3 Things to Consider Before Taking Online Courses in College

3 Things to Consider Before Taking Online Courses in College
  • Opening Intro -

    Before you choose online as the route that is best for you, it's important to understand that this format can be a challenge.

    Here are 3 things to do before starting online course work. Hopefully they help you decide.

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Online classes are becoming more popular at most Colleges and Universities across the nation. Schools like Arizona State University are making it a particular focus, even working in concert with Starbucks, who is now offering to fund the undergraduate education of its employees through ASU online degree programs.

However, before you choose online as the route that is best for you, it’s important to understand that this format can be a challenge.

Here are 3 things to do before starting online course work. Hopefully they help you decide.

1. Make sure you have dependable internet + a reliable desktop or laptop.

If you only have the internet on campus, online classes may not be the best choice for you. Similarly, some people have attempted to take classes with only a tablet for their computing needs. Granted, many tablets are very powerful devices, but some programs are not supported without reconfiguring the device.

If you do have a laptop or desktop but have issues with its performance in your day to day life, understand that those issues will simply be intensified with heavier use. Slow processing will still be slow, and likely slower than usual, when you are trying to finish a project before it is due.

2. Study Space

To take a class online successfully, you must have a suitable place to listen to lectures, read course literature and do your assignments. This must be a place readily accessible to you, not a study room on campus, and it must have limited distractions.

In other words, you need to be able to shut a door and not have people opening it every 5 minutes to get something, do something or ask you something.

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3. Set Aside Time

Do NOT go into online classes thinking it will take up less time than attending a class. Often, the opposite proves to be true.

Look at your schedule and set aside time every day for your coursework.

Most classes will give you the amount of hours per week to expect in the syllabus, but if you are not enrolled yet, go for 9 hours a week, to start. That should cover watching lecture materials, reading your text and doing the actual assignments, but it may be more for upper division classes, and it could be less.

What kind of online courses are available. Let’s take a look:

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If you are considering a particular class but do not know what time it will take, try to email the instructor to ask. The good ones will be more than happy to help because they do not want to see a student fail because of this issue.

Getting a degree can be difficult enough without struggling in a class that has a format not suitable for you. Just be careful and choose whatever educational path will suit your needs best.

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Categories: Online Education