Taking online college courses is an excellent way to achieve your educational goals, especially if you have other commitments or circumstances in life that may keep you from attending a college campus and earning your credits in a classroom setting. If you have a full time job, live too far away from a local campus, have children that need caring for, or any other reason, online universities give you the opportunity to obtain a degree around your schedule and on terms that are suitable for your needs.
Whether you are just starting out with online college courses or you've been earning credits online for some time, you may find it difficult at times to focus on your coursework. It is easy to become distracted by a variety of things and you can quickly let those distractions take you away from your studies, often without even realizing that you are doing so. Before you know it, hours have gone by and you haven't achieved the productivity you were hoping for.
Distractions aside, some people find it more difficult to complete online coursework because they don't have a traditional classroom setting or they think there won’t be as much student-to-teacher interaction. Another problem: procrastination. After all, the work isn't due until next week, so you can wait a few days to get it done, right? Wrong!
Here are ten tips to help you master your online college courses with ease:
- Create a schedule where you have free time to devote to your online courses and stick with it. This will help you reduce distractions and prevent procrastination.
- Instead of waiting until the last minute to complete work that is due "next week," get it done as quickly as possible. This allows you to go back over your work before submitting it and make sure it is satisfactory.
- Avoid the assumption that online courses are easier than classroom courses, because they aren't. When you don't have a regular classroom schedule, you often end up with more reading, research, writing, and other work that goes into completing your course load.
- Make sure that your friends & family know that when you are in "study mode," you are not to be disturbed. If possible, have a private location or room where you can devote time to your online courses.
- When you are spending time studying or working on your assigned work, manage your time effectively. Time tracking tools are very helpful in this area.
- Get organized and stay that way. Keep "to do" lists if that helps you stay on track; use folders and binders to keep your paperwork organized, and maintain a calendar with important dates noted, such as for a paper that is due or a test that must be taken.
- Don't be afraid to seek the assistance of a tutor if you feel like you are falling behind or don't understand some of your course assignments.
- Maintain communication with your instructors and classmates as much as possible, so you can stay more involved with the class as a whole. At ECPI University, online courses offer plenty of opportunities for student-teacher and classroom interaction.
- Don't become consumed by your online course assignments. You still need time for yourself, friends, and family.
- Use technology tools to help you plan, organize and stay on top of school projects, assignments, exams and notes! There are tons of apps you can download to help make college life and online courses more manageable!
Find out more about reaching your educational goals with online courses at ECPI University.
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