Tips for Success

Managing the flow of information in an on-line class can become a true balancing act. In a full class where the discussion forum is used to its full potential, it is possible that you will have to deal with more than 100 messages each week. If you don't plan accordingly, you could quickly find yourself drowning in a sea of information.

Organize:
Start to organize yourself early. Use a 3-ring notebook for your course and divide it according to the modules. Important messages (assignments, good suggestions, interesting articles, etc.) should be printed out and saved in the binder. That way you will have a copy of the information you can easily refer to whenever you need it. You shouldn't print everything - only what is important to you as you work through the course. Such a notebook becomes a portable classroom, allowing you to study away from the computer. This is especially important if your access to the computer is limited.

Don't Be Constrained by Your Computer:
Try to do most of your work off-line. It is difficult to read long documents from a computer screen, so go ahead and print the online articles you have been assigned and read them off-line. This also allows you to take notes and mark up the pages. You should also bookmark the online resources in your computer's web browser for future reference.

Composing Messages:
You can compose new messages and replies (to be sent later) for the discussion forum in your word-processing program while off-line. When you have created the new messages or replies to messages, log back on to the Internet, connect to the course and cut and paste them from your word-processing program to the appropriate conference. This technique eliminates the sense of pressure many people feel while composing messages on-line, knowing that if they take too long, their connection (dial-up) to the Internet may "drop." It is particularly useful because you can run a spell check, which is unavailable in our CMS. If it is a long message you will have the advantage of having a copy on your own file if, for some reason, the message doesn't post properly you can merely repaste it rather than having to rewrite it. Of course, if your message is a quick response to a classmate's posting, it may be more convenient to compose it while online.

Length of Postings
As you probably tell your students, "it's quality not quantity that counts". There is no need to submit long responses to the discussion forum. It is hard to read long amounts of text on a computer screen anyway. It is not recommended that you send attachments unless these conditions arise: (1) the document you want to send is too long (more than 300 words) or (2) you have some special formatting (like a table) that you don't want to lose in the transfer. Your classmates will appreciate being able to read your note immediately without having to download and switch over to their word-processing program. In addition, saving your documents as .html files will allow them to be opened online without being downloaded.

Reading Messages:
Deal with new messages as you read them! You may not have time to come back to a message later if new messages are constantly coming in. Putting messages off until later is a good way to fall behind when the volume of postings is heavy. You should log on to your course a minimum of 4 days a week, but if the flow of discussion picks up, you may wish to log on more often (5 to 7 days a week). Remember - the key to your online success is participation.

The Course Jargon:
Technology jargon can be fun, but sometimes it can be intimidating. New words and expressions are invented everyday, so don't feel bad if you don't know a techno-term. At anytime within this course, please ask your classmates and/or instructor for an explanation.