Sometimes folks forget that they can print their assignments.  They just assume that an online classroom means that you have to read everything electronically.  Especially in this day and age when we’re all worried about waste and the environment. 

However, too often, important information is missed when reading on the computer. Print off lectures and assignments and store them in a folder near your workstation so that the information is available any time you need to quickly reference it.  You can print on recycled paper, with recycled ink and then recycle your notes after your course is complete.  By having a well organized well documented set of syllabi and course materials, you’ll be able to reference things from previous weeks quickly and efficiently. 

Additionally, by printing your assignments, you’ll be able to easily take notes and highlight important passages in the materials.  Just because you’re taking a class online with an e-book, that doesn’t mean you cannot print.   Also, if you have computer or internet access issues down the road, you’ll buy your self some extra time by printing assignments out early.

(source: Online Education Database)

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The Kindle and book readers in early 2010

The Kindle, Nook, and a slew of electronic book readers are rapidly emerging on the scene. They offer great features–easy reading screens, ability to hold hundreds of books, limited Web access, and automated searching.

While useful, they also are not quite ready for online education. The Kindle, for example, currently lacks pagination for use in the formal citations that your professors love. It is also not ADA 508 compliant–doesn’t provide sufficient access for blind and handicapped as required for universities by Federal law. Most importantly for our undergraduates, APUS doesn’t have mechanisms to purchase licenses for student use or to provide direct links from the classroom. You will need to buy such volumes on your own–like students at other schools.

We expect this situation to change. One reader coming on the market offers dual screens, which could in theory be used to ingest a classroom and provides other application benefits for those in the sciences. We will continue to monitor and invite student comments to help in the quest.

Unfortunately, we’re still in the early stages of the Web revolution. It took a full fifty years after Guttenberg before Aldus Manutius invented the pocket book and the portable reading delights, which we hope the Kindle can ultimately match.

By Fred Stielow, Dean of Libraries & Educational Materials
American Public University System

For students complaining of writer’s block for an assignment, something as simple as taking a walk outside can bring around a whole new perspective on what you’ve been working on.

We recently came across an interesting case study, conducted by psychology students at the University of Chicago, to determine the most effective study break. Student volunteers were given sequences of 3 to 9 numeric digits and asked to repeat them in reverse. If the experimenter said “6-1-9″ then the student would respond “9-1-6″. After 14 tests like this, the students were told to take an hour-long walk through an arboretum, or the downtown area.

When the students returned from the break, the test was repeated. It turned out that the walk through nature improved the subjects’ cognitive thinking skills and they performed much better on the digit-span and visual attention tasks.

This small study took an old and simple concept and gave it new life. Be it taking a walk through a nearby park, or sitting out by a tree in the yard, being closer to nature is a great way to unwind and re-energize your thoughts. If you’re not the woodsy type, even viewing an image of an outdoor landscape on your computer or on a wall in a coffee shop can help get your mind in the right place.

Read more about this study >

Tell your family and friends about your decision to take online classes. This built-in support system will help you tremendously since there will be times you’ll need someone to cover your commitments at home or work. It’s important that you take the appropriate time to study and finish your assignments without feeling frazzled or overwhelmed with an increased workload. Good family and friends will understand that unnecessary distractions will only hurt the quality of your work and your ability to get things done.

Also, having a “go-to” support network gives you the chance to talk about what you’re going through with your classes. Whether it’s an assignment you don’t understand, or an unrelenting professor, in the end it will strengthen your commitment and focus for finishing the degree program.

Source: degreesandtraining.com