APU Careers & Learning Online Learning

Putting Forth Your Best Effort

During my time as an online student, I have seen it all as well as have tried to attempt it all. Others, as well as I, have submitted sloppy work or veered off the weekly topic in order to make the time and date deadline, but for some reason the point has been missed. As we smile happily at the timestamp of 11:59, we wander off to do other things and soon forget about that masterpiece (or for lack of a better phrase “master-less piece”) that we virtually handed in. Hope crosses our mind as we think about how we will do a better job next time.  We have a whole week ahead of us, right? Regardless of when and how, have we forgotten about “what” we turn in?

Are you giving it your all?

As you take your online classes, discussions will be posted and submissions will be submitted. Before this is done, preparation should take place as everything submitted needs to go through a process of revision. Your work will be critically evaluated in several different ways. What you write becomes permanent and is often not as easily removed from others view. It will be either be commented on, graded, and/or evaluated for authentication. Because your work may be placed under a microscope, how do you put forth your best effort every time?

Time is of the essence

Give yourself enough time before it is due to make changes to your finished product. Plan, write ahead, and revise on different days in order to allow new ideas to come to you. When you do this, you are able to bring new thoughts to the forefront and do away with information that may not be precise, up to date or of importance.

Follow the lead

Your instructor has given guidelines for a reason. In order to create a great finished product, make sure that it is of great quality. Each week your materials provide a roadmap. These are laid out for you in order to allow mastery of the lesson’s skills. Review the objectives, read over the materials and pull from prior knowledge and background experiences. Once this is done, you will find purpose in the activity and be able adhere to the rubric better. Make sure that the competencies identified in the rubric are mastered in order to maximize evidence of your efforts.

Turn it in!

Even if your instructor does not require you to show proof of submittal to TurnItIn, your finished product must be original. You may want to even submit discussion posts to TurnItIn if you paraphrased or used citations. Be sure that your work is yours and yours alone. Try to make sure that your TurnItIn percentage rates are less than 25% in order to remain authentic, and ultimately credible.

So it’s done, now what?

Last, but not least, remember to post or submit your finished product. Oftentimes I have completed assignments just so that I could go to asleep or walk away before I could confirm that it was submitted. All of the hard work and late-night hours you have put in up until this point needs to be recognized, even if you are not sure of how well you did. Your instructor often reviews and leaves comments on work that is incomplete or can be changed in order to give you the opportunity to get a better grade. Make sure you implement these ideas in order to execute the best assignment possible.

By Trinita Gay
Online Learning Tips, Guest Contributor

Comments are closed.