Tips for successful course completion

Just as in a face-to-face course, attending your online course is important. In fact, it may be even more important. In a face-to-face course, sometimes a student is physically there, but mentally "somewhere else." In an online course, there is little social pressure to be there or pretend to be there, but if you don't visit regularly, you won't get much from the course and will find it difficult to get a good grade. Here are some tips to keep in mind.

1. Check the course site regularly.
   Even if you don't have specific assignments to complete, check the course site and your email regularly. 
   
   
2. Plan on spending at least two hours of work time for every credit hour that the course receives.
   As a rule of thumb, colleges assume that you will attend as many hours as are listed in the credit hours, then do homework and prepare in an equivalent number of hours during each week. In an online course, the distinction between attendance and study hours is removed, but the same minimum amount of time is necessary. In actual practice, some courses take many more hours of study.
   
   
3. Your instructor can tell if you are visiting the course site, but doesn't demonstrate your comprehension of the material.
   There are tools in Moodle that allow your instructor to get general statistics about how often you visit the course site. But statistical tools in Moodle won't let your instructor know if you understand what you read, if you enjoy or dislike aspects of the course, or if you are succeeding. That is up to you. Your assignments, postings, and instructor communication will help demonstrate the quality of your work.
   
   
4. You are expected to communicate with both the instructor and your classmates.
   Don't wait to be asked to communicate. Send your instructor questions. Post messages to other students. Ask questions and share your ideas.
   
   
5. Let your instructor know if you will be away.
   Just as if you could not attend a face-to-face course, you should let your instructor know if you will not access the online course for several days. Your instructor can remind you of deadlines you might miss or changes that might occur in the course while you are gone.