2. Preparing for Success

"I've heard that the online course is way easier than taking the same course on campus. You don't have to go to class, you just have to hand in assignments, and you're done."

THE FACTS:
The workload for any course is the same regardless of the way it's delivered. And if you really think about it, there is more reading in online classes because you must read all your teacher's instructions rather than hearing them in class. In an online environment, you need to be more self-disciplined and motivated because you won't be facing the instructor every session.

"If I'm taking an online class, I can turn in assignments whenever I want, right? I'll just get all of the assignments from the instructor and blast through it in two weeks rather than wasting a whole semester."

THE FACTS:
Regardless of what you think you may be able to accomplish at your own speed; most online courses are NOT self-paced. Some instructors reveal all assignments ahead of time and others may roll out course topics and assignments incrementally. The most successful students will concentrate on their work at the pace that the teacher has laid out.

Give yourself time to really focus on the course material and put your best effort into assignments - don't try to rush though the course just to "get it done". The online learning world is not much different from traditional campus courses: the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it.

"Online courses are always cheaper than taking classes on campus. Unless you're taking classes online, you're really just wasting your time and money."

THE FACTS:
Tuition fees for online courses are typically the same as your traditional on campus classes, but there are some "hidden" costs in taking a class on campus that you may have not considered. Let's see if you will be able to save money by taking classes online.

"Professors randomly call on students for answers in a lecture, but in an online class I can fly under the radar."

THE FACTS:
Don't be fooled by the illusion of anonymity in your virtual classroom. Even though you and your instructor may not be able to see one another, he or she can access reports on the quantity and quality of your course participation, and believe us, they will. They want to know how you're doing and how they're doing, and participation will be a key component of any of your classes. In fact, sometimes faculty knows more about their online students than their on-campus students.

(This one comes in two parts, but both center on your technical IQ.)

Part 1:
"I spend a lot of time on social media and I text my friends more than I talk to them. I don't need to learn any technical skills in order to take a class online."

Part 2:
"I don't really know my way around a computer, but clearly my instructor does. I'll just rely on him or her to help me figure it out during the semester. My online class will teach me any of the technical skills I need to figure it out, right?"

THE FACTS:
Online learning generally does not require extensive technical knowledge, but you must understand the basics about your computer, the internet, and how to use your school's Learning Management System (LMS), such as Canvas. Watch the "Getting Tech-Ready" tutorial for an overview of the technology you'll be using, then be sure to seek out information or tutorials provided by your school about Canvas before starting your course.

Take the time to really understand your online environment before you get too far into the semester: you won't want to wait until minutes before an assignment is due to learn which buttons you need to push in order to submit it.

"Email is basically instant, and I know my teacher checks her email all of the time. So, if I don't understand something or have a last-minute question about an assignment, I can email her, and she should respond right away. She's definitely up at 10 PM, and it would only take her 2 minutes to write back with the answer."

THE FACTS:
This is a misconception that we're sure all instructors would like to be cleared up from the outset. Most of your instructors provide a maximum email turnaround time, typically between 24-48 hours. As a student, you need to provide as much time as possible, and be sure to have an alternate solution if you don't hear back from your instructor before an assignment is due (remember, your assignments are your responsibility, not theirs).

Some instructors include a "Questions About the Course" discussion thread where they encourage students to answer one another's questions. This could be immensely helpful for you and might be a way for you to help other students in turn. (Remember what we said about building classroom relationships?)

Another approach would be to reach out to another member of the class and exchange private emails to support each other throughout the semester. Because you're not meeting with each other throught the week, it's easy to feel isolated in an online course. Try some of these tactics so you can connect with others - you will get a lot more out of your classes if you do.

"If I didn't finish an assignment on time, I used to tell my instructor that I accidentally brought the wrong notebook to class or that my printer ran out of ink. Now I can just say that my computer crashed, that I accidentally deleted my finished assignment, or that I just sent in the wrong attachment."

THE FACTS:
Probably none of these excuses will work. Remember, your instructors have not only heard every excuse in the book (probably more than once), but they are also pretty tech savvy themselves—they are, after all, teaching a college-level online course.

Make sure you fully understand your instructor's expectations and that you comply with them in a timely manner and keep an open channel of communication with them if you need help or have questions. Detailed information about your instructor's policies and expectations should be included on their course syllabus.