You should think of your syllabus as your right hand man. Keep it close by your side and review it regularly during the semester. Things you’re looking for include: How will you earn points? When will you earn points? When are things due? What do you have going on in your personal life during these time periods? Set priorities. Pay close attention to what your instructor says about class participation. This will help you to work ahead as much as possible, keeping your stress levels down.

 - Online Learning Tips Staff

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Just like typical college professors, online college professors are more than happy to help students who feel confused or are struggling with their schoolwork.  That’s their job!  Instructors are here to help you learn and have an optimal educational experience.  Online is just the format, so don’t let it lead you to believing you cannot interact with your instructor. 

Most professors, however, won’t go out of their way to ask you if you need help.  They are busy grading papers and preparing their lesson plans.  So, don’t be afraid to speak up, and do so as soon as you start feeling unsure about a concept or lesson. If you wait until the end of the semester, you won’t be prepared for tests and the confusion will only snowball until it’s unmanageable.  Additionally, a little virtual “face time” with your professor may go a long way in your understanding of the class.

Source: Best Online Universities

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Although you may want to sign up for as many classes as possible, taking only one or two in the beginning is the best way to go. That way you’ll be able get a feel for how many hours you need to dedicate to your classes each week. By starting slow, you’ll learn to pace yourself without being overwhelmed as well as what other life commitments will just have to go in order for your online learning experience to be a success.

It’s easier to add additional courses the next semester than it is to drop or fail out of one now. Remember, online college classes are just as challenging and time consuming as the classes at a campus university. It definitely won’t be a walk in the park.

(Source: Education.org)

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If you’ve been putting off a huge end-of-semester assignment because you don’t know where you’ll find the time to fit it in your busy schedule, it helps to start small. Begin working for just ten minutes on the daunting task. Almost any task,  no matter how unpleasant, or anxiety provoking, can be tolerated for a short amount of time.

When you are having difficulty sitting down to work, set yourself the small but significant goal of working for just ten minutes on the project. After you’ve fulfilled that promise to yourself, you are free to either continue working or to stop.

Further Tips for the Tolerable Ten

1. If you haven’t been working at all, start by doing anything and stop after ten minutes. In other words, the less you’ve been doing the lower your expectations should be at first. If you put in your ten minutes, and you have succeeded. One of the main benefits of the tolerable ten is to start rebuilding your trust in yourself.
2. If you have been working fairly consistently, try using the tolerable ten for the hardest tasks, whether starting a section of rough draft writing, or contacting the advisor you’ve been avoiding.
3. Even on a day that is full of duties unrelated to your main academic goal, try to squeeze in a tolerable ten. Before you go to bed at night, check whether you’ve logged in ten, if not, do it then. A commitment to consistency will keep your conscious and unconscious mind connected with your project.
4. Reward yourself, at least mentally, for completing your daily ten. Focus on process rather than product. It is not whether the words you’ve just written were brilliant, it is that you sat down and did what you said you would do. Small, concrete rewards are ideal: ten minutes with the newspaper, a phone call to a friend, a relaxing bath, a scoop of ice cream, wearing your favorite shirt, a cup of cappuccino.
5. Precede time-sapping activities (such responding to email) with a tolerable ten.

(source: Successful Academic)

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