.
In all cases, the mind map is a powerful (and surprisingly fun!) tool to use in your online learning endeavors — alone or with a group.
References
Buzan, T. (1991). Use Both Sides of Your Brain. New York: Plume Books.
Buzan, T., and B. Buzan. (1997). The Mind Map Book. London: BBC Books.
Steyn, T., and A. De Boer. (1998). Mind mapping as a study tool for underprepared students in mathematics and science. South African Journal of Ethnology. 21.3 (Sept 1998): 125-138.
Volkel, M., and H. Haller. (2009). Conceptual data structures for personal knowledge management. Online Information Review. 33.2: 298-315.
Zampetakis, L., and L. Tsironis. (2007). Creativity development in engineering education: the case of mind mapping. Journal of Management Development. Vol 26 No 4: 370-380.
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Are People Naturally Bad? Applying Hobbes to Online Learning
Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D.
Whether you have a positive idea of human nature or a negative one makes a huge difference in how you respond to other people. In an online course, where you’re not going to meet individuals face to face, it’s easy to project your ideas and attitudes about people in general. Without the reality check of face to face communication, it is easy to assume that your fellow students, your instructor, and others are exactly how you imagined them to be.
One of the beauties of the online environment is its diversity. Imagine a class that is filled with students with differing viewpoints with respect to human nature. They range from those who tend to be suspicious and cynical about people’s motives, to those who assume that all people are wise, patient, helpful, and supportive.
In most cases, the course content or activities will not put people’s values and beliefs into collision. The fact that your fellow students have wide-ranging ideas about the nature of humanity may not come into play.
However, there are cases in which it does matter, and you’ll need to keep people’s differing viewpoints in mind as you process and respond to their comments in peer reviews, their posts in the discussion board, and their contribution in collaborations. If you’re taking an online course that requires you to weigh in on current events, politics, or ethical issues, you’ll find such awareness helpful. It is good to know that people interpret events and behaviors differently, depending on their core values and beliefs about human nature.
Some people believe people are inherently good. In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle expressed the notion that the goal of politics and governance was toward the good, and to help satisfy every individual’s desire for happiness:
As every knowledge and moral purpose aspires to some good, what is in our view the good at which the political aims, and what is the highest of all practical goods? ... most agree in calling it happiness, and conceive that 'to live well' or 'to do well' is the same thing as 'to be happy.'
The function of Man then is an activity of soul in accordance with reason, or not independently of reason. Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics)
Renaissance Humanists believed that human beings could be transformed through education. Further, Enlightenment writers such as Rousseau, and others whose ideas shaped the Declaration of Independence, and the documents affiliated with the French Revolution believed that people were good and able to self-regulate. It was not necessary to keep them crushed and cowed by a tyrant king or powerful state.
On the other end of the spectrum is Thomas Hobbes, who held a very negative view of human nature. He, as did Machiavelli, who, a century before, expressed pragmatic (and negative) views of human nature in The Prince (1515). Hobbes, like Machiavelli, believed that people are inherently selfish. Hobbes went on to accuse them of being vicious, violent, selfish, and dishonest. For Hobbes (and Machiavelli), it is best to have a strong leader to maintain order and civil discourse. If not, the natural condition of people will be that of perpetual war.
Hobbes wrote Leviathan, during the height of the English Civil War. Published in 1651, the text is a classic work of political philosophy. Again, the ideas and attitudes toward men and human nature tend to be fairly negative. After all, it was Hobbes who wrote that the lives of men tend to be "and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short."
He also believed that people have a hard time cooperating:
"If any two men desire the same thing, which nevertheless they cannot both enjoy, they become enemies; and in the way to their end, which is principally their own conservation, and sometimes their delectation only, endeavor to destroy, or subdue one another." (Hobbes, 38)
To look at things through Hobbes' eyes brings life into focus in a very disconcerting way. It is a view of nature and humanity that is so negative that it's almost hard to comprehend, except in the world of economics and politics. If you accept Hobbes’ views, you are likely to feel nervous and threatened by your fellow human being, and may tend to favor a tough, authoritarian leader.
After all, according to Hobbes, without a leader, we’re in a state of perpetual warfare:
Hereby it is manifest, that during the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that condition which is called war; and such a war, as is of every man, against every man. (Hobbes, Leviathan, 40).
People who have such a negative view of human beings may not appear to be negative. They may seem very other-worldly. After all, such a negative view of humanity and human life may encourage you to focus on the afterlife, and to look at the spiritual side of life. Many mystics throughout time had little faith in human beings. Great revivalist movements in which the jeremiad was preached (with the urgent entreaty to repent now because the end is near), or those emphasizing the apocalyptic narrative (some Doomsday cults can be included in this category), were adept at undermining people’s faith in each other. They tended to through their lot to a powerful leader. Sometimes the gamble paid off. Sometimes it did not. Jonestown and Waco come to mind.
How does this apply to online courses?
If your instructor tends to think that the natural state of human beings is competition and ultimately war, then he or she is likely to believe that the correct role is to be the authoritarian leader. Rules are to be obeyed at all costs. People to transgress will be punished. There will be no mercy. Order must be maintained. Punishment will be swift and public. After all, those who break the rules must serve as an example for other.
Thankfully, most online degree programs adhere to a different philosophy of instruction, and focus on maintaining a nurturing, more flexible and encouraging atmosphere.
The one relatively universal exception to this rule is plagiarism. Many instructors are quick to assume that online students copy and paste from the Internet and purchase papers from places such as termpapers.com. Their underlying belief is that students have poor time management skills, procrastinate, hate to write papers, and lack self-confidence.
Such negative views lead to a sense that some instructors are on a plagiarism quest, and are eager to expose and to punish them.
A similar mindset is manifest in the area of assessment and test-taking, which results in an emphasis on making sure that no one cheats or commits academic dishonesty in a test.
So, even thought the dominant attitude in education at this point in time is that human beings are transformable through education, and that learning is one way to make a better person and fulfill one’s potential, there are vestiges of a competing view. It can be a bit confusing at times, because an instructor may seem to be easy-going in one area and not in another. Understanding the history of such ideas can be useful.
Here’s a final thought, that could be applied to lifelong learning, since it suggests that people are never satisfied, and are happiest when chasing a dream. From Hobbes, it’s framed in the most cynical of manners, but is inspiring nonetheless.
"Felicity of this life consisteth not in the repose of a mind satisfied. For there is no such finis ultimus, utmost aim, nor summum bonum, greatest good, as is spoken of in the books of the old moral philosophers. Nor can a man any more live, whose desires are at an end, than he, who senses and imaginations are at a stand. Felicity is a continual progress of the desire, from one object to another, the attaining of the former, being still but the way to the latter" (Hobbes, Leviathan, 38)
After you graduate with your bachelor’s degree, it’s time to start planning for your master’s — after all, you'll be at your happiest when you are pursuing something you desire.
Bibliography
Aristotle. (350 BCE). Nicomachean Ethics. http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.html. Accessed May 21, 2009
Hobbes, T. (1660) Leviathan. http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/hobbes/leviathan-contents.html. Accessed May 21, 2009.
Macchiavelli, N. (1515) The Prince. http://www.constitution.org/mac/prince00.htm. Accessed May 21, 2009.
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Nicomachean Ethics and the Online Learner
Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D.
If you're taking online courses that deal with health, business, or the environment, it is very likely that you have had to work with questions of ethics. We live in a world of mixed messages, where everyone loves to judge from afar (or through the Internet), but no one likes to see the ethical quagmire enter into their own backyard. In your courses, the quagmire will enter your life as you’re asked to consider ethical dilemmas and either write about them or discuss them with fellow students.
How do you become an ethical person? Can you legislate ethical behavior? If the punishments are severe, will that be enough to keep people behaving ethically?
According to Aristotle, in his classic work, Nicomachean Ethics, written in the fourth century B.C. in Greece, it is futile to try to coerce people into high moral, ethical, and virtuous behavior through threat of punishment. Instead, one has to take an approach that relies heavily on teaching and practice.
Virtue or excellence being twofold, partly intellectual and partly moral, intellectual virtue is both originated and fostered mainly by teaching; it therefore demands experience and time. Moral virtue on the other hand is the outcome of habit. (Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics)
Thus, Aristotle breaks down ethics or virtue ethics into two parts:
Intellectual virtue: learned through teaching
Moral virtue: learned through doing
So, for Aristotle, the first step involves purposefully teaching people what constitutes ethical behavior and ethical decision-making. The second step is to practice virtue and ethical behavior.
There are numerous approaches used in determining how to conduct oneself in the world, and it is not the purpose of this article to go into all the theories of ethics. Instead, the focus is on Aristotle and the point that he made that one must actively engage in learning and teaching ethics, which must be followed up with practice.
In an online course, the way to approach the problem is to:
Step 1: Identify the ethical dilemma
Step 2: List the fundamental ethical concerns
Step 3: List possible ethical approaches
Step 4: Recommend courses of action
Step 5: Follow the courses of action; analyze case studies or engage in a field study.
Perhaps one of Aristotle’s most enduring contributions to Western thought is the notion of balance. For him, the ideal path of thought and behavior did not lie in exploring extremes (he would leave that to the devotees of pagan cults attached to devotion to Eros and Dionysus, which later emerged as medieval mysticism, courtly love lyrics of the Provencal poets, Romanticism, and more).
For Aristotle, wisdom in governance, economics, behavior, and art (including literature), lay in finding balance – the mid-point, or mean between extremes. Instead, Aristotle focused on finding perfect and harmonious balance and developing a sensibility in the viewer that would appreciate it. His ideas were echoed by the Roman writer Horace, and then revitalized in European NeoClassicism by the French poet Nicolas Boileau and the English Restoration dramatist and poet, John Dryden.
As Aristotle expressed it:
Virtue is a state of deliberate moral purpose consisting in a mean that is relative to ourselves; the mean being determined by reason, or as a prudent person would determine it (Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics).
In regard to feelings of fear and confidence, courage is a mean state. On the side of excess, he whose fearlessness is excessive has no name, as often happens, but he whose confidence is excessive is foolhardy, while he whose timidity is excessive and whose confidence is deficient is a coward (Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics).
When engaging in an analysis of ethical dilemmas, Aristotle’s ideas seem very prudent. While it is very tempting to go into extremes and to take a stand, especially as it relates to sensitive debates on topics such as animal protection, medical experimentation, the treatment of prisoners, it is good to slow the process down. Do not rush to judgment. Listen, and frame your analysis in terms of a map in which you identify positions and place them somewhere in a continuum of possibilities. Then, as you gain a better understanding of all the sides of the issue, start placing each position, stance, or ethical recommendation within the continuum.
While your analysis may not change your ultimate assessment of the ethical situation, you will, at the very least, be more able to describe and discuss the positions along the spectrum. In the end, your papers and projects will be more informed and balanced, and your arguments will be more cogent and reasoned.
Bibliography
Aristotle. (350 BCE). Nicomachean Ethics. http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.html.
Accessed May 21, 2009.
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Courage in an Online Course: Developing the Creativity You Need To SucceedSusan Smith Nash, Ph.D.
If you’re taking an online course for the first time, you’re probably nervous about it, and are not quite sure how to proceed. Don’t worry. You’re not alone. Everyone who has taken a course has felt uncertain and out of their comfort zone. Sometimes it is due to the unfamiliar technology, and sometimes it is due to uncertainty about the human interactions in the course – with the instructor and with other students.
Remember that you’re creating a new world for yourself, and your new world has new possibilities and potential. As you move forward, you will gain momentum and strength from the creative force, all of which means you will be well equipped to handle changes and opportunities in the future. But, it’s not easy.
In many ways, taking an online course is a reflection of what is going on in our world, as we continue to be in flux with technology, the workplace, the global economy, and our sense of who we are in the world.
These are scary times. However, one can argue that all times are scary. You’re under a lot of pressure to be successful.
Being successful is not easy – you’re required to have a number of skills, and it’s often hard to find a mentor or a friend who can walk you through the basics. You need a guide who can give you confidence and can steer you away from pitfalls such as poor
time management, poor sequencing of courses, and inadequate preparation (textbook, technology, connectivity, prerequisite courses).
But, where is such a guide? You’ll find guides in all shapes and forms as you move forward in the world, and in your online course. Sometimes your guide will be your advisor. Sometimes your guide will be a fellow student.
More times than not, you will be your own guide.
To be your own guide requires courage; specifically, the courage to create.
In his landmark book, The Courage to Create (1975), author Rollo May discusses four types of courage, which he considers essential for creativity and for living in the world. It’s amazing that a book published so long ago, roughly contemporaneous with then-popular, but ultimately ephemeral works such as
Future Shock, I’m OK, You’re OK, The Peter Principle, and others. Rollo May’s work is timeless because he connects with and responds to dominant approaches to psychology and a kind of existentialism that resonates with a world in constant flux.
May looks at what it takes to maintain a condition of positive creativity in the first chapter of The Courage to Create. They break down into four types of courage: physical, moral, social, and creative. In many ways, the four types of courage apply to online courses (as well as to the
Web-based world in general).
Physical Courage: This does not relate to violence or combat, but it has to do with the physical body. It also involves skills that require dexterity and coordination. In earning an
online degree, you are required to have physical courage as you use your computer, and perhaps other technologies – cell phones, digital cameras, mp3 players, GPS devices, and more.
Moral Courage: For this, you are required to take a stand against violence, and take a stand for what is good for the community. It often requires one to get involved. In an online course, you may need to take a position as you write essays or a research paper. You will be asked to look at a topic from many points of view, and it is important for you to be able to determine your own values, ethical stance, and personal behaviors when confronted by real-world situations.
If you’re in a
nursing program, you may be asked to look at your values with respect to terminally ill patients who request euthanasia. If you’re in a
business course, you may be asked to discuss sustainable business, and how to make sure your choices are environmentally sustainable.
Social Courage: Risk yourself, and be willing to develop supportive social relationships within the course. You will find that one of the best ways to learn in an online course is in conjunction with others. This requires, however, that you confront some of your deepest fears – those of vulnerability and abandonment. Do not abandon yourself. As you turn in your work, share your thoughts and work publicly, and process the thoughts and comments of others, it is very important to develop self-confidence and self-reflection.
Courage means slowing down and telling yourself you will not rush to judgment – either of others or of yourself. Give yourself second, third, fourth chances – as many as you need. Be patient with yourself. Develop positive self-talk, and recognize how your words affect your mood. Focus on developing an “I can do it!” attitude, and, similarly, find ways to foster a “You can do it!” mood in collaborate online activities, including discussion boards, Twitter, wikis, blogs, podcasts, and more.
Creative Courage: According to May, creative courage involves discovering and appreciating new forms, patterns, and symbols. For May, the reason this is a type of courage is because it asks us to question and shake the pillars of our own mental structures.
Do you assume something to be the case? Ask again. What causal relations do you assume to be true (without even questioning)? Where are there familiar patterns or configurations of knowledge that you accept (while rejecting the unfamiliar). Rollo May would ask you to take a second look.
Question your assumptions. Propose new or different patterns. Suggest a different causal relationship. As you do so, you will become aware that the limits of your world have shifted out – your world, and your possibilities – have just expanded.
Courage in online learning gives you a chance to forge a new reality. As you do so, you change the parameters of your own conditions of living. You will also be adept at change, and at identifying opportunities as they present themselves to you. Rollo May’s insights into courage and the elements needed for creative minds and acts resonate now more than ever.
Bibliography
May, Rollo. 1975. The Courage to Create. New York: W. W. Norton. Pedigo, Susie. 2009. Book Summary of The Courage To Create.
http://www.intuitive-connections.net/2004/book-couragecreate.htm.
Accessed May 15, 2009.
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The Affective Domain and eLearning Success:
Attitudes, Values, Beliefs, Opinions, Interests, Motivation
Susan Smith Nash,
Ph.D.
If you're used to
face-to-face courses and traditional formats, you probably feel fairly
comfortable and confident. But why do
you feel so good about what you're doing?
You probably have a good attitude about the course, the delivery format,
and the instructional strategy.
Chances are, you have
a good attitude because you've succeeded in many similar situations and you're
not worried a bit about what you have to do.
You trust the teaching method, and you're convinced that you can learn,
and that you can demonstrate what you've learned.
When it comes to
online courses -- eLearning that involves Web-based learning, mobile learning,
or perhaps a combination of handhelds, laptops, and interactive devices --
you're not so comfortable. In fact, you
might feel awkward, uncomfortable, even defensive and nervous.
Why the difference?
It all boils down to
the "affective domain." That's the term
that instructional psychologists use to describe the realm of feelings and
emotions as they apply to learning.
The affective domain
includes attitude, values, beliefs, opinions, interests, motivation, and even
basic emotions such as fear, joy, anger, and sadness.
The elements in the
affective domain are almost always key determinants in whether or not you, the
e-learner, succeed in your course, and whether or not you perceive you had a
positive experience.
How can you use this
information to improve your chances of success, even enjoyment in your
course? You can start by building a
framework for the affective domain, and equiping yourself with what you need.
What are the elements
to include in the framework? How can you
construct them so that you're able to manage them? Here are the elements, and here are
suggestions for putting them together.
1. Attitude. Attitude can be
viewed in general terms as one's tendency or predisposition to respond
positively or negatively toward things, people, places, events, concepts, and
ideas (Koballa, 2008). The first step
is to become aware of your attitudes toward distance learning, online instructors, the
software, the technology, and your fellow students. Once you identify where you may have a
negative reaction, then, find out what is shaping your attitude. Once you identify the points of stress, are
you able to change your attitude by adjusting your attitudes or beliefs? Often, your self-investigation will reveal
that many of your attitudes are shaped by fear of the unknown and/or fear of
failure. Find activities that help you
assuage your fears. Talk to
someone. Practice the technology. Buy better equipment. Read your materials. Tell yourself that you like adventure, and
you thrive in an intellectually challenging environment.
2. Values. Keep in mind that
values tend to be less malleable than attitudes. Your values tend to be strong and
enduring. So, with that in mind, use
your values as muscle. Put your values
to work. If you value education, knowledge,
learning, and respect, remind yourself of that.
Keep in mind that your regard for education can help you overcome your
fears.
3. Belief and
attitude work together. They mediate, modify, and alter behavior. This is a powerful insight. Think of the implications. If you don't believe in the efficacy of elearning,
then your behavior will demonstrate that.
You will not attack your lessons in an enthusiastic way. You'll hang back and resist purchasing the
equipment you need. You'll behave
unenthusiastically in the collaborative activities you need to do (discussion
board, sharing messages / IM / twitter, posting portfolio materials).
4. Need to change
your attitude?
Look to your instructor for help and guidance.
Studies have shown that a positive attitude from your instructor can
work wonders (Glynn & Koballa, 2006). If he/she demonstrates a positive
belief in you, and has a supportive, encouraging approach to you, you're likely
to start forming more positive beliefs about yourself and your ability to
succeed. Further, you're more likely to enjoy what you're doing.
5. Becoming a
self-starter (self-efficacy). A well-designed instructional strategy or
lesson plan will capture your interest, engage your feelings, and entice you to
start trying out the activities, even before instructed to do so.
6. Believing in
yourself and your power to positively change your situation
(self-determination, self-belief). One way to bolster your confidence is to
actively tell yourself how your academic activities are worthwhile and
meaningful. Further, you should tell yourself how much they will positively
impact or influence your personal life. Map out the ways in which your academic
activities will lead to your achieving your goals. Then, be sure to practices sufficiently in
order to alleviate any assessment anxiety you might have.
7. Motivation. There are number of tried and true ways to
bolster your motivation in an eLearning context.
- First, is to reinforce to
yourself the positive benefits of what you're doing.
- Second, look at what you'll get.
What are the rewards? Are they
extrinsic (raise? promotion? new job?)
Are they intrinsic? (you love the topic? you are interested in the
subject?).
- Finally, how can you set goals? What
is the best way to break down the task into small tasks?
8.
Self-determination gives you a better sense of control. In e-learning,
having the flexibility to the tasks at a convenient time and location, and to
have choices about the topics you write about, what you study, what you discuss,
can make a huge difference. When possible, remind yourself of where and when
you have choices. That will build your sense of self-determination.
As you read these
points and suggestions, you may be feeling a bit of anxiety. If so, relax. Keep
in mind that a certain level of anxiety is, in reality, motivating. So,
whenever you feel nervous about new challenges or changes in your online education experience, tell yourself it is a good thing. You're keeping your edge. You'll
succeed.
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