This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Stony Brook chapter.
During the summer, Stony Brook offers a lot of different online classes. Online classes are great for two reasons:
1. Their timing is flexible. If you need to work during the day, you can study at night or vice versa.
2. If you live on campus, online classes can save you money. Because you are taking them from home, you are only paying for tuition, not tuition and room and board.
Taking a class online is different from what most students are used to. While there is a professor, he or she is not lecturing to you. You have to be able to teach yourself. I, personally, took an online class last winter and, while I prefer being taught in person in either a lecture or a seminar, I enjoyed the online class as well. I’ve found that it’s all about how you treat the class; which is why I’ve compiled ten tips for getting the most of your online class.
1. Spend as much time on the class as you would on any other class. Flexible timing means that you decide WHEN to study, not how MUCH to study.
2. When planning out your day, make sure that you schedule in time to study for each day. Don’t just cram all of the work into one or two days a week. Procrastination is not a good idea, trust me.
3. Read the textbook. I know this sounds obvious but I think that it is important to note. Sometimes when you have a professor teaching you, you may not feel the need to read a textbook because you learn everything from the lecture. That habit is completely understandable, but it will NOT work in an online environment. In this case, the professor is not teaching you, the textbook is.
4. Check Blackboard EVERY SINGLE DAY. You never know when the professor may post a new assignment, change a due date, make a course announcement, etc. In order to be successful, you need to stay in the loop.
5. Get comfortable communicating through email. For all you know, you and the professor are each on different sides of the world. You can’t ask him or her any question after class or during office hours. The only way to get in touch with your professor will be through email.
6. Having said the above, take advantage of email. Just because you don’t see your professor in person does not mean that you can’t ask him or her a question about the material, the syllabus, or anything else pertaining to the class. By acting as the professor of the class, they are making themselves available to you. Don’t be afraid to ask them questions.
7. Take advantage of the discussion boards. Just because you don’t see you classmates in person does not mean that you cannot help each other. That’s what the discussion boards are for. If you are confused about something, chances are that there are others in the class who are also confused and that there are others who understand the material. Ask your classmates for help and help your classmates!
8. When you’re online, doing your classwork, don’t get distracted by the myriad of other websites that you can visit. I promise, Facebook can wait!
9. Don’t rely on Google. When you’re taking an online class, it may seem appealing to just Google all of the answers for the homework and exams. First of all, that’s cheating, SO DON’T DO IT! Furthermore, by doing that you really are cheating yourself. You are paying tuition for this class. That means that you are paying to learn. When you Google all of the answers, you’re not really learning anything. What you are doing is wasting thousands of dollars.
10. If you see yourself struggling with the class early on, consider dropping it during the add drop period and taking it during the fall or spring semester in a traditional lecture or seminar format. Summer and winter classes, in general, move at a much faster pace. If you are struggling it may be best to take the class at a slower pace and in an environment where you can go to professors and TAs’ office hours and ask for individualized help. I know that dropping the class isn’t always an option but if it is, I suggest considering it.