Tips for Online Graduate Learners

Graduate Learner Collaboration
What Should I Know About Online Collaboration? Initially, you may find that interacting and working with other students in a virtual environment seems awkward or forced. But by planning properly and using effective tools and communication strategies, students often find that online collaboration offers some of their most valuable learning experiences.
Online collaboration means working with other people using technology as a communication tool. As in a traditional classroom, collaboration in an online course takes many different forms, some of which require more time and interaction than others. In many cases, you will be graded for your participation in these activities. During your online studies, you may use some or all of the following types of collaboration:

Participating in discussions with your entire class
Cooperating with another classmate as a study partner
Completing assignments with other classmates who have been assigned to work as a virtual team

However, in order to collaborate successfully online, you must be prepared to respond to the realities of the online environment.

Because you are unseen and unknown, you must actively work to build presence and create trust with your colleagues and faculty. The following practices can help you build trust for collaborative online work:

Get started right away. Introduce yourself and try to learn about your classmates and how they work.
Respond right away to requests and e-mail messages, even if your response is “I don’t have time today” or “I don’t know”. You and your virtual classmates can’t see one another, so you need to let each other know that you are listening to and engaged with the course activities.
Reciprocity is critical. When classmates or teammates send you work or ask questions, always reciprocate by contributing to team documents, sharing information, responding to questions, and asking your own questions.

Graduate Online Learner Success
How Can I Succeed as an Online Learner? In an online course, you won't have face-to-face contact with your peers or teacher, but you will have a great deal of independence and flexibility in your learning experiences. You will decide when and where you will meet your course responsibilities, and you will set the pace of your studies. Of course, to enjoy this independence and flexibility, you must take charge of your own learning. This means that you should be prepared to do the following:

Understand Your Strengths and Weaknesses
Assess Your Computer Skills
- Certain computer skills are essential for succeeding in an online course. Ask yourself the following question.
- How comfortable am I with each of the following computer skills?
  - Reading on a computer
  - Typing
  - Using word-processing software
  - Using spreadsheet software
  - Downloading files
  - Saving files to a hard drive
  - Using e-mail
  - Attaching files
  - Using the Internet
  - Using a discussion board
If you are uncomfortable with any of these skills, you should seek ways of improving your proficiency.
- Assess Your Study Habits
  - As you read the following checklist, note “yes” or “no” for each item as it applies to your study habits. When I am taking courses, I
    - Work only when I am well rested and alert
    - Work under conditions that permit me to concentrate
    - Familiarize myself with course learning outcomes, faculty member expectations, and grading criteria
    - Take well organized notes and refer to them often
    - Read (and reread) each reading for maximum comprehension and retention
    - Look ahead in the syllabus and plan my time carefully
    - Review feedback from my faculty member and peers to get the most out of assignments
    - Keep track of my assignments and grades to know where I stand in the course at all times
    - Ask my faculty member whenever I don’t understand something
    - Know how and when to seek extra help
    - Use discussions to seek out study partners
    - Allow ample time to study and complete assignments
    - Work regularly and steadily rather than frantically in response to deadlines
    - Carefully edit and proofread my work before turning it in
    If you responded “no” to any of these items, you have identified an area for improvement.
    
    Manage Your Time Effectively
    - Commit to a Schedule for Working on Your Courses
      Set aside specific days and times to work on your courses. You may not have regular “meeting times” in your course and will often need to set your own schedule for progressing through the course materials. Choose times that let you concentrate with the fewest possible distractions.
    - Keep a Calendar
      Create a master calendar for yourself that shows all of the important due dates, activities, teamwork meetings, and other obligations for the entire course. Your master calendar should also show personal obligations so that you can plan your coursework around your non-school activities. Each week, block out on your calendar all of the times you plan to spend studying or working on any activity related to your course.
    - Pace Yourself
      When beginning a course, carefully review the syllabus for the entire course so that you can plan ahead and anticipate any conflicts you might have with assignment deadlines or collaborative activities. Make sure you set aside adequate time during the week for each type of course activity. For example, you might spend one evening becoming familiar with your assignment, the next two evenings reading your learning materials, and the next two evenings working on your assignment. Allot adequate stretches of time so that you can complete your work without interruptions, and give yourself 5 to 10 minute breaks during your study sessions.
    - Stay on Schedule
      Once you’ve chosen your study hours, it’s important that you don’t fall behind in your schedule. Your faculty member will impose fixed use dates to help keep you on track. However, you also should consider using the following techniques to keep your work moving according to schedule:
      - Focus on small goals and fixed activities
      - Each week or each day, make a “to-do list” of everything you need to complete for your course.
      - Set priorities for the week and focus first on your most important course responsibilities.
      - Use your time efficiently and consider studying whenever you have a free moment. Carry course reading with you so that you can study while commuting if possible, while waiting at the doctor’s office, or during a lunch break.
  - Study strategically and with discipline
    - Fight Distractions and Focus
      You may sometimes have to fight distractions such as telephone calls, television, internet surfing, e-mails, or other temptations to procrastinate. But you can prevent these problems by setting aside a quiet, private space for studying, by breaking up your work into small, manageable chunks, and by rewarding yourself when you make incremental accomplishments.
    - Prepare to Learn
      Prepare for your online course by carefully reviewing its organization, navigation, tools, and resources. Doing so will help you work efficiently once you begin.
    - Be a Strategic Learner
      Remember that your goal is to understand principles, concepts, and methods central to the course. In these courses, these key points will be covered in the learning outcomes listed in the syllabus. Look at the learning outcomes and scan the assignments before starting the course. Keep the learning outcomes and assignments in mind as you work through the readings and resources in the course.
    - Check Your Understanding
      Take advantage of all opportunities to check our understanding of the course material. Try self-assessments, exercises, and activities that reinforce your learning. Continue to join discussions with your classmates and ask questions of your faculty member until you clearly understand key concepts.
  - Stay motivated
    - Communicate Frequently
      In discussions, be sure to share with your classmates your course-related thoughts, experiences, questions, success stories, and struggles. Make the most of your opportunity to share your views, learn from others, and collaborate with your peers; doing so will make your course experience more fun and help keep you motivated. In an online course, you will also meet students with a broad range of work backgrounds and life experience, so communicating frequently will expose you to new perspectives.
    - Maintain a Positive Attitude
      Don't become discouraged if you run into difficulties in either using the online course environment or trying to master new material. If you do become discouraged, remember that your faculty member is experienced in guiding students through the new challenges of online learning and will always be available to help you solve problems. Developing new skills and knowledge can be difficult, but your successes will be worth the effort, and you should feel good about every small accomplishment. You may need time to adjust to working on your own and remotely from your class, but remember that your classmates are in the same situation and can help each other.
    - Ask for Help
      In a traditional classroom, instructors can recognize when students are struggling, confused, unmotivated, or bored by observing their expressions and body language. That's not possible online. So, if you are having problems with any part of your course experience, don't remain silent or give up. Always ask your faculty member for assistance or seek help from classmates. If you need help with technical problems, your faculty member will direct you to the proper person to receive technical assistance.