It's the final week before your classes begin. Here are some steps you should take to make sure you have the best possible chance of success during your classes.

First, make sure your classes WILL HAPPEN. If a class only has one person signed up out of 50, the class could easily be canceled. You might think, "it's an online class, why do they care if there's only one student in it?" But many classes rely on forum discussion and inter-class conversation to make the class work. Classmates are supposed to share ideas, give each other feedback, and so on. If there's only one of you in the class, it's hard to give yourself feedback! Make sure during that final week leading up to your class that you check in regularly on your classes. If the class seems full, you're probably in good shape. If you are the only person in your class, or there's only two or three of you in a class meant to be big, talk to your teacher or other contacts. Find out what the school's cancellation policy is. It might be wise to scope out an alternative class so you are prepared for trouble.

In my case, Northeastern typically has online classes that can handle up to 50 students. Two of my classes had about 25 students each, and seemed quite fine to run. A third class, though, only had 3 people in it. Rather than wait for disaster, I dropped that class and signed up for another one that was more full. That way I could continue my planning without any fears.

Look to see if the syllabus is available for each of your classes, and print those out. Start folders or binders or whatever works well for you to organize your time. Time management is one of the biggest challenges for online degrees. You have to keep track of your assignments, your deadlines, and stay on track. Hang a calendar by your desk and mark assignments on it. Use an online alarm program to put alerts on your computer when assignments are coming due. Use as many different systems as you need to. It is your own money and fate at risk here.

Get a sense for when everything begins, and what is going to be required. The more you become familiar with the steps, the less likely you will be caught off guard by something later on. Life throws disasters at you - a flooded basement, a killer cold. Be prepared. Read early. That way if you hit a glitch, it won't slow you down.

One of the biggest challenges with distance learning is getting your hands on textbooks. Usually you do not have a "campus bookstore" right there to go visit. Make sure you plan for your books IN ADVANCE. It can easily save you hundreds of dollars a semester in fees.

My experience with online college was..the class availability was at my fingertips in my opening page. All my books and syllabi were available online for free (they were part of the tuition fee), downloadable, and printable. Enrollment counselors are extremely helpful for answers to the points you brought up. Academic counselors help schedule classes and down time so financial aid isn't at risk, they also would be the ones to notify a student if there was a problem with a class being available. I wholeheartedly agree that time management is important. I even had a class that addressed that very issue. I think online college rocks. I graduated last Dec. with a positive experience with online school. I recommend it for anyone whose schedule isn't user friendly for brick and mortar school.

That's interesting Granny. In this case, the syllabus is just a list of "what we do each week" so yes that is definitely online and free - that's how you know what to do. But the books are NOT free. You have to buy real physical books at book stores. They're $100 to $150 each.

My online courses had the course notes and the syllabi available free and they could be printed. I did print them out as I had the time and always printed the next two chapters so that I could read those whenever I had some time rather than only when I was on the computer. I happened to find it helpful as well for finding information more quickly when I knew I had read it but wasn't quite sure where.
However, I did have to order and pay for the textbooks which were required for the courses. I did order them as soon as it was possible because I didn't want to get behind in the reading due to not having the books. The downside of that for me was that I had to pay for new books because the college I attended did not have any online list of students who may have wanted to sell their texts.
Re time management, it is one of the biggest issues for distance learners. Everyone has their own way of managing their time that works best for them and they need to be vigilant in following their plan. I actually did have a calendar beside my desk that I marked everything on including my schedule for reading the course notes, the text readings, and posting to the bulletin board as well as the assignments that were due. That calendar was much easier for me to use than some of the methods that work well for other people. I also found that reading my course e-mail and the bulletin board was helpful since most instructors will remind students about upcoming assignments and of any changes in them either by e-mail or on the bulletin board or both. The other students also sometimes ask questions about the assignments which do clarify some points on the assignments as well as acting as a reminder.
Setting aside some time that works well for you to study is another important factor. I personally am not a person who can take in information when I am too tired and therefore my best time to study is in the morning. However, while I was taking courses, I was working from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm so I couldn't study in the morning. However, I did on many days when I was especially tired in the evening fit in a 15 to 30 minute nap. That seemed to work for me. I could then read and absorb the information. So you need to find what works best for you even if the situation isn't the ideal one. Maybe for you the solution will be to read in the park on your lunch hour. Brrr.. too cold in my area for that!

For us the syllabus is just a 1-2 page PDF file which says things like

week 1 - read chapter 1. Draft Paper due Sat.
week 2 - read chapter 2. Final paper due Sat.

So it's just a quick list of what is going on, and some contact information. I think more detailed information becomes available in the "blackboard" which activates Sun night / Mon morning when the class officially begins.

I am nervous about the time management since I'm already working 24 hours a day. I made a commitment to myself to get through these courses because they are all going to teach me how to be a better mentor to everybody. So I will find a way somehow.

I was just reading chapter 1 of my organizational communication book (the only one I have in house so far) and it was great! It had a lot of information about communicating well with people in your organization. So I am very enthusiastic that my time spent on this course will help me immediately.

Lisa, Phoenix uses a syllabus that outlines the entire course, what work is due and when in minute detail. We also had a page that gave the reading assignments along with links to extra information that was separate from the syllabus. We also were given a calendar that gave due dates of specific assignments in a weekly format. We also had a requirement to be logged into our classroom discussion 4 times a week which costitued our attendance, and were graded on the quality of the discussion answers as well as our discussion with other classmates. It's interesting to me to learn of the differences in online schools. Our local community college gives classes online that seems more like the one you speak of. Those online classes are a substitution for being in a classroom. I don't know how the classes are set up at your school, mine were 2 classes every nine weeks which allows one to earn an associates in 2 years just like a brick and mortar setting. After that the classes are 5 weeks long, one class at a time and again, the BS degree is earned in 2 years.

Lisa -

Keep in mind that your class is based on being able to do the work with the information made available as it is made available. Of course, with your schedule already full you'll probably have to limit some existing activities to add new ones, but it's doable. One thing that I and a number of my friends who are professionals going back to school via distance learning have struggled with is the level of effort to put to assignments - what we consider acceptable as professionals often turns out to be much higher than the level of effort expected by the professors, so we end up doing extra work for no reason.

Best of luck!

Julie

That's an interesting though Julie. For example they say you have to post at least 2 items in the discussion boards each week. I'm sure I've posted at least 40 items in one class alone So maybe it will settle down once we get into it.

Granny - Yes definitely the syllabus lists the reading for each week, but usually it's fairly straightforward like "read chapter 1 for week 1" and so on. You're also given a PowerPoint presentation that goes with the chapter to walk through. One instructor's PowerPoint was 77 pages. Then you have the classroom discussion, in the discussion boards. So that is where you are asked questions and have to give your opinions. Finally there is also a paper due at the end of each week which you submit to your instructor.

I'm only on Day 1 so I can give more details as the days go on!

Lisa -

I decided I was probably posting too much when I realized that in both my classes I had made close to half the postings. :-)

It's weird to realize that most people are starting classes right now (the train I take to work ends at Portland State and so there are a bunch of new students on it too) as my class is in week 11 of 13!

Julie

I am a bit post happy too I think part of it is I am very nervous about doing a good job. This is a big undertaking for me - it's a lot of money and it's a big chunk of my time. I want it to be "worth it" - I want to learn a lot, and I want to get an A.

If they will be thrilled with me making 20 posts, though, I need to realize that and not go overboard with 100 posts

I had papers due each week too. It's a lot of work but worth it. Don't worry about posting too much. I posted lots and got straight A's. Ended up with a 3.92. Not bad for an old lady who had been out of school over 40 years. All my instructors gave us phone numbers and times we could call them. I called every one of them for one kind of clarification or another, and the calls were always well received.

That is *awesome* Granny - congratulations! Good for you!

We don't have any phone numbers posted, only email, but that is fine for me. I do not like phones, so I would much rather do email. I know I'm odd!

emails are fine when there's a lot of time. I found it helpful to have phone numbers because I could get immediate answers to my questions. When you're working on an assignment Monday that's due Tuesday...quick answers are great. My classes were accelerated. I took two courses every nine weeks, active in a class (ie discussion) every other week...The off weeks there were 2 assignments and a paper due. I was able to finish 2 years of school in the same length of time I would have gone to a brick and mortar school...just on my own schedule. If I went on classes are 5 weeks long. I decided 2 years is enough for me. I want my school loans paid off before I retire in a couple years.

At Northeastern you have a choice. You can take regular 12 week long classes that have a paper due every week and discussion posts required twice a week (so say Wed and Sat). You can also take faster 6 week long classes that require a paper every 3-4 days and discussion posts every 1-2 days.

I was already in enough of a panic about working classes into my busy schedule so I opted for three 12 week long classes which means every 3 or 4 days I have to be in each forum making posts. Every weekend a paper is due in each class. Right now I'm posting every day to make sure I stay on top of things but I imagine that will ease up as I settle in to it.

I do have a fourth class which is the 6 week fast format, that starts in May. So May will be challenging for me. I thought this way I could start "slow" with only 3 courses, and settle into the routine. Then in May when I'm used to the system, the fourth course adds on, I have my full four course load, and finish off the quarter.

Probably a good idea for your sake and everyone else's too since everyone else has to read all those posts! After the first post on a topic, I used to leave one or two days between posts to see if others made the points that I wanted to make. If not then I posted my thoughts and if others did make those points, then I posted in reply to the posts I felt most strongly about. That saved me some time but did allow me to add what I felt was important information to the discussion. What I used to feel I got the most out of was people's experiences related to the postings by others. That was especially true if it was a response to one of my postings and someone either talked of an experience that agreed with my thoughts or one that disagreed with my opinions. It was great fun and educational too. I loved the discussion boards. I have to say though that everyone always made their points in a courteous fashion so they didn't hurt other's feelings. Maybe I was just lucky but I think most people do know to be considerate in their disagreements and do so without knocking someone else down. So it worked well in my experience.

I imagine I'll ease up on all the posting as time goes on. For example in the English class everybody posted their drafts in the forums and we are required to comment on at least 2 of them. I was good and only commented on 2 - no more. I'll wait and let others comment on the rest. But if a few days go by and nobody else comments, I think it would be cruel to just let those remaining people sit there without any comments at all, so I'll help out.

Yes, I know what you mean. Let's hope that there are a few of you in the class who are as conscientious and will do the same. That way several of you can share that responsibility.It is nice if everyone feels included in discussions.
I remember a couple of times when I made what I thought was a new take on the subject and then was surprised when nobody commented. I was never sure if they disagreed and just didn't want to say so or if they just didn't have time to comment at that point and then when they had time we were on to a new topic. Otherwise it didn't bother me but I would have felt left out if I had had many posts that weren't commented on.

In my last 2 classes, our teacher presents 2 general topics each week and we are supposed to talk about them. One thing I've noticed in my classes is that only certain people (I'm one of them) will start a discussion topic, so if we don't start the discussion early in the week, there won't be much time for discussion.

Julie

I've noticed several things in terms of forum posting. I have 3 classes - two organizational classes and one English class. In all 3 we had a HUGE amount of "introductory" posts at the beginning where everybody was chiming in furiously. So I was nervous that the all-day-every-day volume would kill me. That did calm down. So that is good.

Each class has the teach post a few "though provoking" threads at the beginning of the week. We're then supposed to respond and then also respond to each other's responses. So we are NOT supposed to make our own threads.

The English class has fewer members and also they aren't nearly as talkative. The two Org classes have many more members and they are very talkative. Also we're talking about cool ethical issues involving employees and coworkers so the topics are fascinating. So on one hand I was a little disappointed by the English class being less talkative, after the rush of high volume typing in the beginning. But really, it's still a good volume there, and it's a lot of conversation in the other two. So while it might seem less than the mile-a-minute of the beginning intros, it is a very healthy amount of posting and far more than you'd get in an in-person class in terms of fascinating discussion. It's there all day every day, there is always something new being added. So this definitely "takes more time" in that sense than an in person class would.

Good post regarding online courses. This thread will helpful to online courses seekers.