Online Education – How Can I Balance an Online Class and Private Time?

Many online programs offer accelerated classes. Accelerated classes teach the material of a traditional 15- or 16-week semester in seven or eight weeks. Online education programs with accelerated classes typically divide the year into six terms with only a few weeks for breaks. Three accelerated classes in two term correspond to an 18-hour course load. Accelerated classes are fast-paced. Students must remain on top of assignments and exams. Time management, discipline, and responsibility are key traits of online students who succeed in accelerated classes.

How Can I Manage Three Accelerated Classes in One Term?

The main problem when taking three accelerated classes in one term is information retention. At some point, students might encounter problems to separate what instructors and classmates said in one course from what was discussed in another. I already made some practical suggestions for general class management in another hub at http://hubpages.com/hub/PracticalTipsToSucceed. It included the suggestion to make a master calendar of assignments and due dates. In this hub, I want to focus specifically on managing three acclerated classes in one one term and increasing information retention.

Suggestion 1: Reading Assignments

Finish reading assignments before the new week starts. If you have three classes and the week starts on Thursday (as they did at Upper Iowa Online when I was a student), then begin reading three days before the new week starts. You can then on Thursday answer discussion questions, begin a new discussion thread, or elaborate on classmates’ and instructors’ comments. Starting Thursday, you can use already your new knowledge gained from your readings, thus increasing information retention.

Read actively for participation. Online programs typically require the student to participate in discussions three to five times a week. Focus on new information and use post-its or a marker to point to information that you might be able to use in participation and other assignments. It is sometimes difficult to come up with substantive comments for participations. One way is to point out information that is new or interesting to you. You can add to the participation by saying: “On page … the author … points out that …. This extends our discussion in this thread because …..” Or you write: “I found soandso really interesting –cite page number and author – because I always thought ...”

Read actively for writing assignments. Online students typically have to write numerous papers, some with topics of their own, some with topics handed out by their instructors. As soon as you know the topics, add them to your master schedule. Every time you read for any of your three classes, record specific information or relevant ideas and concepts for a particular topic. The information can come from your textbooks, classmates’ and instructors’ comments, lectures, webpages, articles, etc. When you then begin to work on your paper, you already have some basic information, concepts, and ideas to work with. That makes writing papers much easier than starting from scratch.

Suggestion 2: Finishing Assignments

Alternate the sides of the brain you use. The right brain is the visual side and processes first the whole picture and then the details. The left brain is verbal and processes first the pieces and then the whole pictures. In order to deal with information overflow, it is helpful to switch between both sides. For example, alternate between assignments that require Excel spreadsheets and writing or spread the reading assignments over different days. For some online students it might also be helpful to read one chapter for one class and then a chapter for another class rather than reading all required chapters for one class in one sitting. Whatever method you choose, you will increase inforamtion retention.

Suggestion 3: Written Assignments = Long Papers

Start on assignments early. It is important to give yourself some time for larg assignments. It stresses you less because it gives you time to stop working on the assignment when you are exhausted. You can let it sit overnight and look at it again the next day with a fresh mind. Typically, writing assignments are the most challenging for online students. A regular 20-page papers typically take many hours of research, writing, and revising and it can be hard to find the time and energy to incorporate that in an accelerated course. That is one reason why collecting information along the way is so helpful.

Determine whether you are an early or late writer. Your assignments will go much smoother if you know what type of writer you are. Essentially, there are two categories: those who start writing early and those who start writing late. Knowing which category you belong to facilitates time management. And time management is key when taking three accelerated classes in one term.

Those of you who start writing early begin writing even though they do not have all relevant information. For these online students, writing is a way to organize their thoughts. They gather information if they see a caveat or if they encounter an interesting idea they want to further pursue. Early writers end easily up with twenty or more drafts and changing their topic or argument along the way. I am an early writer and for more articles I published in academic journals I have often had close to one hundred revisions.

Those of you who start writing late want to have all relevant information together before you type a single word. Many of you organize that information in your head or on a separate piece of paper. Once you start writing, you focus on writing based on the material you have collected before. You know what your argument will be and what information you will process in your paper. Unlike early writers, you do not alternate between research and writing.

Conclusion

Taking three accelerated classes in one term is difficult. Information retention can be a problem and time mangement can only get you so far. You can increase information retention by using information gained from your readings in participation, discussions, and assignments. In addition, you can alternate between the left and right side of your brain. You can also improve information retention by determining whether you are an early or late writer and schedule your time accordingly. But there are no easy ways to succesfully finish three accelerated classes. It is very hard work.

Please share your suggestions in the comments box below or ask any questions that you might have as an online student.