Are Online Courses right for You?

This page explains how to make sure online learning is right for you. Online courses can work for any student, just as a physical, onsite classroom with face-to-face instruction can work for any student -- but we all know the quality of the "fit" with a particular instructor or a particular class environment varies. Taking an online class requires just as much time and effort as a class on campus -- maybe more! To see if online classes are right for you, answer these questions:

• Do you like to work independently?
• Do you need convenience and an adjustable schedule?
• Are you comfortable asking for clarification and continuing to ask when you need more information?
• Are you good at meeting deadlines?
• Are you comfortable working at a computer?
• Do you have experience surfing the World Wide Web? If most of your experience is only through AOL (America Online) then you may need to investigate some other paths to the web like Internet Explorer before you take on a class through West Valley College's system.
• Be sure you are using the right browser by clicking here.
• Are you comfortable working primarily with a text-based medium?
• Would you be comfortable phoning or faxing your instructor if you had problems with anything in the course?

Did you answer "yes" to most of the above questions? Then you'll do just fine with online courses -- if you hesitated on some of them, you'll probably do just fine also, but you may need to work harder and more deliberately at staying in touch with your instructor.

For a second look at the skills you'll need to be a successful Distance Learning student, take our Distance Learning Successful Skills Survey: Click here to go to the Distance Learning Successful Skills Survey

Do Online Courses Fit My Style? (Tips on Time and Participation)

What we know from experience is there is usually an adjustment period for most students as they learn the rhythm and patterns of online communication. Here are some tips for getting comfortable:

• Take time to review all the help files your instructor makes available.

• If you are new to the Internet, spend some time surfing and getting comfortable with it.

• Spend some time just navigating your way through the class.

• Figure out what tools are being used and what the buttons do.

• Get to know your browser.

• Manage your time. You'll find that your time management skills will be critical in an online class. Why? Because it's very easy to get behind or spend far too little time on the class. Set designated blocks of time to work on the class. This will help you stay up with the assignments and with the interaction required in most online classes.

• Download or print out pages for reference and review when you're offline.

• Set priorities and pay close attention to what your instructor says about priorities.

• Ask right away for help if something isn't going right, whether it's a technical issue or something to do with the class environment. If you are unsure about something, communicate it! It is very important that you be proactive in communicating with your instructor and classmates.

• Be persistent.

• Keep the contact information you get from your instructor handy and use it. If you have trouble with the technology, use the phone. Learn the terminology of the Internet.

• Read what you are going to send before you click on the send button. In online communication it is important to say things carefully, since you can not use body language as you do with verbal communication. Be thoughtful! We will not be able to see the grin on your face if you make a sarcastic comment, so it could be misinterpreted!

• Once you click the send button, you can not get a message back.

• Typing in ALL CAPS is the equivalent of YELLING! Please do not yell at people.

• Share information, tips and questions with your classmates and instructor. You may have the answer someone needs.

• Become part of the online community by participating. Join in and let your thoughts and ideas be heard.

• Enjoy your time in this new learning environment!

• And ask right away for help if something isn't going right, whether it's a technical issue or something to do with the class environment. Don't waste time trying to solve a problem; just call or send an email to your instructor.

Communication

Remember you won't have all those non-verbal cues you get in the physical classroom and neither will your instructor. Words on the screen help the instructor "see" you much more clearly. Also, your instructor's role will be much less that of the distributor of information, and much more that of a guide or resource for you in exploring an area of knowledge. The teaching style used in online courses may be different from the traditional college model. What does this mean for you? Taking a class online means you won't be sitting quietly in the classroom; participation is essential for everyone involved.As always, effective communication is critical to success. It's even more important in the online environment because your instructor can't see your frown, or hear the question in your voice. Here, you'll be responsible for initiating more contact, for being persistent and vocal when you don't understand something. Your instructor wants to help - please write your question and send it along, express your confusion, your concern, and be direct! You will save a lot of time by communicating earlier, rather than later. Be sure and ask about anything and everything pertaining to course content, course procedure and evaluation.

Managing Your Time Successfully in a Distance Learning Course

Reportedly, the most significant factor causing students to succeed - or not - in Distance Learning classes has been their ability to manage time.The more successful Distance Learning students report regularly spending 2 to 3 hours each week for each hour of credit for a class. A 2 unit credit class, for example, required a minimum of 4 to 6 hours of work EACH WEEK of the semester to complete all requirements.Without class lectures to spur that quick burst of activity to complete the project or to bone up for a test, some Distance Learning students procrastinate through weeks of the semester - only to find themselves hopelessly far behind. The following information was developed by former students who successfully completed Distance Learning courses:

Work out your typical weekly schedule - on paper - so you will have a general guide for fitting your time to study into your other activities. A typical plan for scheduling:

• Set up a grid with 1/2 hour times down the side, from waking to closing the mind for the night, and with all 7 days of the week across the top.
• Fill in your non-flexible times (work hours, scheduled classes, etc) with specific information.
• Fill in your flexible times related to those non-flexible ones (travel time to work or school, lunch, break, etc).
• Fill in your other activities - clubs, choir, meetings, etc - which happen less than once a week.
• List special must-do for family etc. (pick up the kids, etc) that occur regularly. Some find that taking a book along can help the time spent waiting and can help accomplish study time needs at the same time.
• List DEDICATED TO STUDY TIME. This will be time that you will reserve for study - and nothing less than a major emergency will be allowed to disturb it. One student suggested that this be set in 1/2 hour segments -1 segment per credit hour - and before or after this segment a 1/2 hour or hour TRY TO STUDY TIME be scheduled.
• List TRY TO STUDY TIME. This will be time that you are planning nothing but study, but recognize that it may be interrupted. If interrupted, remember to grab some catch-up time.
• Use a semester calendar to lay out your deadlines. If your instructor did not provide specific deadlines, set your own and meet them.
• Arrive a bit earlier to work and use that 20 minutes for study.
• Have your lunch hour away from the "gang" with the textbook and syllabus.
• Review the syllabus, study guide, or notes while waiting for the kids at the dentist, dance lesson, etc.
• Find a corner at school to work on a project between (before/after) other classes.
• Get up a half hour before the kids and use that time for the "heavy" or new stuff.
• Set your mind to work solidly for 1/2 hour - and keeping to that 1/2 hour limit as close as a reasonable stopping point happens. Using a timer with a bell or tone alarm set to the time to stop can be very useful and productive (you don't have to guess or keep looking at the clock but can totally concentrate on the work).
• Do not puzzle for days on a problem. Get with a fellow student in the class or with instructor for help early with a problem.
• "Setting a particular piece of study material or project work aside the first time, or a second time and returning was fine - but when it reached 3 to 8 times I was just stuck and frustrated." Lay aside a problem piece of work and go back with a fresh look later. However, if that does not work after a second try, get help from somewhere reasonably early in the game.

Rules of the Road and Ethics

West Valley College online courses are based on the premise that students learn best in a community. The instructor plays an important role, but this is a different role than most instructors play in the classroom. You'll see a shift in the way classes work. However, some things don't change: the practices of courtesy and respect that apply in the ordinary classroom also apply online, and require even more attention. Here are some guidelines:

• Participate. In the online environment, it's not enough to show up! We need to hear your voice, to feel your presence, and we especially need your comments added to the information, the shared learning, and the sense of community in each class.

• Be persistent. Remember we're all working in a fairly new environment. If you run into any difficulties, don't wait! Phone or send an email immediately to the instructor. Most problems are easily solved, but we have to hear from you before we can help.

• Share tips, helpful suggestions, and questions. For many of us, taking online courses is a new frontier. There are no dumb questions, and even if you think your solution is obvious, please share! Someone in the class will appreciate it.

• Think before you push the Send button. Did you say just what you meant? How will the person on the other end read the words? While you can't anticipate all reactions, do read over what you've written before you send it.

• Remember we can't see the grin on your face when you make a sarcastic comment, we can't see the concern on your face if you only say a couple of words, and we can't read your mind and fill in the gaps if you abbreviate your comments. So, help us "see" you by explaining your ideas fully. Use emoticons for fun once in awhile. An emoticon looks like this:  ;-)

• Remember there's a person on the other side. Ask for feedback if you're not sure how your ideas and comments will be taken. If you disagree with what someone has said, practice all your best communication skills as you express that disagreement. "Flaming," or flying off the handle and ranting at someone else is unacceptable; it's the equivalent of having a tantrum, something most of us wouldn't do in an onsite, face-to-face classroom.

• Any derogatory or inappropriate comments regarding race, gender, age, religion or sexual orientation are unacceptable and subject to the same disciplinary action they would receive if they occurred in the physical classroom. If you have concerns about something that has been said, please let your instructor know.

• Plagiarism, cheating and other violations of ethical student behavior are serious actions in a learning community. You should expect to be treated accordingly.

Code of Conduct

West Valley College policy states that electronic communications conducted in the course of a class are "public" communications in the same way that classroom exchanges are public. Your instructor and other students are bound by the same principles of respect, professionalism, and concern, as you would find in any interaction in one of the College's classrooms or offices. Please read Standards of Conduct. If you feel that these principles have been compromised in some way, please discuss this directly with your instructor.

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West Valley College
14000 Fruitvale Ave
Saratoga, CA 95070

Distance Learning Coordinator: Steve Peltz, 408.741.2065

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