Knowledge is Power

According to the 2008 Sloan Survey of Online Learning, enrollment in online colleges grew more than 12 percent from the year prior. These online, classroom-free programs are becoming increasingly popular as learners try to improve their education and skills, without giving up their regular paycheck.

The promise of the online classroom is attractive: no classroom session to attend and no gas or parking fees to incur. In most cases, class participation can be completed at midnight, or whenever you are available.

This flexibility should not, however, overshadow the commitment involved in taking classes at an online college. The coursework is generally as rigorous as it would be in a more traditional classroom setting. If you are considering pursuing your degree at an online college, these tips will prepare you for what lies ahead.

Start writing. In an online college setting, your communication with your instructor and classmates will largely be in the written form. To ask a question or respond to one, you will post messages in a message board or group chat environment. You may also be required to post a certain number of messages per week to earn attendance and/or participation credits. These messages would be in addition to your regular assignments.

If you cannot quickly translate your thoughts into written words, the online college format may feel cumbersome and stressful. Don’t underestimate the challenge of responding coherently to a discussion question, particularly after you’ve been working all day.

Start keeping a journal, so that you can get into the flow of writing your thoughts. The more comfortable you are with written communication, the faster you will be able to complete your online college requirements.

Get self-conscious. If you have been out of school for a while, you may have lost touch with the art of proofreading your own work. Further, you may have no idea how proficient you are in grammar, punctuation and spelling. Again, because the online environment requires you to communicate via writing, you will need to hone these skills.

As a first step, stop assuming that what you write makes perfect sense or is correct enough to be understandable. Start reviewing your writing - even if you only write when you are e-mailing your friends. Ask yourself if you are communicating clearly. Pay attention to the comments made by your word processor’s spelling and grammar checker. Start questioning your use of commas, apostrophes and other punctuation.

Update your software. Your online college program will probably specify acceptable formats for turning in your work. If the counselor tells you that your homework must be posted as Microsoft Word documents, then get Microsoft Word now. It will be too stressful to take care of the technology requirements after your classes have begun.

Have a technology backup plan. Consider what you will do if your computer blows up after your classes have started. Make arrangements for a backup computer and a backup Internet connection. Check with your local library if you don’t have a second computer, and make sure the machines in the computer lab have the required software. Some online colleges allow access via smartphones. University of Phoenix online classrooms, for example, are configured for iPhone access; this could be a viable alternative if something happens to your computer or Internet connection.

Adjust your priorities. Before you begin classes, decide where your education fits in within your life. Maybe it is your third priority, after work and family. If this is the case, write it down somewhere. When conflicts come up, remember those priorities. Say your boss asks you to work overtime and you need the cash; it’s alright to let your homework wait. But if your buddies want to go for an impromptu weekend in Vegas, your priorities indicate that you should decline.

Ask detailed questions. The teacher-student dialog in the online college setting is quite different from what it would be in a face-to-face classroom. In a classroom, you can walk up to your professor and say, “I’m confused.” The professor will then ask you a series of questions to determine the source of your confusion. In the online college environment, you have to post a message or e-mail to your professor. If you simply tell your professor that you’re confused, he or she will have to post a message back to you asking for more details. By the time you receive that message, you will have probably forgotten what the problem was.

When you need to ask a question, be prepared to give your professor as many details as possible. If you can’t do that in writing, then call your professor on the phone during his or her office hours. Being confused in college is a good thing - but only if you take the initiative to clear up that confusion.

Focus on the moral victories. If you have been out of school for awhile, you may be surprised by the rigor of the coursework. Although you may be the smartest person at your job, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to classroom performance. Don’t get discouraged if it takes time for you to adjust. Ask your counselor, your instructor or your fellow students for support. Focus on the big picture: an education is one of the most versatile gifts you can give yourself. So keeping giving and don’t give up.

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