Learning in an online environment is definitely not for everyone. People either have unrealistic expectations, or they think taking online classes is the easy route. In many ways, online college courses are more difficult than their traditional counterparts.

Before you take the next step in deciding to pursue your degree online, here are four basic things you may want to consider as you research:

1.Computers: Are you comfortable using email? Do you know how to work with attachments? Can you perform basic searches/research online?

2.Motivation: Are you a self-starter? Your professor will not be sending you daily emails telling you to complete your assignments and take your tests. A certain level of self-discipline is required.

3.Interaction: In an online class, you will interact with the professor and your classmates primarily via threaded discussions and email. If you feel that face-to-face contact is a must for you to thrive, then online classes might not be right for you.

4.Hurdles: There are certain classes that may be more suitable for the traditional classroom (speech, sciences with labs, and classes such as calculus… for those of us who prefer learning math face-to-face!). Although all of these classes are available online, sometimes, you have to stop and ask yourself if you should take the hybrid approach, enrolling in a class or two locally for best results.

Take it a step further and complete an online learning assessment quiz to test yourself and see if online learning is really the right choice for you.

(source: Online College Blog)

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Once you’ve enrolled into your online degree program, you should create a document with all the important contact information you might need – like the computer help desk, business office, the advising office, the department teaching your course, and the library. Print it out, then stick it on your fridge or on top of your nightstand for easy access. It’ll save you tons of time when you’re in the middle of technology crisis while trying to submit your final term paper. Schools vary greatly in how their Web sites are laid out, but most provide some sort of “contact us” page with links, numbers, and e-mails for all the services you will need as an online student.

- Online Learning Tips Staff

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Assertiveness and initiative are qualities needed for success in online learning. You need to take the initiative to ask questions and resolve problems that the instructor may not be able to perceive. Many of the non-verbal cues that instructors use to determine whether a student is not understanding are not as available in an online class as they are in face-to-face learning environments.

If you experience difficulty on any level, either with the technology or with the course content, you need to communicate your concerns immediately, otherwise the instructor will not know how to help.

(source: University of West Florida)

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Are you a proud multi-tasker, doing several jobs at once, hands flying everywhere, tapping away on your keyboard, sending text messages and answering the phone whenever it rings? Consider yourself a gifted juggler, in fact?

Guess what. It may be time to get humble. While multitasking is unavoidable or even a good thing sometimes, too much of it can really hurt your productivity and the overall quality of your work. Every time you stop focusing on the task at hand — to answer the phone or check e-mail or text —your creativity and productivity takes a hit. Read the full story