Success
at Distance Learning
Distance learning students have to acquire a lot of
traits in order to be successful at distance learning. Being a success at
anything, including distance learning, takes a lot of focus, determination, and
will to succeed. Motivation and time management are excellent skills to use as
well for planning time for your reading material, assignments, discussions,
activities and applications. It is more involved than the classroom environment
because there is minimum face to face interaction with your classmates and
instructor, so you have to improvise by using other tools to communicate
effectively which could be more time consuming than the spoken word. There are
a number of things that you can do to be successful such as being proactive.
As soon as you have access to your class, familiarize
yourself with the courseware that you will be using by logging in and browsing
to get an idea on how the courseware works and is configured. Pay close
attention to any downloads or additional software that is needed to add on your
personal computer of the course information. If there is additional technology
to use, download immediately and test it out for proper operation.
Read the syllabus because it is your guide through
the course. It contains information about the class and assignment schedules,
but also instructions on how to access online forums and discussion forums. You
should download and save the syllabus as soon as you have access to it. The
syllabus also keeps you working towards the goal of success. A good syllabus
provides a kind of "roadmap" to success. Read it thoroughly and ask
questions if any points are unclear. You may need to ask questions via email, a
forum post, such as chat rooms or Contact the Instructor. Don't discount all
the means of communication that are available to you. (Wolfe, C., 2009)
Plan your study time by keeping a calendar or journal
to document assignments that are due. Do your assignments in chunks, don’t try
to do it all at one time (Randall, S., 2010). If there is information that you
don’t understand or need clarification use the Contact the Instructor or send
an email to the instructor. If possible have a place to study and determine the
best time for you to study. Pace yourself and try not to overextend yourself.
You’re in it to learn so take you time and embrace the experience. Set your
priorities and do your best to plan ahead.
Contribute to the discussions. Student to student
interaction provides a great learning platform for all because each learner
brings a vast amount of experience to the table. One of the secrets to distance
learning is engagement. Students who are engaged in discussions show that they
are seeking knowledge and understanding. Take an active role in your education
by stepping into a discussion with informed comments. Instructors know who is
contributing and who is not. They have access to every forum and post. Often,
they can even see how many discussion threads each student has opened and read,
even if the student has not written a response. (Wolfe, C., 2009)
Lastly, stay motivated to learn and show that
progression as you move forward. The education that you will acquire in this
course is required for all employees. It is very important to know this
information because safety is parallel to the corporation’s mission. The
information has been revised and updated. It is more interactive than the
safety training in the past, so expect a new format to learn from. The
corporation truly values your opinion and would like to get an assessment of
the training. Upon completion of the training, an evaluation of the course will
be sent to you to via email. Please take time out of your busy schedule let us
know what you think about the new course information and format. I look forward
to working and learning from you in the near future.
References
Shirley, R. (2010). Seven success strategies
for distance learners. Retrieved from
http://www.worldwidelearn.com/education-articles/distance-learning-success.htm,
World
Wide Learn.
Wolfe, C. (2009). Ten ways to show
distance learning success. Retrieved from
http://elearnmag.acm.org/featured.cfm?aid=1670618
.
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