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Submitting work outside of the DL program. Students may be required to submit papers, reports or essays outside of the DL program through a professional online submission service such as TurnItIn.com . Build in additional time for this task, because it often does not go as smoothly as hoped. Students must first create an account and password. Users may need to download a plugin or application. Users can encounter file format errors, file size limitations, or other problems uploading a document. Allow plenty of time before a deadline to upload your work. Attendance. Guess what? The instructor or course facilitator is able to track exactly how often and for how long students log on, what files or pages they access, and when they log off.
Avoid losing your work in cyberspace by creating and saving extended responses outside the DL Program.
If you don’t “show up for class” for several days your instructor will know. Regular attendance is important! Since students are able to log into their account using any mobile device with internet access, there’s no excuse for poor attendance. Time Management. DL classes can be surprisingly time-consuming. In fact, they often require more time and more work than on-site classes. After all, reading a lecture takes more time than listening to it. There’s often a great deal of required participation and writing. Before starting a module, preview all of the required reading and assignments. Make an estimate of the amount of time it will take to complete the module work. Schedule the assignments in your planner. If you miss an assignment, don’t count on being able to make it up. Generally, when a due date passes, the assignment link in the module is taken down, and the student receives a zero for the assignment. PRODUCT PREVIEW Keyboarding. Would it be stating the obvious to say that strong keyboarding skills are important? Most DL courses require quite a bit of writing. The ability to type with speed and accuracy makes an online class easier and more enjoyable. Logins and PWs. A minor hurdle, but accessing your DL account requires a student ID number, user name, and password. Select a user name and password that is secure, but easy to remember. Being locked out of your account, or searching for a user name and password is stressful, and can result in a missed deadline which will not be excused . Procrastination. Procrastination is a huge challenge for many DL students. No bell rings to tell them it’s time for class. No campus security sends students to the office for a tardy slip. No classmates remind them of due dates or deadlines. Students who are procrastination-prone and need structure, should be extra- vigilant about establishing a DL homework routine and sticking to it. Log in to your DL course at regular intervals as part of a normal homework routine. Track DL course due dates and responsibilities in your planner or e-calendar as you would any other class.
THE 21st CENTURY STUDENT’S GUIDE TO STUDY SKILLS 223
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