Tips to becoming a successful student

When you (students) think about online learning do you imagine a course that will be so easy that you should receive an easy "A"? If you think this, then maybe online learning is NOT for you. Online courses have just as much rigor as courses that you take at a university, in residence. In addition, online courses require that you communicate often with your class-mates and instructor through an online forum.

One of the most exciting things about online learning is that it can be learner driven. This means that learners have the opportunity to direct the learning, and knowledge is shared among the learning community. For this to happen, students must be dedicated, proactive, and responsible for their learning. Students must commit 10-15 hours per week to the online course.

However, online courses have many advantages such as access to courses that may otherwise not be available, flexibility of time (create your own schedule), flexibility of space (choose your own place to learn - home or away), personnel contact with the professor and individual students, convenience, 24/7 access, and lifelong skills such as self-discipline, good work ethics, reliability, dependability, and the ability to learn new technologies. These are traits that employers search for.

The following tips are offered to help students prepare for online learning and become more successful.

  1. Be prepared.  Obtain a copy of the syllabus for the course that you will be taking or at the very least, a copy of the required material. Purchase the required material (textbooks, etc.) and skim the table of contents.
  2. Become familiar with the ANGEL environment by perusing the CAS Sample Course.
  3. Become familiar with the technology that will be used in the course before the course starts.  This way, you will be able to focus on the readings and activities instead of how the technology does, or does not work.  Technologies often used in online learning include:
  4. Discussion Forums
  5. Drop Boxes
  6. ANGEL Mail
  7. Reserve Readings

4.  Examine the various modules in the iStudy for Success program provided by Penn State. The iStudy modules include information to help students learn notetaking skills,
time management, and cooperative learning.  There are also modules on statistics,
report writing, and problem solving. The iStudy for Success modules are located in an
ANGEL group called iStudy Ag. 

To access iStudy follow the following directions:

1. Access the group in ANGEL at http://cms.psu.edu/

2. Either select the "My Groups" link in the left frame under the "My Profile" subheading or locate the "My Groups" section on the "My Profile" page.

3. Select the "Find a Group" link beneath the toolbar.
Image of group search in ANGEL





4. In the "Keyword Search" field, type in "cas sample course".
Image of group search option window












5. Click the "Search" button

6. Search result will show you "iStudy Ag "

7. Select "iStudy Ag"

Additional resources:

What makes a successful online student? University of Illinois Online Network