OnlineProfessor

It’s never too early to prepare for final exams

Too often, students panic at the end of the term because most — or all — of their classes have a final exam or final project requirement. Students can save themselves a lot of anguish if they took an incremental approach to studying.

Final exam study tips:

• Take final exam notes every week. After every lesson or class, take notes of key terms and study topics in a final exam folder or on index cards. Build on this collection each week, and by the end of the term, you’ll have a neat set of study guides for the final exam.
• Schedule a weekly review of materials. At the end of each school week, go back and review the major elements you’ve learned. This summary helps you retain information and etch it into longer term memory.
• Collect all your old quizzes. Regular quizzes during the term give students a clear guide about the types of questions your instructor is likely to include on a longer exam. Reviewing older quizzes and tests provide you with good practice for what lies ahead.
• Play the guessing game. Before every test, as you study and prepare, try to see if you can predict the types of topics and questions likely to appear on the exam. Make educated guesses based on the instructor’s style, focus and lecture points. If you practice this enough, you’ll find that you will likely get better and better at identifying key study points because you’ll learn to “think like the professor.”
• Come prepared to final exam reviews. Quite often, professors will have final exam study sessions. It’s amazing how many students come to these sessions and just sit there when an instructor asks if there are any questions about topics covered in the class. Come prepared to such study sessions with specific questions about things you did not understand. An instructor will rarely tell you what’s on an exam, but the more intelligent and genuinely interested students seem, the more inclined an instructor will be to slip in a few hints. If students seem uninterested and passive, instructors often pull back on the hints as well.

Every time we start a new term or a new semester, what we do on the first day of class can help make the rest of the term run more smoothly.

Term start tip list for students:

• Keep class materials organized. On the first day of class, you’ll get a lot of information including a course syllabus. Buy a folder for each class (or a binder with tabbed sections) and keep important information organized from day one.
• Double check your financial aid. Stop by the office or call the Financial Aid department to ask if there is any more information or paperwork they need to complete your financial aid package. Checking early will help avoid things like grade freezes and course drops/blocks later on.
• Create a school calendar. Mark all important dates on a planner or calendar. Make note of all exams, papers, projects, etc. Pay special attention to the final week of class and to finals week. This way, you don’t plan anything that conflicts with study time.
• Purchase your textbooks immediately. Of course textbooks are expensive, but so is retaking a class because you fell behind to try to save on textbook costs. Sharing textbooks or waiting for a used book deal might sound like a good idea, but it rarely pays off in the long run.
• Plan to get help for tough courses. Are you scheduled to take a writing course and it’s your weak subject area? Need to take a math course and it’s never come easy to you? Get a tutor and begin working immediately to prepare for your first assignment. Take your class syllabus and textbook to your school’s tutoring center and immediately begin practicing. Build in extra time each week for tutoring. Getting a tutor after you’ve already failed the midterm exam is not the greatest idea.
• Know how to use the library. Take a scheduled tour or information session at the library. Or, as a library to show you how to use the electronic card catalog, etc. Familiarize yourself with the way the library system works at your school so when it comes time to complete a research project, you can jump right in without trying to figure out how things work.

One of the toughest things for students to get used to is the slightly different schedules of school holidays in online courses. Here is a rough outline of the main differences between the vacation days you get for online and on-ground campuses.

–Class can be in session, even on weekends. Don’t be surprised if your instructor assigns something that is due on the weekend. The convenience of attending school online has some trade-offs. And that means that every day can count. That’s how they manage the accelerated pace of some terms. Be clear on the scheduling of your online school right from the start. Your advisor will really help you in this regard.
–Vacations are usually brief. Because many online schools work with students to get their degrees more conveniently (and quite often, much more quickly as well), they make use of every day possible. There are very few longer vacations in the schedule. If this is a huge issue for you, really review this closely in the student catalog.
–Not all campuses operate according to the same vacation schedule, even if it’s the same school. If you’re taking an online class through a traditional college or university, do not assume that online courses run by the same schedule as the on-ground campus. They can be very different.

Your student advisor is your best guide here. Communicate with him or her regularly, and gather a list of questions to ask. Student advisors are busy, and they will not likely reach out to you unless you ask a question. So don’t be shy. If you’re confused or concerned about something, discuss it with them. They can give you options and tips that are extremely helpful in making your school experience a positive and successful one.

Many students take courses online because their daily schedules do not accommodate attending traditional college classes. However, that doesn’t mean online classes are easier or take less time.

Here is a good gauge about whether you have enough time to invest in school online.

Too busy for school?

• Do the math. The average introductory college course is around 3 credits. That means you put in 3 class hours per week. If you take a full course load, that’s about 12 to 15 hours of class time per week. If you have a full-time job and a family, will you have enough time?
• Don’t forget homework. In addition to the time you invest in “attending” class online each week, you will have homework, exams, and projects. A good bet to estimate time needed for each class is to multiple your credit hours by three. So far, for a full course load, you have an average of about 40 hours of homework – give or take a couple hours per week.
• The end-of-term crunch. The last week of every term is a nightmare for students because of final exams and final projects due for all classes. You will likely need to take time off or have some serious help from family to get through that week. Or, you need to work far in advance and pace yourself well.
• Procrastination won’t cut it. People who manage their time poorly often end up doing quite poorly in their classes. Last-minute efforts might get you by a lot of the time, but not all the time. And on the grading scale, the slide down is a lot easier than the upward climb.

Solutions
What if your answers to the checklist above came out with daunting answers? Don’t give up on your educational goals just yet. Here are some possible tips and solutions:

• Avoid taking a full course load. It’s tempting to stack your courses as high as they can go so you can finish faster. But if you end up failing half of them every term, then you’re actually spending more money and going just as slowly as you would if you took it slower. Take two classes per term and give them your all.
• Become a time management expert. Never used a planner or a calendar? Well, now’s a good time to start. There are many free resources, like Google Calendar, that can help you get organized. Write tasks down and make a habit of sticking with you schedule.
• Put children on a schedule. If you’re a parent, getting your kids on a schedule will help you stick with your own schedule. Try not to live your life around the kids’ timeline. When everyone has boundaries, everyone wins.
• Get help. Admit that you need help and get help on a regular basis. Instead of going out every weekend and spending money on restaurants and movies, put that money aside for a part-time baby sitter or housecleaner. Then invest that time in your studies. Move closer to family to get help with daily chores. You’ll owe them big once you graduate, but it’ll be worth it.

Remember, your online instructors aren’t supposed to make allowances for you just because you’re “busy” and have a “full-time job.” The fact that you don’t have to commute to a classroom several times a week is the convenience of online education. The work itself is the same. The degree is the same. And so you must put in the work and the effort like any other school.

It won’t always be easy, but believe me, it’s worth it.

Many people who get laid off from their jobs begin thinking about getting their college degrees or additional degrees to help them become more marketable. Getting laid off never feels good, and it’s smart to use the downtime to help prevent future layoffs by enhancing your skills.

Here are some strong reasons why going to college online might be the ideal match for those who have recently experienced layoffs:

Reasons why online colleges make a nice fit:

• Flexibility: Since most laid-off people are still looking for work, when you land a job interview, you don’t have to schedule around your classes. Since school is online, you can take any job interview at virtually any time.
• Continuity: If you’re fortunate enough to get another job, you don’t have to leave school. You can continue working toward your degree (or second degree), and you don’t have to put your current career on hold.
• Fodder for the job interview: It’s often nice to show potential employers that you’re always out to improve yourself. And mentioning that you took the downtime to jump on your education shows initiative and a strong work ethic.
• Better than nothing: The truth is that you might be laid off for an extended period of time, and it’s always nice to feel like you’re doing something productive beyond looking for another job. As long as it takes for you to find the next gig, at least you’ll know that you used that time to make progress on other life-enriching activities.
• Timing: Many online colleges run on an accelerated timeline. That means, in fewer than ten weeks, you can complete a term (rather than the traditional 16 weeks in an on-ground school). In the average time it takes a person to find another job, it is possible to complete a full term of school.
• Incentives: Many companies that close down facilities or lay off employees have workplace resources in place to help downsized employees re-train, find grants, apply to school, and get federal loans. Examine any workforce benefits that might have come in your layoff package. And if you don’t find much there, the Unemployment Agency in town should also have some educational grant/loan resources for you to explore.

It’s definitely annoying and frustrating to get laid off, but keep in mind that there is an opportunity around every corning, if you keep your eyes open. Perhaps for you, the educational road is the best one at this time. If so, do your research, ask around, and good luck!

Every now and then, a student faces a disaster term at school where they are overwhelmed with the full course load and over-taxed at work and with their family responsibilities. Everything seems to be going wrong.

Here are some tips to help evaluate your next steps to keep calm and stay in school.

Survival tips for overwhelmed students:

• Consider the two-week rule. If you are behind two weeks or more in a certain class, consider dropping the course and re-taking it another term. But always talk it over with your advisor and instructor’s first. Sometimes, they have good tips and suggestions that will help you push through a temporary setback.
• Communicate thoroughly and immediately. Do not wait and wait for weeks to go by before you get some guidance and help. As soon as you feel you’re not going to be able to keep up with the work, reach out to your advisors and instructors. They will offer you tips on what to do next.
• Take stock and reassess. Sometimes, it’s simply about getting some family support. If you have children or have a lot of family responsibility, you’ll have to ask for more help around the house. Families can work together to reach the education goals of one family member. Other people might not be as good at certain chores, but live with it temporarily, just to get through school.
• Learn to say “no.” Going to school is no easy task. Going to school with a full-time job and a family to support is even more challenging. Sometimes, you won’t be able to help plan a niece’s birthday party or volunteer for committees at work. You will have to politely decline tasks to stay focused on school. You’ll have to be very conscious to carve out enough time in your schedule to work on school assignments.

Most importantly, do not be discouraged when you have one bad semester or a couple of tough classes. With so many distractions, you might not get all the A grades you would like, but that doesn’t mean you’re not intelligent or smart. Strive for those A’s of course, but don’t be too hard on yourself if you don’t get them. Remember to see the long-term goals, and do not get discouraged by short-term setbacks.

You can do it! Share your comments about the tips and tricks you use to keep from getting overwhelmed. We want to hear about your success stories; so we can all do better together.

Tests and quizzes are a part of most classes. However, online classes have some unique components and challenges.

Online test-taking tips:

• Beware of the open-book quiz. An open-book quiz might sound easy, but it’s not. Usually, an open-book quiz has very restricted time limits so that it’s impossible to look up every answer. If you think you’ll have time to stop and look up every answer, you’ll likely end up with half the test incomplete when the time limit expires.
• Be prepared. Keep scrap paper handy to work out math problems or outline a short essay response. Just because the test is online doesn’t mean you won’t need to organize your thoughts or jot down a few notes.
• Choose a quiet place. Clear out the house or close the bedroom door with a “do not disturb” sign posted outside. Do what it takes to eliminate distractions.
• Don’t wait until the last minute. Avoid waiting until the last minute to take a test. If your computer dies or a work project keeps you late, that’s no excuse for missing the test completely. Instructors usually provide a large window of time to take online tests; so if a student takes the risk of starting the test very close to the deadline, he will not likely receive extensions or allowances.
• Reconsider computer changes or upgrades prior to big projects. So often, students install software or purchase computers the day before a major project is due. This is very risky and should be reconsidered because any software adjustments can cause glitches.
• Prepare backup. Make sure you have a backup computer and internet source ready for the day you take your exam. You might never need it, but the one time you do, you’ll be glad you thought ahead.
• Keep saving your answers. Computers time out and internet connections get lost. Avoid losing all your work by saving often.

Whether your term lasts for 16, 10, or 5 weeks, the end of the term is a busy crush of last-minute assignments. And if you’re taking more than one course, every one of them probably has a project due –or an exam—during that last week of class.

End-of-Semester Survival Tips:

• Clear your calendar in advance. At the start of the term, mark the final week of classes on your calendar, and don’t plan anything that week. If you have a wedding, family reunion or vacation planned for that last week, communicate with your instructors immediately, and reconsider taking a full course load.
• Start projects early. Procrastinators take heed. Most students who take a tumble in grades usually fell down during that last week of the class. I’ve seen student grades go from B’s to D’s right in that last week – all because they waited unti the last minute and made some avoidable mistakes.
• Schedule childcare. Now is the time to call in some favors. Drop the children off at their grandparents’ house or in daycare. You’ll need a clear head to finish out the term strong.
• Cook meals in advance or get takeout. Daily chores can eat into our study time. The more things you can square away in advance, the more time you’ll have during finals week to prepare your school projects.
• Go to the library. If you live in a full house, you might want to spend as much time at the library as possible. Too often, studying at home leads to distractions; so it’s sometimes better to just remove yourself from home to squeeze in some focused study time.
• Celebrate birthdays early. If your child is celebrating a birthday the week of finals, celebrate it the weekend before. Most people won’t complain about early presents.

Keep in mind that if you haven’t done any work the entire semester, a last-minute crunch isn’t going to save you. But if you’ve been fairly involved with your courses all term, these tips will help keep you a little calmer and productive. Good luck!