Successful online/hybrid students are self-directed, self-disciplined, self-motivated, prepared, good readers, good organizers and have good time management skills.
It may go without saying, but being a successful student also includes getting adequate sleep, eating healthy and drinking water, exercising, and overall prioritizing your time. Your well physical and mental well being is of first importance.
Here are 7 tips for success in online/hybrid learning at GVSU:
BE SELF-DIRECTED and SELF-MOTIVATION
Are you self-directed and motivated to succeed?
To be successful, you will need to be self-directed and have self-motivation to regularly login to the course, monitor deadlines, and complete your course work regularly.
- TIP #1 – Take action, participate, and keep yourself on track.
Know your what your best learning settings look like and proactively turn off or minimize your distractions (including your mobile phone, music, etc.). - TIP #2 – Engage and Read.
Be sure to read all of your instructor’s emails, announcements, and communications. Often these will contain important deadlines, to-dos, assignment instructions, etc. - TIP #3 – Login to Blackboard and check your email regularly.
The key is to have a dedicated time set aside for your course work and to minimize obstacles that hinder you from studying and participating.
USE TIME WISELY
Have you planned enough time?
You should expect to spend a minimum 3 hours additional for each hour of class time. Therefore, in a 3-credit hour course, you should expect to spend at least 9 hours per week to complete the readings, assignments and participate in class discussion.
- TIP #4 – Use a time / task calendar or schedule and set reminders for logging in regularly.
Setting up a daily schedule, marking important due dates for learning activities and assessments, and blocking off time for reading course content and participating in course requirements is key. - TIP #5 – Don’t procrastinate and try to do all of your work in one session.
Break up readings, assignments, and projects into smaller manageable tasks. - TIP #6 – Use your time wisely.
We all have the same time available to us: 24 hours in a day, and 168 hours in a week – use your time wisely. Be sure to review these time management tips from the GVSU Student Academic Success Center.
3 – FIND A GOOD PLACE SPACE TO STUDY
Do you have a quiet place to study?
Create a quiet study space for yourself to read course materials, work on class assignments, and engage in the class dialogue. During this time, you should log-on to your course site to read course content, complete a learning activity, participate in class discussions, or submit an assessment.
- TIP#7 – Keep your space organized, keep yourself and your course materials organized!