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World economies have changed dramatically over the last few years, and will continue to change at an increasing pace. And with these changes have come corresponding changes in our work and our lives. Lifelong education becomes particularly important in this constantly changing, highly competitive, environment.

But education on-campus at university or college is not possible for many people because jobs or other commitments make it impossible for them to attend on-campus classes. Online learning provides a flexible solution for such people. Unfortunately, many learners enter an online program without realising the problems they need to face. Thus, all too often they are disappointed with their first experience of this new mode of learning. To avoid this, there are six things that the learner should watch out for.

When you study on-campus, other people organise much of your study time. With online learning, you have to organise it yourself. So be organised – manage your time. Set aside a regular time in your diary for study of the material as if you were attending classes. And complete assignments well before the due dates. That way you have time to check them and also avoid those last minute things that go wrong when you’re late. Do not be a poor time manager.

To complete a degree online means often working alone when your friends are out enjoying themselves, and it means maintaining this level of commitment for a long period of time. To achieve this, you must have a high degree of motivation. We did some research on success factors for our mature-age online learners. The number one factor wasn’t previous exam results – it was motivation. Even with very few previous academic qualifications, we found that students would succeed providing they were motivated. So, do make sure that you are highly motivated.

Unfortunately, many of us were not taught how to learn. Instead we were only taught to remember things and to apply rules. Somewhere along the way we were expected to acquire the skills to acquire knowledge. In today’s world it is essential that we “know how to learn”. In particular, learning online requires that you develop these skills. This not only means having the technical skills of how find books or web sites on a topic, it also means having well-developed critical reading and thinking skills.

If you are learning online, the materials replace the lectures that students get in a face-to-face course. But they usually does more than those lectures – the courseware often includes questions, exercises and further reading so that your learning can be active rather than passive. And that is the key – ACTIVE LEARNING. Make sure that you complete all the exercises and actively read the text.

In an online course, real learning takes place when you are interacting with others on the course. So try to find a learning group, either in your area or online – your e-Tutor may well facilitate this. You can then take part in “social learning” – and you will find that you only truly “know” something when you try to explain it to someone else. Make sure that you respond to all the e-Tutor’s requests for feedback and do participate in the discussion forums.

Never buy a qualification from a “diploma mill” – it can cost you! Before you enrol in a program, make sure is it accredited by a real accrediting body. Many diploma mills will claim to be accredited by a fake body, so check with licensing boards and professional associations under which they claim to offer programs.

Sophia Peters writes for the Online and Distance Learning web site where you can get other relevant information about online programs. Visit the web site for other relevant information about online and distance learning programs. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

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