Tips for Staying on Track with Your Online Course
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- Created: Thursday, 04 October 2018
Our online students enjoy the benefits of flexible learning but we realize that independent learning may be a difficult transition for some. A very common difficulty with online learning is staying on-track with your course timelines. Your online teacher will provide you with suggested dates to complete your work. We encourage you to try to follow these dates. Sometimes you will fall behind - that's normal. Here are some suggestions which may help you stay on-track with your online course.
Create both monthly and daily schedules.
Talk to your online teacher to determine the estimated number of hours required each week to be stay on-track. Create a daily, weekly and monthly schedule of work times. Take into account holidays and periods of time that you know will put pressure on your work schedule.
Your daily schedule should clearly state which classes you will work on, what time you will work, and when you will take breaks.
Set due dates.
Assignments, quizzes, exams and units of study (also called modules or chapters) often serve as effective benchmarks. Your online teacher will provide you a suggested dates of when certain benchmarks are due. Match your coursework to dates on your schedule to help you maintain focus and track progress. Keep in mind the last day to hand in any course work for marks for Semester I is Wednesday January 16th, 2019. Final Exams are to be written on or before Friday January 25th, 2019.
Ask your teacher to review your plan.
Your online teacher can assist you in making sure that your schedule aligns to the completion of the course. Online teachers can provide feedback on your schedule and due dates and provide guidance based on what has worked for or challenged other students in their course.
Track your progress and edit your schedule if necessary.
Every learner is unique and the time it will take you to complete assignments may differ from the hours you originally set aside or those suggested by your teacher. If you find yourself ahead or behind your schedule, take time to revisit and make changes to your schedule. It may seem like extra work at first, but the long term benefits are significant.
Create a workspace that is free of distractions.
Be intentional about the space in which you work on the course and study for exams.
At Home: When you sit down to begin your studies each day, put aside devices, turn off the TV, and set phone notifications to silent.
At School: Go to a space which you can work - the library, back of classroom, computer lab. Set your phone notifications to silent. Focus on the work you need to do, try not to get distracted. If another student is taking the same online class - you can work together. Working together may be a motivation for both of you to stay on schedule.
Effective time management and goal setting skills are critical to life-long success. In working to successfully complete your online course, you can develop those skills while at the same time realizing your educational goals.
Best of luck and remember… we are here to help.