Students who are successful in the online environment are committed to their course work. Online classes do offer convenience and flexibility but they can be more demanding of time and energy than regular classes.
Online students need to:
- Be familiar with their own technology
- Have access to their course materials
- Log in regularly to participate in their classes, usually at least three times per week or more
- Plan their time well to ensure enough time to study and complete assignments
- Commit 10 - 15 hours per week per five-credit class
- Enjoy communicating in writing and reading the writing of others
- Be able to work with others to complete projects
- Communicate with their instructors when problems arise
- Quality input into your class is often an essential element of the online classroom experience. You must be willing to share your ideas, carefully consider your responses to the sharing of others, and be prepared, occasionally, to have your ideas challenged.
Computer & Connection Requirements
It is important to have a computer system that can adequately support you in the tasks that you need to accomplish or have access to one you can use. You may also need a headset and a webcam. You will need to have a reliable connection to the Internet. Broadband connections are encouraged for courses using real-time chat and collaboration tools.
You will need to have an e-mail account. Clover Park creates a student email account for you. See the Computer Tech in Building 15 for help with activation process if you need it. EMAIL HELP. This will be used as your primary contact method from the school. You should to use it as well for your online class.
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Basic Computer Skills
Online learning challenges some students without strong computer skills or with computer equipment that is not working properly. Here are some preliminary questions to ask yourself to see if you need to brush up on your skills.
- Can you create, save, find and manage files on your computer?
- Do you know how to install software on your computer if you need to?
- Do you know how to send and receive email attachments?
- Can you access email and the Internet at least five times a week?
- Do you know how to "paste" text from a word processor into an email?
- If you do not have your own computer, can you access a computer lab or arrange to use some other computer at least 2 hours per day or have another reliable device that you can complete assignments with?
Tutorials for Basic Skills
