Keys to Success in your distance learning course |
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| #1 | Get Familiar With Your Computer |
As a distance learner, you need to be comfortable using a computer on your own. This means that you know how to do the following:
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| #2 | Schedule and Manage Your Time for Focused Study |
| Having good time management skills is extremely important and being a distance learner makes these skills even more essential. You are ultimately responsible for how well you manage your time spent. No matter what your current time constraints may be, the key to success in learning math is studying concepts and practicing solving problems. This takes time. In traditional lecture courses, you go to class and do homework. A course grade often reflects the amount of time spent studying and doing homework correctly. Time is even more important in a distance learning course, because you are working independently, and it is your responsibility to contact your instructor when you need help or have questions. Some of you may require more time to understand the concepts. You should spend the amount of time that you need to understand the concepts and perform well on exercises, quizzes, tests, and other activities. |
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| #3 | Communicate With Your Instructor Frequently |
| Before your course begins, you should contact your instructor to find out specific information such as the instructor's grading policies, expectations of time spent on the coursework, how homework is assigned, and any other requirements or suggestions for doing well in the course. You also need to find out what times are best for contacting your instructor by phone, and whether phone or e-mail is preferred. Explore the web site. You need to be an active learner and not a passive one. If concepts are unclear, ask for help. You should be the one who seeks help. Do not wait for the instructor to contact you first. For additional help, the syllabus will let you know when you are late in completing an assignment. However, your instructor is always your most valuable resource in helping you do well in your course. Frequent communication is the way to ensure success. Write down your instructor's phone, e-mail, office address, and any other important information and keep it handy. |
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| #4 | Follow Your Syllabus |
| Pay attention to the dates listed on each assignment on your syllabus. Make sure that you budget enough time to complete these assignments by the deadlines given. This may mean adjusting your personal schedule to allow for extra time working on the computer and on exercises in the print supplements. | |
| #5 | Pace Yourself |
| Be aware of what areas you need to spend the most time on in order to understand the concepts. The syllabus is setting the pace required for you to succeed in your course. If you find yourself falling behind, then you need to contact your instructor for some strategies on how to increase your pace and still do well in the course. If you are working ahead of the syllabus and still doing well, that is terrific! Be careful not to be careless with calculations and make simple errors due to speed. Keep in mind that it is better to work daily on math than to spend longer periods of time several times a week. If you follow the syllabus and the deadlines set within the syllabus and do well, you will finish the course. |
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| #6 | Do Homework |
| Homework is really essential in your course, and as a distance learner, you need time to practice what you have learned. Use a 3-ring notebook. Do all of your problems in that notebook! If you do not complete homework, you will be more likely to fall behind the pace and may not finish the course! Your instructor will let you know what the assigned homework will be. | |
| #7 | Ask for Help |
| Since you do not see your instructor in a class several times a week, you always need to be ready to ask for help when you need it. As a distance learner, it is even more important to do this. Do not be hesitant to do so. | |
| #8 | Be a Proactive Learner |
| Some of you may have heard the expression, "Math is not a spectator sport." It's true. You need to be actively involved in your course. The responsibility for doing well rests primarily on you. Be assertive in finding out necessary information, asking for help, and communicating with your instructor. You will increase your chances of success in the course by being a proactive learner. Become a player in math, not a spectator. | |
| - adapted from Prentice Hall's Distance Learning Course Guide | |