Is Online Learning Right For Me?

• Avoid procrastination - the downfall of many online students. You must be responsible to meet assignment due dates without having instructors calling or e-mailing you or having a face-to-face conference.
• Managing time (i.e. schoolwork, family, and job) is important for online learning. The online learner is expected to be organized and perform multiple tasks to complete lessons.
• Online courses require you to work independently.
• Online courses demand AT LEAST as much time from you as on-campus courses do.
• Assignments are typically submitted through Blackboard.
• You must proactively participate in the communication forums, such as the Discussion Board, and you must regularly check your email and respond to messages--most instructors expect you to check into class multiple times a week.
• The online student must be willing to seek out help when needed and ask well-thought-out questions. Instructors are generally available during their office hours for phone consultation and clarification, or you can email them within your course.
• Some online courses require some on-campus work: orientations, face-to-face presentations, review sessions, exams, or labs. Check course descriptions or your syllabus for details.

Certain basic skills are needed to successfully take online classes. Each student should be able to:

• Use a desktop or laptop computer for basic tasks.
• Use a word processing and printing program.
• Connect to the Internet from a home, office, or college computer.
• Navigate the Internet.
• Use email, including attaching a file to an email message.
• Download a program from the Internet and install it.
• Do a search on the web, locating and noting reference information.
• Use a multimedia program for streaming video/audio.
• Use an online discussion board forum and chatroom.

Greenville Technical College makes every effort to create a sense of an online community. Positive climate building and considerate behavior can reduce anxiety about communicating online and contribute to a positive collegial environment.

Positive climate building can be developed by

• Responding promptly to messages.
• Use of personalizing remarks.
• Avoiding hostile or curt comments. No objectionable, sexist, or racist language will be tolerated.
• Displaying humor with care. The use of humor can be very tricky; sometimes it is seen as sarcasm or derision rather than as funny. Symbols or parenthetic phrases (e.g., :-) or "ha! ha!") can help to convey emotional tone and help to prevent misunderstandings.
• Promoting cooperation by offering assistance and support to other participants and by sharing ideas.

Dos and Don'ts:

• Do not share your username and/or password with anyone.
• Do demonstrate fundamental courtesy online. (Absolutely no abusive or libelous comments will be permitted.)
• Do use only your real first and last name online.
• Confidentiality: Do not give anyone else access to any of the sessions (either viewing onscreen or in print) without the previous consent of all participants.
• Copyright & plagiarism: Do not use the words or text of others without proper acknowledgment of the source unless you first have the author's permission.