Promising Strategies for Successful E-learning

Orient Yourself

This is a different type of learning from the traditional classroom and you will need an orientation to get started. You need to know a number of things about your course before you get started.

First of all, you need to know how to contact you teacher and how to enroll in your course.

Once that is complete, you will need to know how to use Moodle - the Learning Management System for your course.

Watch this Student Introduction to Moodle.

Now that you know how to use the basics in Moodle, you need to examine the course itself.

Here are a few important questions you need answered.

• Do I need a textbook to work through lessons.
• How will I be evaluated?
• Is there a midterm and/or final?
• Are there deadlines for my assignments: If so where do I find them?

Here are a few tips for on-line learners.

If you are going to attend a live event such as an online conference, webinar or workshop, you will probably receive a link by email well ahead of time.

Most synchronous events will let you log in ahead of time. It is a good idea to log in a few minutes early to an online training event.

The most important point of all - if you are unsure about something, ask.

Your Life Skills

Self Reliance

Successful on-line students realize that the freedom and flexibility of the on-line environment comes responsibility. The on-line process takes a real commitment and disciplined approach. .

Successful online students are not afraid to ask questions after they have attempted to understand the material on their own by trying different ways of doing things.

You need to want to succeed!.

• When you run into a challenge, keep trying and ask for help.

• Be willing to "speak up" if problems arise.- remember until you speak up no one may know you are having a problem
• Online learning requires independence, internal motivation, responsibility, and a certain level of maturity..

Time-Management Skills

Now you may not have your own time management fairy but here are a few tips:

• First determine what time of day you think you will be most focused on your studies ( morning person or a night owl)?
• Reserve a designated allotment of time to dedicate to your course.
• Create a weekly plan that allots about 6 hours per day for course work - every week. Your teacher can help in creating this plan
• Make a daily "To Do" list. Have fun checking things off the list as you complete them. .
• It takes time to develop good habits, but you'll gain satisfaction from being well-organized and accomplishing your tasks.

Your Course Expectations

An online student is expected to be able to:

• participate in the virtual classroom 5 days a week
• work with others in completing projects
• use the technology properly
• meet the minimum standards as set forth by the institution
• complete assignments on time
• enjoy communicating
  

Effective Communication

Communication varies depending on the environment in which the learner exists. Three components that need to be considered when communicating are tone, purpose and audience.

• The choice of words conveys the tone and tone brings a response.
• The purpose of the communication is another consideration. Purpose will affect your text structure (how your information is organized).
• Audience is who your communication is directed at. Think about your audience as you choose your words (tone).

Different types of digital environments have different communication protocols. The two environments that will be referred to are social networks and public digital environments, such as Facebook, Twitter and texting, and closed learning management systems, such as Moodle. Communication in both of these environments can be synchronous  or asynchronous.

The following table compares and contrasts the communication protocols and the roles of relationships in different digital environments.

Enjoy communicating by reading and writing

Reading and writing are the main ways you'll communicate in an online class.

Be able to think ideas through before responding.

Meaningful and quality input into the virtual classroom is an essential part of the learning process. Time is given in the process to allow for the careful consideration of responses. The testing and challenging of ideas is encouraged; you will not always be right, just be prepared to accept a challenge.

Accept critical thinking and decision making as part of the learning process.

The learning process requires the student to make decisions based on facts as well as experience. Assimilating information and executing the right decisions requires critical thought; case analysis does this very effectively.

You and the Technology

Online learners need basic technical skills to succeed. These include the ability to create new documents, use a word processing program, navigate the Internet, and download software.

Most online schools have new student orientation programs. These teach students how to use the school's learning management system and other online tools, but they typically don't cover the basics.

Possibly the attributes we need most when computers are a big part of our work is patience and calm trouble shooting skills. A bit of guidance:

You likely need almost unlimited access to a computer with Internet access to be an on-line learner.

You need a good tolerance for frustration

Students in an online class sometimes are faced with obstacles that are out of their control: computers can break, ISP servers can crash, and electric power can go out. A successful online student identifies solutions for unexpected "catastrophes" by thinking ahead about solutions to potential problems.

• Use a friend or relative's computer
• Access a computer in a local library

Your "manners" are relly important when communicating with your fellow classmates and your teacher.  Taking out your anger and/or frustration on your classmates and/or your teacher is just a really bad idea - we are all human!

One of your most important responsibilities is to keep safe - it is mostly common sense!
Take a look at this video for some pointers.

Managing Files

Keeping track of your completed work will save you a lot of time and frustration. Creating folders is a way to organize the files you store on your computer drives, so that you can find them quickly. If an assignment or important document gets misplaced you may be asked to resubmit it, and it is important to have your course work safe and secure in your course folder.

Here the key to keeping your computer files organized:

Keep a separate folder for each course you are taking.
        Create a Course Folder
        For each online course you are taking, you should set up a folder on your desktop or in My Documents on your own computer hard drive.
        Create a folder for each course
        Right click on the desktop, click "New" and then "Folder"
        Name the folder with the course name and click Enter

Saving Your Files
 When you save a file, the program you are using will automatically add an extension. You do not need to type in the extension.

File Formats
    You may already be familiar with common file formats such as those created by Microsoft Word (.doc) or images (.jpg, .gif). These 3 or 4 letter codes are written at the end of every filename and are called file extensions. They allow your computer to determine which program should be used to open that file. For example, if your computer sees .doc, it will use Microsoft Word to open the file.
Common File Extensions
        Being familiar with a few file formats may help you determine what program you can use. It is not necessary to memorize these file extension

Extension	Program Used to View / Create It
.doc, .docx	Microsoft Word (word processor)
.xls, .xlsx	Microsoft Excel (spreadsheet)
.ppt, .pptx	Microsoft Powerpoint (presentations)
.htm or .html	Your web browser (IE Firefox etc)
.jpeg, or .jpg	Image Program (Windows picture viewer, photoshop)
.gif, .png	.gif Image Program (Windows picture viewer, photoshop)
.pdf	Acrobat Reader

Saving and Archiving Files

• To avoid losing work, you should regularly backup your files to a Flash Drive, an external hard drive, or even a CD/DVD.

• Archive your schoolwork at the end of the year, and start fresh each semester.

Common reasons your file can't be opened:

• You saved a file in the wrong format.

• You forgot to save and close down the document before submitting it.

• You used unsupported software (ie: Microsoft Works, Pages) to create the file.

• You added an extra period in the filename.

• You used a special character (such as &,*,#) in the filename.

Your teacher may ask you to resubmit an assignment if it is in the wrong format, can't be opened or is missing information. It is important that you view all feedback so that you don't miss an opportunity to correct an assignment.

Your Learning Environment

Organize Your Workspace

• How you arrange your desk, phone, textbooks, pens, highlighters and other supplies can have an impact on how you use your workspace.
• Make sure any items you need regular access to are within arm's reach from your chair.
• Your workstation area might include desk drawers, a bookcase or other areas for storage. Items that aren't needed on a regular basis can be put away, and brought out when necessary.
• Avoid storing boxes, books or clutter in your leg space. You need room under your workspace to vary your posture throughout the day.
• Establish a set time you'll work on your coursework. You might find you work best in the morning, soon after waking up.  You'll have to come up with a routine that works with your personal schedule.
• Remember to plan with your Weekly Schedule and try to stick to it.Set up good lighting and comfortable seating.
• Lighting in the room should be at least as bright as the computer screen to avoid eye strain.
  You might spend a lot of time at your computer, focused on schoolwork as well as non-academic pursuits: gaming, chatting and surfing. Throughout all this time, it's critical you establish some positive work habits, and get into the routine of working on your coursework.

Study Environment
An ideal study environment is just that - ideal. Some students need absolute silence while others can't seem to concentrate without noise in the background. No matter what your preference is, a well-lit place that is free from distractions is recommended. Note that you'll make much better use of thirty minutes of disruption-free study than an hour's worth of commotion-filled learning.

Managing Your Workspace

Setting up your workspace is an important part of taking an online course. You're going to spend many hours in front of your computer, reading your online textbook, writing assignments and participating in class discussions and activities. It's important you are comfortable, safe, and ready to learn.

You might have a home office in the living area or you might share the kitchen table once dinner's over. If you are completing school work in any of these locations, this is your workspace, and you need to treat it as such.

The following video illustrates good health and safety practices for your computer workstation.  As you watch the video, look for practices related to posture, positioning of hardware and furniture, and health and movement.

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When Studies go well

Sometimes everything comes together so that our studies move along really well. Some people call this  FLOW and the following graph show some important parts of this process.

Take a look at the Student Success Checklist that follows in the course. You can print it out to remind yourself of the important skills and abilities that help you be successful in on-line learning.