Online Courses

Taking an online course is a great way to work towards your college degree during summer or winter breaks or make up a course credit. Online courses are a flexible alternative to a traditional college course, and allow you to complete your course work in the comfort and convenience of your own home.

Discussion and Interaction

One of the areas where online degree programs can vary widely is in their level of interaction between students and professors, as well as among students. Some courses will use bulletin boards and message boards to manage questions and answers for students in courses. Other programs will use live video or chat rooms to answer questions in a more interactive, live format. A good number of courses will have a combination of these different communications options.

Should interaction options be a deciding factor in which online degree program to take? Yes! If you're not comfortable with the preferred mechanisms for feedback and questions in a course, you won't get as much out of the course as you could. Asking questions and getting feedback on your work is vital to progressing.

Look at the mechanisms built into a program for projects and homework as well - see if the program offers the chance for you to get as many experiences in your chosen field of study as possible. A number of online degrees are just multiple-choice testing affairs without any in depth study. Request information from a variety of programs and see what other options they offer you to grow and develop your skills and education.

Studying and Testing for Online Courses

One of the most important parts of an online degree course that doesn't come in the box or download is your study and testing environment. Your level of success in an online degree program depends heavily on your ability to commit time to your studies. While online degrees are flexible about when and where you study, you still need to devote time to your studies. Some general advice for studying and testing with online degrees:

1. Set aside a special place to do your work. It could be a corner of your office, the back seat of your car, even the kitchen table after everyone has gone to bed, but make sure you have a dedicated place to study that is consistent.
2. Minimize real life distractions. If you're taking an online course that has downloads, try listening to them on your commute. If you have just a place at home, work after others have left or gone to bed. Turn your phone and other mobile devices off.
3. Minimize your distractions online. Equally harmful to sustained study are things like social networks, instant messengers, and other ways your attention can be diverted while online. Turn off everything you can possibly turn off to reduce distractions until after you're done.
4. Set up a schedule. Just because online degree programs let you study wherever and whenever you want doesn't mean that a schedule isn't a good idea. We tend to be more disciplined and rigorous when we've got a schedule of some kind. Set a schedule, set reminders, and stick to it to ensure you're making the progress you need to make.
5. Let others know. Especially when it comes to testing or any kind of live interaction, ask those around you to respect your time so that you can achieve as much as possible academically. Ask them to allow you to be out of contact for the time you need each day to study.