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Becoming a Successful Online Student

women sitting on the floor with a laptop in her lap and a coffee mug in her hand.

Becoming a strong online student requires tackling common challenges and choosing strategies that work for you.

What Are Some of the Challenges for Online Courses?

  • It is easy to procrastinate when other demands are right in front of you.
  • Your instructor needs you to reach out with questions or confusion.
  • Most communication is written and not "live", so questions may take a day or so to get answered.

How Can I Counter These Challenges?

  • Read the entire course syllabus carefully
  • Take ownership of your own learning - reach out, ask questions
  • Determine methods to keep yourself on track - keep a calendar, make reminders
  • Plan ahead - Check for assignment due dates and start on the assignment early enough to complete it on time despite distractions or competing priorities
  • Stay on top of the work - especially reading your text as assigned

Where Do I Start?

We have developed a few strategies to help you prepare and succeed in online courses. Explore the links below to build learning habits that will help you succeed online.