Posted by Jen Zeman on January 23rd, 2009
It would be less than honest if I did not say that being a freshman online student was a little scary. I knew that the course requirements at the bachelor level would be more stringent than at the community college level, but I wasn’t sure just how much. It was a lot more. However, I had prepped myself enough before classes so that it wasn’t overwhelming. In fact, it was quite exciting!
Some words of encouragement to those “freshmen” just starting out:
- Take the time to get organized. Being organized reduces the chances of missing course requirements and helps you to stay on top of assignments.
- Don’t overload your schedule. If you work full-time I would recommend taking no more than two courses a semester. I was taking three and while it worked for me, it meant that my life was work and school – nothing more. I would also recommend reducing the number of extra-curricular activities you participate in. If you start to have too many things competing for your attention, your school work will suffer. Make school your priority!
- Check in with the online classroom at least once a day. Most programs require participation in weekly discussion questions. There is also usually a place to post online questions to the instructor so it’s good to check that out regularly (if you have a question on something, most likely someone else will have the same question).
- Allot plenty of time to get the course required assignments and readings completed on time. Remember that even though you are not physically sitting in a classroom three hours a week, the required readings will more than make up for it (i.e. the readings take the place of the lecture).
- If you work full-time, schedule strategic days off during the semester. Use these days to complete term papers or additional assignments. This will reduce the stress of trying to beat a deadline at the eleventh hour.
- Schedule time for yourself! Even if it’s just an hour a week, use it doing something fun and refocus your mind.
Above all else, stay positive and focus on your end goal – a college degree. By maintaining a positive focus, all things are possible.
Posted by Sharon Cece on January 22nd, 2009
The advent of online educating was, to me, what the invention of the remote control was to couch potatoes– the answer to a prayer. For the longest time I wanted to go back to school but I could not find the time or the energy to physically work it out. So, I stared at college catalogs and brochures and thought about it but never took the next step to get to the front step.
Fortunately, I never had to take that step. Leg-wise, that is.
It was a brilliant notion to have college “come to me”; everything I needed to partake in the cup of higher learning right from my bedroom office. Thus, the beginning of my online education was convenient, time-saving and close-at-hand. It also was at times frustrating, overwhelming and confusing. I’ll elaborate.
I had never participated in online study before. I just assumed to go to college you had to drive your car to university, sit in class, drive home. Do your homework, drive back, take your test. Ok, so now here I am and I can do everything from my computer. Wow. First, login. Oh wait, I need a student password. Which I didn’t have. So I have to contact a rep at the college, leave a message, someone calls back in a day or two. They refer me to someone else to whom I leave a message. That person is on vacation, so I contacted the next person on the list. This went on a little while.
Here you have a perfect introduction to online learning. Never expect an immediate reply; sometimes it’s a day, sometimes two, sometimes even a week. Often you are corresponding by email and emails have issues just like any other electronic medium; as well, computers hiccup, servers burp and e-programs take coffee breaks . As with any process, expect the unexpected.
Ok, now you have all your logins, student id numbers, passwords and sites. Next, you have to navigate. For me, this was the most confusing as a “freshman online”. At FSU, you had to find your online college site, then your specific course site, and then any other site that was an extension of your course site. There’s also the student information sites and main FSU webpage, the bookstore sites, financial information site, all the necessary emails and contact information, etc. and so on. I consider myself pretty adept at site navigation but I did feel overwhelmingly inept until I had all the sites bookmarked for easy retrieval.
Moreover, since you rarely if ever speak to your professor, TA or even advisor face-to-face, as referenced above, communication is seldom immediate. This can be a tad frustrating when you are stuck on an issue. Therefore, as a freshman, gather all the relevant contact info right away and keep it in a handy spot for reference. Also include as many students as you can; become friendly with seniors or veteran online students who have been in the program awhile as they will give you great advice. This is no time to be shy; in fact, online students need to be more bold than traditional students due to the lack of physical interaction. Be sure to contact your advisor or professors with any questions or concerns, and try not to get too frustrated if you don’t receive an answer to your question right away. Sometimes it takes a little while, but you will get an answer.
Finally, give yourself a break. As with any new adventure, time is the best teacher. Sooner than you think, you will be navigating the course sites and course work like you’ve been doing it all your life. You’ll understand how to operate Blackboard, Java, virtual classrooms, threaded discussions (don’t worry, I didn’t know what any of that was either). You’ll even know it so well that you’ll be helping other confused freshman coming in asking you for help. And you’ll do it all from the privacy of your home, office or the great outdoors, even from a friend’s house or beach house. You’ll go to college without ever having to “go” to college. You know, online educating might even be better than the remote control.
Well, unless you happen to be a very cultured couch potato–then it’s a toss up.
