Tips for Enrolling in Online Courses

Before you enroll in an online course or a degree program, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Make sure you select a highly accredited program. Clearly, this is not a problem if you are already in an accredited brick and mortar institution and taking an online course they offer. However, in the case of fully online institutions, it is critical to ensure that you are not paying for a degree from an unaccredited college or a diploma mill. These degrees are worthless in the eyes of employers, graduate schools, licensing agencies, and others. Even some regionally accredited programs are not eligible for financial aid assistance, which is of paramount importance when choosing how to finance your degree. For more information on diploma mills and accreditation, visit the U.S. Department of Education.

2. Make sure your hardware requirements are more than sufficient. Your computer is your doorway to the classroom. Meeting the basic hardware requirements may not be sufficient as various instructors may ask you to download various types of software for instructions and assignments in addition to your course management software. Err on the side of your computer having least one and a half the computing power and memory specified as necessary rather than just meeting the minimum technical requirements.

3. Make sure you have easy access to a back up computer. If you computer crashes or is otherwise catastrophically damaged, you will not be able to participate in your program. You need to have a quick backup solution ready to go. It could be a relative's or friend's computer that you arrange to use in case of emergency. Note that it is not wise to rely on your employer's computer (especially if you have not arranged to use it for coursework before the semester starts). You may not be located in a quiet area of your company where you can concentrate, and even if your employer has approved using their computers for your coursework, they may frown upon you downloading necessary software onto their network.

4. Make sure you can handle self-study. Online coursework requires a considerable amount of initiative and discipline. The absence of a teacher physically admonishing you to do your assignments, and do them well, can be difficult for undisciplined students. Further, some students learn more effectively when a teacher provides oral instruction. True, some online instructors sometimes videotape their lectures. But it is important to know before you sign up for an online course whether you can handle reading through coursework and doing practice problems on your own, or whether you need a the physical presence of a teacher to push you to excel.

5. Understand that online coursework can actually be more difficult. Taking courses online means that a wealth of information is always at your fingertips. Because of this, expect fewer assignments and exams that require rote memorization, and more that require in-depth analysis of your field of study. Online instructors want to see that you have mastered the information and can provide some original insight.

6. Make sure your writing is impeccable. Online courses involve a great deal of writing. "Classroom discussions" in the virtual world often consist of student responses to various postings. Many instructors grade, at least in part on the quality and frequency of your posts-this is the online equivalent of class participation. You want to make sure that you write well, clearly, and precisely. Also, as many of these discussions do not take place in real-time, you have the ability to offer well-informed commentary on your subject. Unlike in an offline classroom discussion, you cannot easily reference various disparate sources in your responses. Here, you can refute a classmate's contention by citing a study or an article you found online very easily, leading to potentially richer discussion. However, the ability to cite facts is immaterial if you cannot write clearly and cogently.

7. Make sure that you exercise proper Internet etiquette, or netiquette. Slang is inappropriate here. And the consequences of flaming-conducting a hostile personal attack against another Internet user, in an online setting can follow you long after the class is over as there is a permanent record of your bad behavior. The instructor will usually lay out guidelines for interaction at the beginning of the course: follow them.

8. Make sure to stay engaged. Log on at least once a day to keep up with discussions and assignments. It's very easy for even the most disciplined student to stop logging on for a brief period of time only to find out they have missed out on crucial course information or assignment announcements.

9. Research offline. It's tempting to try to complete your entire course online, that is complete all necessary research using online sources. For those who are already expert researchers, this can be done, but many students run the risk of using less than legitimate sources, or worse yet, forgetting to appropriately cite all sources (a mistake that can be easily detected these days using plagiarism-detecting applications like Turnitin).

10. And last but not least, network offline when possible. Do not forget that educational programs of any sort are perhaps the best place to build a network of professional contacts. It can be more difficult to develop deep personal and professional relationships online, particularly if your online course is not taught in real-time. And even though webcams, instant messaging, and other real-time tools make online networking easier, there is no real substitute for face-to-face contact. If your program invites you to offline networking events or department seminars, by all means, attend.