One of the keys to your success will be how you study. We all know that cramming might help you get that quick grade increase before an exam, but is there a better way?  YES!  Pace yourself! 

As soon as you start learning about the material covered in the course, begin to study efficiently for the mid-term and final. Many courses also have other tests and pop quizzes, so by doing a small amount of studying every day, you’re preparing yourself for whatever your professor throws your way. Even just 15 minutes every night before you go to sleep can help you retain material. Come finals week, you’ll have a very good base of knowledge before you ever crack open a book to prepare for the exam.

 - Online Learning Tips Staff

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We cannot articulate this enough fellow students!  Create a schedule. Determine what time is best for you to study and work on your assignments. Is it every Wednesday while your partner is out for poker night? Maybe it’s Saturday mornings when the kids are at soccer practice. By creating a schedule, and setting task reminders, you’re less likely to become overwhelmed juggling school with your other commitments. 

A schedule is extremely important since your classes are online.  While you can access the classroom any time, by setting a regular schedule, you’re more likely to succeed and remember to dedicate yourself to the commitment of education.  A schedule will help you plan ahead, accommodate future appointments and meet your classroom assignment dates ahead of time.  If you lack a schedule, you will more easily forget about an assignment or procrastinate until you are overloaded.

 - Online Learning Tips Staff

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Even if you’re not a genius, you can use the same strategies as Aristotle and Einstein to harness the power of your creative mind and better manage your future.

The following strategies encourage you to think productively, rather than reproductively, in order to arrive at solutions to problems. These strategies are common to the thinking styles of creative geniuses in science, art, and industry throughout history.

Nine approaches to creative problem solving:

• Rethink – look at problems in many different ways
• Visualize – utilize diagrams and imagery to analyze your dilemma
• Produce – genius is productive
• Combine – make novel combinations
• Form – Form relationships
• Opposite! Think in opposites
• Metaphor/simile! Think metaphorically
• Failure – learning from your mistakes is one example of using failure
• Patience – don’t confuse inspiration with ideas

(source: Study Guides and Strategies)

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Education should be relevant and make a difference in your life. Discovering ways that your experience fits into the discussion makes the topic significant and applicable to your job or future education. Some courses naturally build on experience, such as business, sociology, or psychology.

Instructor want to see more than book learning. They want to see that you have synthesized the information and can use it effectively. You will find that because distance learning uses forum posts for discussion, you can take time to formulate a knowledgeable response before you reply. Online discussion questions are great avenues for creating relevance, and discovering the significance of a subject will help you internalize the information.

(Source: eLearn Magazine)

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