Month: December 2014

Over the past 10 years, I have completed more than 300 hours as an online student. I do not share that to impress you. Rather, I would like to impress upon you techniques I have learned that will help you excel in the virtual environment.

Maximizing your learning as an online student requires the following:

• Know the expectations
• Start early in the week
• Maintain a professional approach

Know the Expectations

Before starting any assignment, whether participating in the discussion board or writing a 30-page project, you must review the requirements. In most cases, these instructions are found in the syllabus. If not, the instructor will provide additional information. In some cases, you will have a rubric that explains how you will be graded. Whatever you have, make sure to align your assignment precisely to the requirements.

I’ve had students who score poorly on assignments because they write according to the expectations in their workplace. While I respect that approach, the point here is that curriculum is built to use our creative thinking and research skills. Focus on the requirements, and you will do well.

Start Early in the Week

Those students who begin their work early will remove much of the anxiety experienced by online learners. If you procrastinate to the last day before the assignment is due, you can expect Murphy’s Law to kick-in. I have heard countless stories about hard drives crashing, computers being stolen, swimming pool accidents, and even fatal car crashes involving family members. I understand that unexpected events will happen, but if you take action early in the week, you are prepared to handle those unforeseen events.

Maintain a Professional Approach

When working on my doctorate, I read many articles on how the internet provides people with the anonymity to be brave, rude, and arrogant. In other words, since they can’t see their audience face-to-face, they seem to think that they are free to write whatever they want, regardless of how it is interpreted. From experience, I can assure you that your professionalism can make or break you online learning career.

When writing your online facilitator, make sure you are professional.

The following comments are ill advised:

• “Professor, I am not feeling good today. I will turn my assignment in tomorrow, and no penalty should apply because of my situation.”
• “My computer broke, and I can’t meet my discussion board participation this week. Sorry!”
• “Professor, I wish you would spend more time explaining what is due this week. Because you have not, I can’t do my work. I’m sure you understand.”

When reading those comments from students, facilitators will be less likely to bend.

Here is one approach that does work:

 “Professor, I am traveling for business this week, and my assignment will be at least one day late. I understand that a 10% penalty applies for each day I am late, and this has taught me that I should start earlier in the week.”

As an online instructor, I like the last comment the best. I might still apply the late assignment penalty, but I will remember this student when working on final grades. If the student is near the cut-off point between an “A” and “B,” the higher grade will be awarded.

Successful online learners are focused both on the assignments and on the mechanics of online learning. By knowing the expectations, starting early in the week, and keeping a professional approach, your chances of excelling as an online learner skyrocket.

After taking more than 300 hours as an online student, I developed the skill of reading my online instructors. As an online instructor for a decade now, I have a better understanding of the interaction between online students and their professors.

In virtual learning, the instructor is referred to as the facilitator. The word facilitator is more appropriate because this individual is facilitating your learning, and that is different from the instructors’ role in a face-to-face class. In fact, most of the online facilitators have little to do with building the curriculum for the class. The class is pre-built, and their role is to ensure you meet the requirements.

The First Week

During the first week, you can tell the expectations of the facilitator. If this person is participating intensely in the discussion questions, you must be prepared for someone that is going to expect the same from you. In online learning, students are expected to participate in threaded discussion questions (a.k.a., Discussion Board), and most colleges expect posting meaningful messages on 3-5 days. If the facilitator is exceeding expectations by being very participatory, you can expect she will require more of you.

Grading of Initial Assignments

When evaluating the general “difficulty” of the class, I look at how the facilitator graded my first week’s assignment. If the feedback is specific, such as using “Track Changes” in the MS Word document, you can expect a more intense class. In other words, the facilitator will not hesitate to give you the grade you earn because she is committing the time to review your assignments. It is difficult to challenge someone who is spending the time to meticulously review the quality of your work.

In some cases, facilitators are inundated with their day-to-day employment activities, and they might only provide a cursory look at your homework. When taking this approach, they will generally provide a general summary of your work, and the grade will be good. The point here is that they are mostly interested in you submitting the work on time, and hope that you paid attention to the requirements. If you have this type of facilitator, you can expect the class to be easier.

Develop a Consistent Approach

Regardless of the facilitator, you must have a consistent approach to each online class. Here are the musts:

• Read the expectations of the assignment. Know what you must submit.
• Review the syllabus for formatting requirements. If you are expected to write in APA Style (6th ed.), make sure you are prepared to do so. I recommend you buy the manual with spiral binding because it is easier to use, laying open much easier.
• Understand the implications of submitting work late.
• If you are provided with a rubric, align your assignment accordingly.

The bottom line is that you are responsible for the work that you submit. I often have students tell me they are 3.8 or 4.0 students. My response to them is that in this class they have to show me the quality of work that merits that GPA. As facilitators, we’ve heard that line so often that it is now funny and baseless.

You can vary your approach toward the class based on the type of facilitator you have but, regardless, the work has to get done, and it must meet the requirements stipulated by the university you are attending.

To succeed as an online student, you have must have a paradigm shift. Instead of thinking that you are going to walk into a classroom and learn from a professor who lectures while you take notes, the mentality is different and unique. With online learning, you are in control. You will still have lectures, but they will be in writing, audio, or video formats.

Many of my new online students experience anxiety because they are waiting for the rest of the class to enter the physical classroom in which they can strike-up a conversation. With online learning, the classroom is virtual, and your communication with the instructor and fellow classmates happens using technology.

Given that many of us are comfortable with Twitter, texting, and Facebook, the paradigm shift is more subtle today. In other words, after just one class online, you can become an expert with the learning modality.

Task-Driven People Succeed

The students who make the transition to online learning faster take a task-driven approach. Your best friend is the syllabus. In fact, in virtual learning we say that the syllabus is the contract between the professor and the student. You should immediately find the page that lists the assignments, and you will notice that they are organized by week. With this information in hand, you can start working on the deliverables to ensure they are submitted on time.

The online students who excel start their work early in the week. Those students who procrastinate will find that the homework mounts, and will eventually be overwhelmed with the workload. In fact, some new online students will eventually drop out because they fail to take a proactive approach to their learning.

Your Writing Ability Defines You

To succeed as an online learner, you must work on your writing skills. Many students are use to the cryptic writing done through IM and texting, and that will not cut it when learning online. It is critical to write in coherent sentences that ensure your message is strong and persuasive. You must integrate research from credible sources. Of course, you are not expected to have this skill perfected when starting your online program, but you must be willing to make the mindset adjustment from Day 1.

Your transition to online learner can happen faster if you are willing to accept the paradigm shift. You will not have anyone looking over your shoulder reminding you of a missed assignment. It is up to you to accept the responsibility for your education. In fact, one notable advantage of graduates from online learning colleges is that they are diligent and proactive individuals, skills that are in high-demand in the workplace.

As part of my work, I teach online courses. In some cases, this type of work requires that I speak to students on the phone. The calls are usually because the learner has fallen behind with their work, and they are offering an explanation regarding their substandard performance.

The excuses are usually ones that I’ve heard before. For example, the hard disk crashed, the student became suddenly ill, or a new project was assigned and time ran short. As an online student myself for many years, I have a good understanding of the challenges faced by virtual learners, and can anticipate most of the discussion.

I recently received a call from Mark, who had fallen behind on his homework. I contacted him several days ago regarding the past due assignments. In fact, we were in Week 3, and he had failed to complete any work. With just a few weeks remaining, he was going to fail. During the call, he promised to get back on track and reinforced that I would be impressed with his level of effort.

After reviewing the grades for the current week, I noticed that Mark was still doing very little. I planned to call Mark again, but he beat me to the punch.

Here is the conversation:

Mark: Hello, Dr. Flores. This is Mark from the computer class. [Using generic names usually means they don’t know the class they are taking.]

Me: Hi, Mark. I suppose you are talking about The Fundamentals of Information Technology, correct?

Mark: Yes. That’s the one.

Me: Ok! What’s up?

Mark: If you remember, we talked last week, and I let you know that the entire internet was down for a 30-mile radius where I live. No one could access anything online for about a week, including me. [It’s unusual to me that an entire 30-mile radius had zero access to the web for a week here in the United States, but I wasn’t going to call ISPs in the region to confirm.]

Me: Ok, Mark. What’s the status with the work where you are behind?

Mark: Do you mind holding? I have another call.

Me: Ok. [I suppose someone “important” was calling.]

Mark: [On the other call, Mark was speaking to his wife: “Hi, Honey. I’m talking to this guy at school. Can I call you back later? Yes … I will get the stuff on the way home.]

I had to take that call. It was my wife.

Me: Mark, you are clear with the requirements, so please make sure to get those done. We only have a few weeks to go.

Mark: For sure. I will get it done.

Me: Thank you, Mark. See you in class.

Somewhere along the way, I learned the importance of professionalism. I have encountered workplace situations similar to what occurred with this student. In this case, the student called because he was failing to do the assigned work. He mentioned that he could not access the internet for more than a week, even though this is an online class. Finally, he was a bit unprofessional to put me on hold, and tell his wife that he was talking to a “guy at school.”

You must be concerned with the impression you give others, especially those in leadership positions. If you fail to conduct your work and yourself in a professional manner, you can become irrelevant in just a matter of seconds.

You are ready to earn your online degree, but you are unsure which online institution is right for you. When you go online and submit an interest form, you are bombarded in minutes by so-called “Academic Coaches,” who are actually skilled salespeople. When making the decision on the right place for you earn your online degree, you need to consider your situation, including programs offered, learning modality, and tuition.

Degree Programs

It is critical that you are clear on what you want to be when you grow up! One huge advantage of online learning is that you can find every imaginable program, from becoming a pre-K schoolteacher to sitting for the California Bar and practicing as an attorney. In other words, make sure you take an inventory of your skills and find where your passion lies.

Most online students are non-traditional, meaning they are working adults returning to school after learning through the school of hard knocks – the real workplace. You are probably one of the many who is concerned about the direction of your career, and this is your chance to make it right. Therefore, take the time to consider what will make you happy in the future, and that will guide your degree program decision.

Learning Modality

Most online colleges offer an asynchronous learning approach. The point here is that discussion boards are used on which the instructor (known as the “facilitator”) will post questions for the students to discuss. The students will also review the syllabus for assignments and due dates. No one has to be online at the same time, making learning asynchronous.

However, some online colleges are moving to more engaging technologies, such as webinars, and that means that learning is partly synchronous. With the webinar or other real-time technology, the students and professor are online at the same time. If you are the person who needs this level of engagement and interaction, make sure to select a university that offers it.

Tuition

A discussion about higher education is remiss without mentioning the tuition. The fact is that online learning is usually more expensive than attending the university face-to-face. Why? From what I hear, it takes more technology and customer support to manage an online student. I am unsure if this is true, but you can expect to pay at least 15% or more for an online class.

The “Academic Coach” will give you the array of financial aid options, including government assistance and student loans. Students should also consider their companys’ tuition reimbursement programs, qualifications for military education programs, and scholarships.

Regardless, even when the external financial assistance is minimal to nonexistent, you must think about the big picture, which when painted in its entirety will result in a person with increased opportunities.

Is online learning right for you? Like everyone else who might be considering an online degree, you are concerned about whether the degree has the same worth in the marketplace. Before I pursued an online education, I invested several months making sure the degree was right for me. In retrospect, and now having earned several master’s and two doctorate degrees from online universities, I am confident I made the right decision.

When selecting an online university, make sure it is approved by one of the six organizations under the auspices of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Those organizations include:

1. Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
2. New England Association of Schools and Colleges
3. North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
4. Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges
5. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
6. Western Association of Colleges and Schools

The university you select must be accredited by one of the organizations listed here. If it is not, many employers will not recognize your education.

After earning an MBA from a traditional university (face-to-face), work and personal responsibilities no longer allowed me the time to physically attend a university. I stumbled upon a virtual education by visiting the HR department of a major insurance company where I was employed. The HR rep told me that the company recognized online degrees the same as those earned face-to-face. The rep also informed me that the company paid 100% tuition for the online education. That was all I needed to hear.

One notable advantage to online learning is that you can pursue nearly any degree from the comfort of your home, or from anywhere you might be across the world, including a cruise ship in the Mediterranean. You are in control of when you do the class work. You still have the same rigor, but when the work is done during the week is up to you.

Technology is making online learning even more exciting. In many of the classes I teach, we are using video and audio. For example, I often assign iTunes business shows that augment the theoretical concepts. The value is tremendous because the students have convenience and affordable content.

Making the decision to earn an online degree depends largely on individual circumstances. However, because online learning comes to the student, we have eliminated the big excuse of not having time to attend a brick-and-mortar university.

An online degree, whether it’s a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate, is a difference-maker in your career. The sooner you get going, the sooner you can realize the enormous benefits.