How to Survive as an Online Student

Taking online classes requires a different level of self discipline from that required in traditional college classrooms. Because no physical instructor or group of peers is present to keep one motivated, a student must take an independent, focused approach to learning and succeeding. Here are a few tips to assist the student in effectively completing online classes.

Goal Setting

Setting career and educational goals is an important step toward life's accomplishments. Every student needs to decide on his or her major goals and create an action plan of smaller, simpler goals geared toward achieving them.

1. Ask questions related to interests, desires and skills to determine long-term, obtainable goals, such as graduating from college.

2. Once a long-term goal is in place, break it down into smaller goals with definite deadlines, such as passing each class that is necessary for graduation from college.

3. Break these goals into smaller steps that can be accomplished on a monthly, weekly or daily basis, such as reading course materials every day and completing every assignment on time.

4. Create a schedule of tasks that are related to these goals and post the schedule in a visible place, such as in a daily planner or on a calendar near the computer.

5. Check off each task and each goal as it is completed, in order to track results consistently and keep a visual record of progress toward the ultimate goal.

Time Management

Cultivating successful time management skills is an essential element of working efficiently and achieving goals. Every student needs to take an honest look at his or her personal habits in order to maximize his or her schedule and avoid procrastination.

1. Create a log that breaks an ordinary day into 30-minute blocks of time and document all activities that take place in each block.

2. Review the log to identify idle time, or time that could be spent working on a task that advances progress toward a goal, and insert a productive activity in that time slot.

3. Identify tasks that can be combined or modified to make more efficient use of time, such as listening to voicemail and catching up on email at scheduled intervals instead of tending to these tasks here and there throughout the day.

4. Every night, outline a to-do list of desired tasks to accomplish the next day, and use a daily planner to schedule a block of time for each task.

5. Commit to completing each day's assigned tasks; if a scheduled task must be skipped for some reason, come back to it later and complete it or re-schedule it for the next day.

Reading and Retention

Students must read to learn, and they must learn to remember what they read. Students can improve their retention skills if they learn to focus and implement strategic reading methods.

1. Take an active approach toward reading and devise methods of interacting with the information, such as writing notes or questions in the margins to address later.

2. Practice the SQ3R technique, which involves Surveying, Questioning, Reading, Reciting and Reviewing the material.

3. Develop a list of specific questions about the material before beginning to read, then read with the intention of finding the answers to the questions.

4. While reading, keep the questions in mind and underline or highlight the information that provides the answers.

5. Take the time to develop the habit of writing down these questions and answers to reinforce the information gained through classroom reading.

Understanding Yourself

No two people learn alike, and students can work toward maximizing their educational experiences by identifying their personality types and learning styles. Students can use Google to find online personality and multiple intelligence assessment tools in order to determine their types and styles. Experimenting with new or various study techniques can help students retain information in different ways.

1. Once a personality type and multiple intelligence have been identified, analyze recommended study techniques, including those for both strong areas and weak areas, to determine potential new methods of retaining information.

2. Write down a list of suggested study techniques that have not yet been implemented, and refer to this list to inspire creativity when approaching new materials.

3. Make changes to the study environment, such as moving to a distraction-free area of the home, so that it is as conducive to the personality type and learning style as possible.

4. Seek out creative methods of collaborating with other online students, such as arranging a group study session facilitated through a synchronous chat room or real-time conference call.

5. Use classroom materials and other students' input to challenge personal learning habits and find new study techniques to implement.