Balance Makes Perfect

Posted by krail on July 9th, 2008

I’m not going to lie to you. Getting your degree on line isn’t for everybody, and it isn’t a walk in the park. It takes dedication and most of all, discipline. For those of you who may be misled into thinking that you are going to be handed a diploma through the drive-thru degree program, think again. It is challenging, it is very legitimate and it is VERY worth every minute you spend doing it. But just like everything else; whatever you put into it is exactly what you will get out of it.

I highly recommend setting yourself up a schedule. There is no need to stress over it either. Pace yourself. Remember, balance is the key to everything in life. Try to set aside maybe two hours a day to do homework, or any combination of time that suits your schedule. This could even be doing it on the weekends. The great thing about an online degree is you can pop in and out of your classes any time of a 24 hour day. That is one point that I’m sure you will grasp very early on.

You will also have weekly deadlines to meet with your assignments. I highly recommend not getting behind on these. This is where the patience comes into play. If you allot yourself the two hours a day that I spoke of earlier, you will do just fine. After a few weeks go by, you will create a usable system and get into a rhythm. Before you know it, one month will pass, one semester will pass, then the next thing you know, you’ll be shaking hands with the dean of admissions with diploma in hand. That’s what will make it all worth it. 

Time and Priorities

Posted by Jen Zeman on July 6th, 2008

Time management and prioritization of responsibilities are not as daunting as they sound.  I will admit up front that I do not have children, which made prioritization and managing time a little easier for me.  Those readers who have children can hopefully take some of this advice and tweak it to their specific needs.

When I studied for my bachelor’s, I was also working full-time while taking three classes a semester.  I knew I had a lunch hour, some evenings, a full weekend, and vacation days I could leverage in completing my school work.  My employer offered flex time, so I also had off every other Friday which helped tremendously.  If your employer doesn’t currently offer flex time, perhaps now would be the ideal time to propose it your boss.  Before the start of each semester I would map out the major projects that were due and scheduled off accordingly.  For example, if in mid-October a major paper was due, I would schedule a couple of days off a few weeks prior to allow me time to complete the paper, without stressing out.   The less stress, the more successful you will be!

Organization is something I often lump into time management because, if you are organized, you manage your time better.  The caveat to be being organized is that you will have to spend some time up front getting things in order.  Before a semester started, I did a couple of things.  For one, I made up separate binders for each class, printed the syllabus and filed it in the front of the binder. Each binder would be divided up amongst major projects, weekly activities, and research material for the projects.   Secondly, with the syllabus in hand, I wrote on a large whiteboard project deadlines for each class for the entire semester.  With this white board hanging right next to my desk, I could see at a glance what was due when (which comes in handy when you need to schedule that time off to work on projects).  The best part of having the whiteboard was being able to erase projects as they were completed!  It boosts your confidence to keeping plugging away!  If a day planner works better for you, go for it.  I just strongly suggest having some medium to use to clearly write out your deadlines for your course work instead of just referring back to the syllabus.  As working adults with a million different things going on at any given time, it is very easy to overlook a project and most professors will not be sympathetic to an excuse of “I was busy and forgot.”  Trust me on this!

Prioritizing responsibilities will be just as tough sometimes as organizing your time – they actually go hand-in-hand.  I made up my mind at the very beginning I was going to take on a heavy school load in order to finish early.  I knew that doing this along with working full time was not going to leave me with much time, if any at all, to do anything else.  I decided everything else was going to take a backseat to my school work.  In other words, I had no social life or real time to myself for two-and-a-half years.  I made sure I still exercised, but outside of that it was all school work.  I may be a drastic case, but adults soon learn shortly after starting a college course that some leisure activities need to be stopped in order to accommodate the requirements of college.  It is difficult, but you will need to decide before school starts what activities you will be giving up. For those with children, it might mean one less activity that the kids participate in after school.  I know, it’s rough (at times feeling like a prison term), but the thing to keep in the back of your mind is that it is only temporary.  Some people may not understand and will try (usually unknowingly) to sabotage your school work commitments, but you will have to stand your ground. 

It is about you right now and your future success in school and then ultimately in the workforce.  Be proud of your commitment of college and take it seriously.  Get organized and face the challenge head on with confidence knowing that you are on top of your responsibilities!  The pay off is worth the time you put into it.

 

  

 

  

 

Raise Your Mouse - Be An Active Online Student

Posted by J.M. Striegel on July 4th, 2008

Think you can be an online student and not participate in the classroom discussions or readings? You should reconsider your position. Professors and instructors are taking advantage of the latest technology and using it to connect with their students online.

Webcams can help your instructor and fellow classmates “put a face with a name” and are used for everything from informal chats among classmates to formal class discussions and seminars. Online classes offer a great deal of flexibility, but some classes are taught in real-time settings online and you may need a high-speed internet connection to keep up with the video demands.

You’ll find that some instructors are more technologically savvy than others. Some include audio versions of their text lectures, allowing you the option to download the lecture onto a mobile device and continue to learn and study while you workout, run errands, or take a break from the computer. This method is especially beneficial for the student who learns best when hearing the material rather than reading it on their own.

Most online classes are conducted in a similar method to their traditional versions. There may be weekly readings that feature group discussion that requires the student to post their views/feedback in a specific chat area and respond to the comments of others. This participation shouldn’t be overlooked for it is often a large portion of your overall assessment and can become the deciding factor in a final grade.

The exchange of ideas within the walls (virtual or otherwise) of a classroom is nothing to shy away from. These discussions are essential to creating new ideas, increasing understanding of the subject, and improving critical thinking skills. Choosing to be an anonymous online student may not only be a thing of the past, but could very well hurt your grades and skill development.

J.M. Striegel

Convenience of Online Degrees

Posted by Jen Zeman on June 29th, 2008

Online degrees from accredited colleges and universities offer higher education opportunities for those who might otherwise miss out.  The classes are extremely convenient since you can complete the coursework based on your schedule; there is no commute to a classroom for a three-hour sit-down lecture at a specific time each week.  However, do not fall into the trap of confusing convenient with “easy”.  Online courses are very challenging as you will have specific requirements due usually daily and weekly.  For example, you may be required to post responses daily to a specific forum your professor posts in addition to lengthy written assignments that are due that week.  So, while you may not be “sitting” in a classroom three hours a week, you more than make up for that with work assignments scheduled with online courses.

 

With that said, online degrees don’t appear to be for everyone out there.  Online degrees are ideal if you are disciplined, hard-working, and very organized.  If you have a difficult time completing work without the structure of physically meeting in a classroom (to be accountable for your work) or are easily distracted by other responsibilities going on outside of work and school, you will struggle. But it’s not hopeless!  Work on your time management skills and prioritize your responsibilities and you can be quite successful with an online degree.

My next post will discuss the appropriate time management skills and responsibilities prioritization needed to help you succeed in achieving your online degree.