Summer in college is a great time to take a break between semesters, but an even better time to catch up or get ahead on classes. Since so many students go home over the summer, online course offerings have become more and more common. Taking an online class is the best way to quickly knock out some extra credit hours. The online platform offers more flexibility than a traditional class, which is awesome during the summer. You can work your summer job or hang out with friends during the days and do your coursework at night, and you can work on the class from the comfort of your home. With increased flexibility comes increased responsibility. Online classes have their own share of challenges that you must be prepared for. Here are some tips for knocking those summer courses out of the park.
Read the syllabus.
This will be your lifeline in the course. The syllabus outlines the professor's expectations, every assignment in the course, point breakdowns and a schedule of coursework. It's helpful to read through the syllabus on the first day of class, or even before if possible. This will help you know what to expect and you can start planning accordingly.
Write down due dates.
Online courses often have very limited windows of availability for assignments because they move at an accelerated pace. Since you're not getting in-class reminders, write down the dates for assignments, quizzes and tests so they don't sneak up on you.
Check online every day.
You never know when your professor might make a change or have an announcement for the class. It's important to stay up to date in a fast-paced course.
Pace yourself.
As a general rule of thumb, most online summer courses cover about a week of in-class material for each day of the course. This means you can expect a lot of work and very little time to do it. It's very important to stay focused and set aside adequate time to progress through your course. Just because it's shorter doesn't mean it will be less work. You're still earning the same amount of credits, so you're expected to put in just as much effort as you would in a traditional class. Don't wait until the last minute to do all your work because you won't have enough time. Trust me on this one.
Stick to the schedule.
This goes right along with pacing yourself. Teachers often include a suggested schedule that tells you how much to read each day so you don't get overwhelmed.
Do all the reading.
In some in-person classes, the reading is supplementary and doesn't necessarily make a difference in how well you perform in the course. In an online course, since there are no lectures, reading is how you will obtain the bulk of the course material. Read everything and read thoroughly.
Take notes.
Many online classes have open-book exams, but they're usually timed, so you won't have time to read and search for answers during the test. Take notes while you're working through the material and focus on important concepts or things you think you may forget. Taking notes will help reinforce the information and it will give you a quick reference if you need it during the test.
Start early.
If the format of the course allows you to work at your own pace, try to work ahead when you can. If you can get ahead or even finish early, you'll have one less thing to stress about.
