Before enrolling in an online course, please take some time to think about yourself as a learner, while evaluating your time management and technical skills. Your answers to these questions can help you decide whether or not to take an online course. You can also talk to a campus advisor before you decide to enroll in your first distance education course. There are no right or wrong answers so your first reaction is usually best. 

Scoring

Tally your score as follows: 2 points for each AGREE, 1 point for each SOMEWHAT AGREE, 0 points for each DISAGREE. 

• Score = 41 - 60
  • You seem to be well-organized. Good organization and time management skills are very important for online learning, as you will have to work independently much of the time. You are prepared to pace yourself, figure out things on your own and communicate with people in writing. You generally seem to realize that taking an online course is more time consuming and requires more study discipline than a face-to-face class.
  • If you feel that there are some areas where you may still need improvement and would like to learn how to be even more effective in your learning, try resources like the GVSU IT HelpDesk.
     
• Score = 26 - 40
  • You seem to be fairly well-organized and learn fairly easily. That’s good, but you have to remember that learning from an online course usually requires more time and effort, because you will often have to pace yourself and figure out things on your own or with limited support from the instructor.
  • If you want to improve your organizational skills, you may consider allocating certain hours to work on each individual task to stay to track, to work on it the first thing each morning, and to keep a written record of your tasks and assignments. These strategies will help you not fall behind in the class. Most online courses consist mainly of written text, but some courses also include audio and video content.
  • You will also have to communicate in writing with the instructor and your classmates. You may need to improve your basic learning skills, such as reading, listening, writing, and problem solving. 
  • Since you have reported that you are fairly good at using the computer and the Internet, you should have no problem interacting with the online course environment. However, you may lack some of the necessary technical tools. Make sure that your computer meets the online course requirements for the course you are considering by looking at the course syllabus or contacting the instructor. Make sure you have help from someone who knows computers pretty well. If you need technical assistance, be sure to to visit the GVSU IT HelpDesk: https://www.gvsu.edu/it/helpdesk/
  • Overall, you seem to need to work on some of your learning and time management skills before trying an online course. If you follow the recommendations above, you should be able to be fairly successful in an online course. 
     
• Score = 11 - 25
  • It looks like you might work better when external organization is imposed on you. While this may work just fine in a face-to-face class, an online class requires more independence in setting and following work goals and deadlines. In an online course you will have to pace yourself and figure out things on your own or with limited assistance from the instructor. As far as time management, you may want to develop a strategy for keeping yourself on track, such as keeping a written record of your tasks and allocating certain hours to work on each task.
  • To become a successful online learner, you may also want to improve your basic learning skills, such as reading, listening, writing, and problem solving. Based on your answers about your technical readiness, it seems that you are not very comfortable using the computer for learning. The ability to keep your computer up-to-date, search the Internet and download files is very important for successful online learning. You also need to make sure you have all necessary hardware and software to be successful in an online course. For a complete list of hardware and software required for online learning, refer to the individual course and its minimum technology requirements.
  • Overall, it looks like you may need to improve either your technology skills or your learning skills before you try an online course. 
     
• Score = 0 - 10
  • From your answers, it looks like your time management skills and study habits (such as keeping yourself on track, meeting deadlines and working independently) need to be improved before you can be successful in online learning. If you feel that you have trouble learning new information, are not comfortable with written communications and participation in online discussions, or are not used to solving problems on your own, you may need to reconsider your decision to take an online course, as there is usually less support provided from the instructor than may be necessary for you.
  • An online course also requires at least 6-10 hours a week, which you may not be ready to spend at this time. Regarding your technical readiness, you do not appear to have many of the necessary technical tools to take an online course and do not seem to be very comfortable surfing and searching online resources. The complete list of hardware and software required for online learning may vary slightly by course, such as the list of computer requirements for Blackboard.
  • Overall, it looks like at this point you might be more successful in a course that meets face-to-face, where you can have more support for your learning. You might try an online course when you have gained more experience with computer and study skills and time management. 

Hopefully this survey has helped you assess whether or not you want to enroll in an online course. We want you to be successful in your online course, and please remember, you can talk with your advisor if you still have questions.