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While people like taking in-person college classes, some may want to take a different approach to learning. While they are working, they may want to take online college classes instead. If you feel that you want to take online college classes, follow along and get powerful online college class tips for your successful college class experience.
9 Clever Online College Courses Tips for a Successful Semester
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- Find a quiet place to work each day.
- Review your perspective BEFORE the course starts.
- Determine what your goals are for the class.
- Mark your calendar or print it out so you know when the items are due.
- Always take notes even when you are doing an online college course.
- Organize your papers for the online course.
- Schedule time each week to work with the professor.
- Allocating breaks during your sessions.
- Schedule additional study sessions for testing above and beyond the session times.
Find a quiet place to work each day.
Schedule time each day to do the work, preferably at the same time. This will give you a routine (Affiliate Link) to follow and keep you focused on what is going on at that point. It will minimize the transition to the material.
If you have issues with this, you may want to invest in a good-quality noise-canceling set of headsets (Affiliate Link) or earbuds (Affiliate Link).
Review your perspective BEFORE the course starts.
You usually have access to an online course a few days before it starts. Start right away by organizing your things and papers.
Determine what your goals are for the class.
Before starting the lesson, determine what you want to get out of the class. A goal could be getting enough information to help you move to the next level of the course.
Mark your calendar or print it out so you know when the items are due.
If you are a visual person, having a paper calendar may be better than a digital one. Forgetting to do something because it is not in front of you is easy for people who are visual learners.
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Always take notes even when you are doing an online college course.
Be sure to use more multisensory activities in your learning. It will help you keep focused. According to recent studies, 65% of the population are visual learners.
Organize your papers for the online course.
Write the section and work at the top of each page to help your notebook be more organized. So, when you reference your notes, you can match them up with that textbook section for studying.
Schedule time each week to work with the professor.
At the beginning of the semester, schedule time with your professor each week so that you can review the stuff you learned, especially if you haven’t done an online course before.
Try to schedule this time at the same time each week to help you get into the habit of gathering questions so that the professor can help you in the meeting.
Allocating breaks during your sessions.
If you have a session longer than 1 hour, schedule a 15-minute break to help you stay focused. Drink a glass of water. Eat a piece of fruit—nothing too sugary or caffeinated due to the drop of energy that happens afterward.
Schedule additional study sessions for testing above and beyond the session times.
Adding additional time to review assignments for tests works great. Plan at least a week before a test and some extra time to revisit sections.
By considering all these tips before starting your online college course, you will be ahead and ready for successful online classes. Good luck with your future endeavors.
Don’t leave yet! Below are some additional posts to help you get your online course organized.
4 Steps to Get Organized for Online Courses
How to Stay Organized While Taking Online Classes
A Professional Organizer's Guide to a Successful College Life
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Please leave a comment below with your tips for taking a successful college course online. We would love to hear from you!
Seana Turner says
This is such a challenging situation! I have two daughters in grad school trying to navigate this process. Group work, which has become standard, is also tough in this environment. I like the idea of scheduling time with the professor (if he/she offers it). Also, beware of those classes that are pre-recorded for you to listen to on your own time. Easy to fall behind on those!
Janet Barclay says
Great tips - I especially like "Organize your papers for the online course. Write the section and work at the top of each page to help your notebook be more organized. So, when you reference your notes, you can match them up with that section of the textbook for studying." This would work really well for me if I were taking a course.
Sabrina Quairoli says
Thanks, Janet!