Organizing
Your WorkSpace
- Get a notebook for your hard copies that you are instructed to keep throughout the course.
- Create a folder on your computer to keep your assignments. You will file documents that are submitted throughout the course. If you do not know how to set up new folders on your hard drive, please ask the tech expert in your household or call your teacher.
- Make sure you have a space to work at home. Be sure to stock your workspace with pencils, pens, paper, a calculator and a printer. If you are working in a lab at school, be sure that you bring all your materials with you so you will be able to work efficiently during your time in the lab.
- There are three items you will want to always have at your fingertips. Keep a copy of your schedule for the course, copies of the module itineraries and a contact sheet for your instructor. These items will answer the three most often asked questions, "What have I done in the the course?", "Where am I supposed to be in the course?" and "How can I reach my instructor?"
Organizing
Your Time
The most common mistake of online students is to mismanage their time. When you are working independently, it becomes your responsibility to manage your learning. This is probably a new experience for most of you. Here are some tips for making the most of your time.
- Make a schedule.
This is particularly important if you are involved in a lot of school or extracurricular activities. You can plan that it will take you about four to five hours per week to do your required assignments. This can be managed in a lot of ways.
- Become familiar with your teacher's schedule.
It may not always be possible for you to work during your teacher's hours, BUT if you know your teacher's schedule, you can plan your need for help accordingly.
- Stay focused on the task at hand.
Do not search the web, play games, chat with your friends, or watch TV while you are working. All of these activities may make it seem that you are "working" on your computer, but in actuality, you will not be getting anywhere in the course.
Maximizing
Your Learning
You probably were never aware of the "order of things" in your classroom. Since your teacher was doing the "guiding," you may not have realized that reviewing the homework came before a new lesson for a reason. There are ways to maximize your learning. Here are some tips:
- Check your e-mail before you start working. You may have a note from your teacher that will change what you work on for the day.|
- Check your e-mail DAILY. This is your instructor's way to communicate.
- Look in your reviewed work. Any work with a zero or low grade probably has comments on how to make it better.
- Look at your schedule and decide what lesson you want to complete during your work time. Be sure you have completed the reading of the lesson before working on the assignment.
- Once a week, you should check your gradebook and record the grades on your Module Pace Charts. This will help you organize your completion of assignments. You should NEVER jump around in the course unless your instructor has directed you to do so.
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