Tips for Online Learning Success
I have taught online courses at Reynolds for the past four years. Most of my students have very busy lives and multiple responsibilities. They have chosen online learning because it allows for flexibility in their busy schedules. While online courses allow for flexibility, some students find it difficult to stay on track in an online course. Organizational skills, self-discipline and self-motivation are key to success! Consider theses helpful tips at the start of your online class:
Meghan Garrett, MS, RD
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As you may know, last year the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) embarked on a systematic process to identify a learning management system (LMS) that improves student success and provides the faculty with tools to design and deliver an interactive, flexible, and engaging learning experience. Throughout this rigorous selection process Canvas, created by Instructure, was chosen as it has all the familiar and standard academic tools (such as announcements, assignments, discussion boards, and quizzes); however, it includes more interactive and advanced learning tools such as interactive video, a robust mobile app, the ability for the instructor to include more detailed feedback to the learner, and the ability to use multimedia in new and engaging ways (from both the student and the instructor’s point of view). The VCCS will begin transitioning to Canvas throughout the next year beginning in the fall 2018 with six community colleges offering a limited number of online courses in Canvas. For the spring 2019 semester the number of online courses offered in Canvas will increase and all courses will be transitioned over to Canvas for the start of the summer 2019 semester. If you are in one of the courses that will be offered in Canvas for the fall 2018 or spring 2019 semesters you will receive an email from the Reynolds’ Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, notifying you that your online course will be offered in Canvas. In order to access Canvas simply login to MyReynolds(just as you have always done to access Blackboard) and click on the Canvas tile. Once in Canvas, you will be brought to the Dashboard where you will see each of your courses listed with their own individual tiles. Simply click on the course tile you would like to access and begin working in your course. Canvas offers a large number of new and exciting features including the Canvas Calendar which acts as a central repository for all your courses. Within the Canvas Calendar you can view everything related to all your courses including assignments, quizzes, and events as well as their respective due dates. The calendar defaults to a monthly view; however, you can choose to view it in Week or Agenda view as well. Each course’s assignments, quizzes, and events will be displayed in its own unique color which you can customize on the side bar. Once you turn in an assignment, complete a quiz or attend an event that item will be marked off your calendar allowing you a simple way to keep track of what you have and have not completed. To provide you with more information, each assignment on the Canvas Calendar will have an icon to the left of its name indicating what type of assignment it is (discussion, assignment, quiz, or event). The VCCS has also made available 24/7 support for students. This can be accessed within Canvas by clicking the question mark icon on the bottom left of the navigation bar (the blue vertical bar on the left of your screen shown to the below): Students will have the option to search the Canvas Guides, where answers to many common questions can be found, report a problem to Canvas through an online ticketing system, participate in a live chat with Canvas support personnel, or call Canvas support. In addition to all the new support resources, if students have a question regarding Canvas, access to online courses, or online courses in general they can always contact the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at (804) 523-5612 or email [email protected].
Canvas is fairly new to everyone here at Reynolds. We are working together to create as smooth of a transition as possible. Most importantly, if you have questions, just ask! Don’t be afraid to email your instructor, a classmate, or anyone else at Reynolds. There are so many people here to help you, that want to see you succeed! To an Online Learning student, advising is just as important as it is to an on-campus student. Communicating with your advisor is critical to knowing that you’re taking the correct courses that will count towards your degree and help you achieve your goals. Students with less than fifteen credit hours completed will speak to someone in enrollment services, while students with sixteen or more credit hours will meet directly with their faculty advisor. You can find out who your faculty advisor is by logging into MyReynolds, clicking on the SIS (Student Information System) Icon, then clicking on the first option entitled “Student Center”. You advisor is listed in a box on the right side of the screen, along with their phone number. You can find a full list of the faculty advisors here: http://www.reynolds.edu/student_services/advising/facadvisors.aspx
Before you go to meet with your advisor, its best to think about your career goals and what you would like to accomplish here at Reynolds. Make sure your advisor is aware of these goals. It’s also a great idea to take down some questions that you may have, so you don’t forget anything when speaking with them. Some example questions are:
Do not be scared to ask questions. Your advisor is here to help you navigate through the process of completing your degree here at Reynolds. If you find you cannot get in touch with your advisor, try reaching out to a professor in a course you’ve already completed in your degree field or reach out to enrollment services to make sure that you have the correct contact information. Also, The Career, Employment, and Transfer Center can help you many aspects of preparation for your professional life outside of Reynolds. Whether you dream of transferring to four-year school to complete your Bachelor’s or intend to jump into the work force after graduation, The Career, Employment, and Transfer Center can help you with everything from career exploration, to resume builder, to helping with college transfers, and so much more In between. Here is the link to their page for more information: http://www.reynolds.edu/student_services/cet/default.aspx Here is a link to the 2018-2019 Reynolds Course Catalog: http://www.reynolds.edu/_onlinecatalog/current/catalog.pdf 8 Tips for Studying with Children
A lot of Online Learners have families that they have to take care of alongside their responsibilities of schoolwork. I wanted to take a little time to go through some things that have helped me, when attempting to study as a mother. Studying with Children:
Hope is not a study strategy.
One of the biggest challenges and benefits to online learning is the idea of flexibility. Students and faculty alike are able to complete assignments and instruction based on a non-traditional schedule. Although it is appealing to think that you can attend class in your pjs, this approach can be challenging for learners especially when they have complex schedules or encounter a subject that is difficult for them. I was researching some study strategies and tips for success for my online learners when I came across a University of Oklahoma document written by Drs. Douglas D. Gaffin and Mariëlle H. Hoefnagels that contained a phrase that I have repeated over and over to students… “Hope is not a study strategy”. Every day we say things to each other or ourselves like “I hope you have a good day” or “I hope to have time to get this done”. Really it isn’t about hope at all. Whether or not you have time to get things done especially in an online course is about planning and budgeting your time. I heard a quote that resonated with me by Frederico Fellini “You have to live spherically-In many directions” which is most likely what online students are doing by balancing work, education and other commitments. Personally I get dizzy and fall down if I don’t plan for things. I allot sections of my time for tasks and the more detailed and deliberate I am, the more I accomplish. Many students don’t see the benefit in this type of planning when it comes to studying saying things to themselves like “I have to study for 3 hours on Sunday”. I would encourage students to be specific about what you are going to accomplish in a given amount of time. For example: Sunday- review chapter 2 sections 1-4, retake the quiz and complete the prelab questions. Studying with an agenda gives you direction and helps to keep students from getting behind. Many online learners hit road blocks when questions arise about the material. This is a major drawback of the online environment. It is difficult to receive immediate feedback in the moment when there is a question. It is during this time that students make a decision to move on or skip over that material hoping that it won’t be included in an assessment like a test or exam. Confronting the material that you don’t immediately understand and digging deep to ask questions of the professor or other classmates is uncomfortable and something students avoid. Students often solve this issue by just reverting to studying things that they already know hoping that material will show up more frequently on the assessment. Although unpopular, I encourage students to feel uncomfortable and ask questions. Don’t ignore the material that is difficult. Embrace it. Read about it. Review the resources that have been given to you and reach out again to the professor or classmates. In the end, I think that having deliberate study objectives as well as confronting the difficult, confusing or challenging material are ways to succeed as an online learner and not practice “Hope” as a study strategy. -Karen Neal Assistant Professor of Biology References : Gaffin, Douglas D. and Hoefnagels, Mariëlle H. “How to Study for the Sciences”. University of Oklahoma Student Learning Center, http://www.ou.edu/content/dam/studentsuccess/documents/How%20to%20study%20for%20the%20sciences%20handout.pdf Great Resources for Success at Reynolds Reynolds has so many amazing resources to help their students succeed. If you ever feel that you could use extra help in a course that you’re taking, Reynolds has a way to help. This list just features a few of my favorites!
As an Online Learning student, I used to worry that I wouldn’t be able to get tutoring if I couldn’t get to campus. That is not the case. Smart Thinking Online Tutoring lets you schedule a time for you get help in a course online. They can also look over a paper if you submit it in advance of your deadline, to help make sure you’re turning in a grammatically correct and excellent paper. Here are the subjects that Smart Thinking Online Tutoring can help with… You can find out more information, by clicking here: http://www.reynolds.edu/student_services/tutoring/default.aspx and clicking on the SmartThinking icon to the right.
2. OWL - Online Writing Lab The OWL or Online Writing Lab walks you through every step of writing an ‘A’ paper. Many teachers here at Reynolds use the OWL as a resource to point their students in the right direction. Whether you have questions about where to start with research, need help with grammar, or building and using your citations properly, the OWL can help. Here is the link: https://owl.excelsior.edu/ 3. You can also get On Campus tutoring for free here at Reynolds.By filling out this request form: http://www.reynolds.edu/student_services/tutoring/forms/tutoring_request.pdf And turning it into the Student Success Center on Campus. You can get matched with a tutor that will help you catch up with your coursework in a variety of subjects including: English: English as a Second Language Literature Oral Communication Reading and Study Skills Composition Other: Accounting Computer Science Economics History Foreign Languages Information Technology Psychology Science Sociology 4. The Reynolds Library The Reynolds Library might be my absolute favorite resource here at JSRCC. Website: http://library.reynolds.edu/ The Reynolds library website is home to so many great resources. Their “Ask a Librarian Link” lets you email a librarian 24/7. The website is also home to a lot of incredible databases that can link you to scholarly journals and incredible resources for papers or coursework. The staff at the library is also very helpful and knowledgeable. Every time I’ve walked into the library on Parham Rd. Campus, I have had all of my questions answered, learned about a new resource or collection the library has access too, or been personally walked through something on their website I needed help with. I’ve always found that if you’re truly stuck on an assignment, there is probably someone in the library who can help you, or at least point you in the right direction. My name is Caitlin Barlowe and I am a student entering my final semester here at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College. In December, I will be graduating with my AS in Business Administration. However, my post high school education story isn’t that of the traditional student. I graduated high school in 2006 in Hanover County and decided to attend a traditional, 4-year school in Raleigh, NC. Three years into my degree, I decided that I wanted to take some time off to travel, explore, and more or less “find myself”. Nearly a decade later, after working many different jobs, in many different fields, marriage, and the birth of my daughter, I finally decided that finishing my degree, was something I was ready to do. My family and I made our way back to Richmond, and I decided to enroll in the Fall of 2017. I found myself more engaged and ready to learn than I had ever been previously. I have utilized the distance learning opportunities to make being a mom and a student, balance and work for me. I now have the opportunity to help other distance learning students navigate through their courses here at Reynolds as an Online Peer Mentor. Please let me know if there is anything I can assist you with regarding Online Learning!
Caitlin Barlowe Online Peer Mentor Welcome to the Reynolds Online blog! Our goal with this site is to give students easy access to resources that will help them succeed at Reynolds. Reynolds Community College teaches thousands of students each semester in online classes, and we recognize that online learning is a different way to learn. Caitlin Barlowe, our Online Peer Mentor, as well as guest faculty and administrators will share with you each month their tips, information and know how to enhance your experience as an online e-learner. Some of our upcoming topics will include:
Please reach out to us with your questions about online learning and the success resources that exist for you at Reynolds! Our greatest desire is to help you continue on your academic journey! Welcome to Reynolds Online! We are looking forward to working with you! |
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