6 Must-Do Tips for Online Learners

If you haven’t heard about the increasing popularity of online learning, then please, allow me to enlighten you…

Online learning is increasing in popularity!

There. How was that?

Seriously though, according to the Babson Survey Research Group, the number of online enrollments has increased by 10 percent in 2011. This is no surprise considering the benefits of online learning, such as flexibility, and a variety of options when it comes to programs and schools. Nonetheless, it is important to remember that there is more to online education than enrolling and logging on to the Internet.

Jamie Littlefield, the About.com guide for distance learning, wrote an article about some common mistakes that distance learners make and should avoid. With her caution in mind, I decided to pull a little switcheroo and focus on the positive and what online learners should do. I now give you some must-do tips for online learners that can help you stay on the right track throughout your online learning program.

Choose the right school. There are a lot of options when it comes to online schools. Making sure that you choose the one that is right for you is probably the most important decision you will make during your educational journey. Factors such as accreditation, policies, the overall online learning experience, instructors, financial aid, and services are all things you should keep in mind when you are looking at schools. Read more about Doing Your Homework Before You Start School.

Work with alacrity. Yes, I realize alacrity is kind of a crazy word, but I think it makes a good antonym (opposite) for procrastination. Let me clarify. Procrastination can be defined as knowing what you need to do, but putting it off until the last minute. On the other hand, alacrity can be defined as quick and cheerful willingness. Do your schoolwork with a good attitude and don’t put it off. In the end, putting it off will only add to any frustration you have. This also ties in with attendance. Remember, learning online requires effort and time. Make sure you login to your classes on a regular basis and apply the necessary time towards your education.

Connect with your peers and professors. Social connections are an important part of the educational experience. This is especially true of online classes without the face-to-face interaction. Luckily, there are ways to connect with your instructors and peers in online learning courses. For example, Anthem College Online uses 24-hour discussion boards to engage students in conversation. The school Facebook page is also a great way to connect. You can ask questions, start conversations, and it can even help you put faces to the names of the people you interact with in your online course.

Review your financial options beforehand.  Figuring out how you are going to pay for college is no small consideration. Higher education is an investment, and before you make that investment, you need to make sure that the return on your investment will be worth it.  At Anthem College Online, we offer competitive tuition rates, and financial aid is available to those who qualify. Students can also take advantage of our Net Price Calculator to help figure out how to pay for college.

Get credit where credit is due. If you have taken college classes before, it is important to get your transcripts evaluated to see if some of your college credit will transfer to your new program. Anthem College Online offers transcript evaluation at no charge. In order to perform the evaluation, the school requires an Official Transcript from the previous school and catalog course descriptions for the year in which the course was completed. This will help ensure a fair and accurate evaluation.

Educate yourself about your online resources. There are all kinds of resources available to online students. For example, Anthem College Online provides access to an Internet library, Jones e-Global Library Services, with thousands of resources. These resources include e-books, periodicals, an extensive reference collection, subject guides, and more! In addition, Anthem College Online is a member of SOAR Student Assistance. SOAR provides professional, over-the-phone counseling for ACO students and their family members to help deal with all kinds of personal and academic issues.

If you are already a student at Anthem College Online, I hope you are putting these must-dos into practice. If not, don’t worry. It is never too late to get on the right track.

If you are not a student at Anthem College Online, but are currently considering attending an online school, we hope you will check us out. You have a few options to learn more about us. You can visit our website to learn more about our programs and services, visit our Facebook page to learn more about different events and what is going on, view of demonstration of our online learning platform to see how students at Anthem College Online learn, chat online with one of our representatives, give us a call and we can answer any questions you may have, or all of the above!