How to Succeed in Online Courses [Study Tips & Resources]

Online courses give you the chance to get the education you want while still being flexible around your work and life schedule. You can prepare yourself for a new career while juggling your job, family, and life.

Many students have never taken an online course before, and the online classroom is different than what they’re used to. This helpful guide will show you how to succeed in online courses.

How Can I Get the Most out of Online Courses?

Even though you choose to take an online course, it does not mean you are alone. A wide variety of resources are available to help you succeed.

Introduce yourself to your instructor. Regardless of whether your online course is fully automated or instructor led, it will be beneficial to you to get to know the person behind the scenes with all the answers. If you come to a place in your course where you have questions, reach out to your instructor. Most online courses have other resources available to you as well such as chats and forums. Make sure to take advantage of everything your online course provides to help you succeed.

Take notes. No one expects you to memorize everything. Even though the course is online, it can be helpful to have a physical notebook to help you keep organized with notes and ideas. It is a great way to learn and to check for understanding when you take what you are taught and translate it into your own words.

What Makes a Successful Online Learner?

Anyone dedicated to their class and willing to put in the time can be a successful online learner. Making sure you manage your schedule, get assignments in by deadlines, and take time to study and understand what is being taught will get you the degree or certification you’re looking for. It is rare that someone who does all of the reading, turns in all of the homework, and studies for each test fails a course.

Even though online courses can be flexible and work with your schedule, make sure you have a specific part of your day and place set aside to study. This changes your online course from something unimportant and likely to be forgotten about to something you schedule time for.

What Is the Best Way to Study Online?

While some people are able to study in noisy coffee shops or while watching their kid’s hockey game, the best place to study is a quiet, comfortable area where you will be uninterrupted. This can be a local library or your kitchen table once your kids are asleep.

One of the best ways to study online is to know your learning style. Not everyone is a visual learner, and others aren’t able to learn by staring at a book. If you’re having difficulty studying or understanding a principle, teach it to someone else. If you don’t have a person to talk it through with, get a rubber duck, a cardboard cutout of your favorite celebrity, or a stuffed animal, and teach them. By trying to explain or teach a principle, you can change the way you look at the information, and things that didn’t make sense will start to line up.

Taking a course online can be a great way for you to further your career or start a new one while still being flexible with your time. Just because a course is online does not mean it is any easier or that it takes less time than a traditional course. One of the biggest characteristics of successful online learners is that they make sure to dedicate enough time to the course.

Contact CareerStep today for more information about online courses you can take to get the career of your dreams.