5 Tips for the Successful Online Learner

1. Persistence, motivation, and independence are the most important paths to online learning success. Students who succeed are willing to tolerate and troubleshoot technical problems, ask for help, participate daily in class, and persist through course challenges. 
2. Effective time management skills, because flexibility is one of the great benefits of online learning. Succeed by reviewing the syllabus for each course and developing a long-term plan for daily participation, covering assigned course content, and completing assignments.
3. Effective and appropriate communication skills are important in online learning because the face-to-face verbal cues are absent (for example a look of confusion on a student’s face). Use the tools provided by the instructor to communicate –this may be the built-in Blackboard messaging system, direct email, discussion groups, or chat room office hours. Use appropriate style and language for school, write in full, grammatically correct sentences with a respectful tone, and treat others with respect and courtesy.
4. Basic technical skills are needed for online learning success. These skills include the ability create new documents, use a word processing program, navigate the internet, and download software. 
5. A positive study environment is another critical component of academic success. This includes a comfortable place to work without distractions, avoiding games and cell phones, and avoid randomly surfing the internet vortex.