Help students establish strategies for success.

Because the online learning environment is different than the classroom learning environment, it's important to help students establish strategies for success.

Organization. One of the key factors to success in an online course is organization. Have students do the following:

• Print materials made available by the online instructor, e.g., syllabus, course outline, checklists.
• Create and maintain a folder for each online course.
• Keep hard copies of assignments turned in electronically.
• Document when and how they have submitted work to their online teacher.

Time management. Taking an online course is a great opportunity for students to learn time-management skills. And these skills are essential to success in online courses.

• Remind your students that while online learning gives them more flexibility, it requires the same commitment as a regular class.
• If online courses aren't scheduled for a specific period during the school day, help students set up a schedule for getting work done.
• Make sure students start an online course as close to the start date as possible.
• Guide students through the orientation process set up by course providers. If the provider doesn't have an orientation session, then have students go through introductory materials and practice navigating the course system.
• Have students create a course calendar with instructor-provided due dates. If the instructor doesn't state due dates, help students create assignment deadlines that conform to your semester and tell them to share their calendars with their online instructors.
• Encourage students to work ahead, to the extent that they can, while they are waiting for an assignment to be evaluated.

Communication. Talk to students about the importance of communicating with their online instructors. Encourage them to email or call their instructor to be sure the assignment was received when they don't hear back from an instructor within a few days of submitting an assignment.

Encourage them to contact their instructor for clarification if they receive unclear feedback. Tell students to let you know if they are having any communication problems with an instructor.

Study methods. How a student studies depends on his or her personal style, but proven guidelines will help them study smart. Help students do the following:

• Recognize the importance of being systematic and organized.
• Pay attention to the learning objectives for each lesson.
• Ask for help from online instructor, Teacher/Mentor, and DLC Tutors if they start to fall behind.
• Look ahead in the courses outline or syllabus to plan for quizzes and exams.