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[Music]
>> Definitely you have to be a self-starter.
You have to be motivated and you have to be able to comprehend what you're reading.
>> Definitely a sense of responsibility for your own actions.
Preparation.
If you're not a calendar planning type person,
you would definitely need to kind of develop that need,
that skill, even as simple as writing post it notes on a calendar,
you know, just learning to plan ahead because a lot of the work
that is presented to us online, I mean we have schedules.
We have things that are due, assignments,
tests, whatever, but you're responsible.
There's no one there who is going to tap you on the shoulder and say,
hey, you know, get this done,
unless it's your husband, who shouldn't be looking over your shoulder,
but in the traditional sense, no, you need to be a little more disciplined.
So, if you're used to someone giving you a constant reminder or something,
then that's a little bit of an adjustment.
[Music]
>> I try to stay ahead of the class, of the actual schedule,
which was really good because in the end if something came up,
you didn't have to sit there and struggle and worry
how am I going to get through this and how am I going to do good in the class?
So, a lot of professors allowed me to go ahead
and just turn in my papers earlier
and so I was done with my classes before the semester ended.
>> What I usually do, I mean I'm a planner person for starters,
so when I know I have to be online doing an assignment or taking a test,
that is my priority, that time is blocked out for the day.
I try not to wait until the absolute last minute unless something has happened,
where, okay, it says, 11:55 PM,
I'm usually not the last person there, but it has happened a couple of times.
I try and plan as best as I can
and then leave a little room for emergencies or unexpected.
[Music]
>> I logged in each day because especially if you have discussion boards,
you should log in and see what the other students have to say
and if you just log in once a week then it might be a little bit overwhelming,
so for me it was easier to log in every day
to check my emails and to just see what's going on in the class.
>> When I first started taking online courses,
I was logging in all the time
because I was fascinated by the software and the platform and what was on,
but what I found out that it was most efficient
because to be able to do like three or four times a day,
once in the morning, once on my lunch break or mid-day
and then once or twice before I go to bed.
Depending on what kind of course it is, you may have to log in more often.
I've had courses where it's like, just looking at the pattern,
some people are only logging in once or twice a week.
Preferably three times a day was fine for me.
That may work as a general rule.
It depends on what kind of course you're taking.
[Music]
>> I used the online service to sign up for classes, which was really good,
and also to pay my tuition and yeah of course to be online and...
>> The library services have been very helpful.
Vicki Cone is a very, very useful resource.
She's helping with some, you know,
email of some great research and just answering questions.
Some of the online tutoring, like for math courses, have been helpful.
The only challenge is, is that a lot of the times that I had logged in
there was a time difference because it's either in,
you know, on the other side of the world,
so just I don't know if it was because of time or technology or,
you know, lagging, or internet connection.
That was a little bit of a challenge,
but I was, you know, would give it two thumbs up overall.
So there are some really valuable resources available,
it's just people have to reach out and grab them.
[Music]
>> Yes, to stay ahead and to basically try to do
everything that the professor asks you to do
because I found that the tests are easier if you do the prefaces to them
and I know from other students who haven't done that,
they didn't do as well on the exams.
>> I like to take lots of notes.
I can't necessarily say that people
would be able to benefit from my note taking,
but I can go back and know exactly what I've written,
so just points that stand out if I have a course
that is particularly research intensive,
I printout a lot of, like the syllabus, calendars,
and then I take that calendar and sync it with,
you know, whatever, I may have a desk calendar at work
or an online computer, PC calendar.
I used to carry a Palm Pilot, but I'm thinking to myself,
okay, that was a little bit of overkill,
but the whole point is, is being able to have multiple reminders
that I've set up for myself
and then having the information ready before I need it, in anticipation.
[Music]
>> Again, to be a self-starter, to read all of the material,
and some professors, they allow you to send your essay drafts in
and they give you feedback,
so that's a really good thing that I found very helpful,
so that you know if you're on the right track
or if you're understanding the material.
>> Going back to what I said before about just expecting to be
more self-discipline, so self-policing about taking an online course.
They are fun.
I mean, like I said, I've been very fortunate
to have some really great instructors
and a great group of people taking the same course,
who are willing to participate,
I would tell first timers to,
don't be afraid to post your responses,
be active in a discussion, ask questions.
That was one of my biggest fears was that I was
emailing the professor too much or being a little too,
you know, vocal in my responses online, but I said, you know what?
I just would like to be me and if I was in an actual classroom setting,
I would be doing the same thing.
I'd be raising my hand, I would be participating,
because a lot of it is how you're presenting yourself in the online community.
You know, you're being graded on that.
So, don't be afraid, be fearless.