Make a list of items that interest you about the topic. For example, you may be required to write an essay on an aspect of Hamlet in your English class. At first, you feel overwhelmed. Later, however, you think about the characters and situations that most interested you and you recall that Ophelia’s speech and then her subsequent death were interesting to you. You wondered about the psychological state, and how she was perceived by the others in the play. Does her situation illustrate something essential about the human condition? You don’t have any idea, but you’d like to explore it. So, you start by looking into what others have said about Ophelia in Hamlet. You find that her madness and death reflect and reinforce the overall themes of death, madness, murder, and betrayal. How does Ophelia’s madness contrast with Hamlet’s? You start jotting down ideas and key words. These will help you develop search terms and to focus your search by going to the correct types of journals and publications.

Narrow your topic. This requires another round of brainstorming, but this time you will be focusing on what others have written. List terms, ideas, and concepts that occur to you, and then focus on the subcategories that you find most interesting. Then, use the list to narrow your topic. Avoid worn-out subjects and ones that are too narrow or too broad.

Simplify the tasks and break them up in to individual steps. Instead of envisioning one large group project, visualize the entire assignment as four or five smaller projects that will each require just two or three steps, rather than dozens.  Potential problem: The project contains too many steps to reach the final outcome. The complexity makes it difficult to understand and to delegate work, and to set achievable goals. Potential problem: Resentment because of lack of work parity. Group members become angry because the work load is not evenly distributed. Some team members may be perceived as slackers or freeloaders, who take credit but refuse to pull their weight. The converse can also be true. There may be resentment because one team member will attempt to dominate and not allow individuals to participate in the process. The dominant person may be perceived as a bully, much to his or her surprise. She thought she was simply being efficient, proactive, and “Type A.” Solution: Listen. List the roles and the responsibilities and behaviors expected of each role. Then, assign tasks to specific team members, and develop a realistic set of due dates. Make sure that there are clear ways to be in touch with each other if there are questions.

Coordinate time. Required collaborations do not reflect the real time commitments of the participants, nor do they reflect schedules or time zone differences. Solution: Give the group at least a week to do each project, no matter how small. Ask the individual team members what they are doing to find out and accommodate each other’s time constraints.

Develop a communications plan. Try to communicate live-time if you can, either with instant messenger, chat, video chat, or with Internet telephony, such as Skype.

Look for opportunities to meet other online students. They don’t have to be in the same class or even in the same university because there are many similarities when taking online classes anywhere. Local public libraries, community colleges, and other places are good starting points for locating students. If you are unable to find people in your community, look online or right here in the eLearners community. Even if you are not interested in replying to a blog or a commercial chat, you will probably see some of the same experiences you are having appearing in these places. (Hint: Check to see if your school hosts local meetings or events and attend them.)

Establish a relationship with your professor. If you are truly interested in the subject you are taking, e-mail your professor some very well thought out questions about the subject. Most professors will answer and be flattered you are thinking about the course beyond the assignments and activities. Also, many professors enjoy sharing their expertise so don’t be shy! (Hint: Online professors can become mentors, reviewers, and references for later projects just like classroom-based professors.)

Wear your school colors with pride! Purchase a sweatshirt with your online university’s logo or slap a bumper sticker on your car. Believe it or not, just associating yourself with a school helps makes you feel a part of the school and once you feel part of the school, you will feel less isolated. (Hint: Most online bookstores will sell you logo items right along with your books!)

Know the rules of netiquette. Netiquette is simply respecting other people in the chat room. That means waiting until others are done “speaking,” using appropriate language, and sticking to the subject. (Hint: Your school should have chat room rules posted. If you don’t know them, ask your professor before the chat room starts.)

Check out the chat speed beforehand. If you are on dial-up, it may make the chat room exceedingly slow, which means when you type in a long sentence, the others in the chat room will be waiting to see what you are typing. If you are on dial-up and can’t get high speed access, then let the chat room participants know, type only a few words before sending them, or write your responses in an editor and copy and paste them into the chat. (Hint: You can have two windows open at once, just use the minimize button at the top of your Internet browser.)

Review the materials. Think of your chat as a classroom debate. If your professor told you there would be a debate about a topic in class and you had to participate, you would make sure you knew the topic, right? Well, in a chat room, you need to do the same thing – know your topic. (Hint: Most professors will post the topic for the chat room beforehand in the assignments.)

Make it comfortable. Consider your working style: do you want to feel energized and upbeat when you are studying or would you prefer a feeling of tranquility and reflection? If you want a feeling of stimulation or activity, paint the walls with warm yellows or chose red drapes for your window dressing. If you want serenity and calm: soothing, cool blue tones or deep, rich greens. If you want classic simplicity in your workspace, stick to taupe, grays and even chocolate browns. Do you like to stretch out while you take notes? Add some throw pillows or a beanbag. Don’t be afraid to add some personality, but make sure that everything will help you stay productive. Too many pillows and you may find yourself curled up next to your laptop, asleep!

Choose appropriate furnishings and equipment. To optimize your space, list all the items that must go into your home office. By doing this, you can plan the best layout for your room. Depending on the size of the space, you may need to take some measurements to ensure that everything will fit and that you won’t feel crowded or uncomfortable. Think about what you may need:

• A desk and chair
• Desktop or laptop computer with an Internet connection.
• Printer, scanner, and/or fax
• Shelves for your books, binders, print-outs, and reference materials
• Filing cabinet(s)
• Floor lamps or desk lamps
• A bulletin/memo board to keep track of notes and other bits of information

Caution! Don’t place your computer in an area that receives direct sunlight or gets too warm. Electronics are temperature sensitive, so make sure the room receives adequate air circulation and that the sun can’t damage your equipment.

Determine if you’re in over your head. Take a look at the course requirements and your personal schedule – then, decide if you can really handle the workload. Can you balance the course work with your family and career? Are the required assignments at your level? Are you really dedicated to finishing the online course? Too many distance learning students enroll in online courses and drop out after a month or so. Don’t blemish your record with an “F” or a “W.” If you decide to dropout before your online school’s withdrawal deadline, you can usually get a full or partial refund of your tuition, as well as a clean record.

Buy any required texts. If your online course requires textbooks or other materials, buy them early so you won’t fall behind on your assignments. Don’t feel that you have to pay full price at the online school’s bookstore. There are plenty of ways to get your required readings at a fraction of the price.

Update your computer. Check the course syllabus to see what software or hardware you will need. You may need to install programs (such as Acrobat Reader or Real Player) in order to access the multimedia components of your course. Using this week to make sure your computer can run the necessary programs will save you from being surprised when you’re under a deadline.

Introduce yourself to the teacher. If you’re in an online course with a lot of students, the teacher may never get to know you unless you take the initiative. Use your online course message board or email your teacher with a brief introduction. A teacher who knows a little bit about you will be more likely to help you through the course (and be a little more lenient when it comes time to dish out grades).

Participate. Sometimes it’s difficult to jump in and participate in online class discussions. But, don’t hesitate. Speaking up early will help you establish yourself as an active member of the course. You’ll start to make new friends and will end up with a better grasp of the material.

You will set your own schedule for your very own and very private and personal online classes. Your instructor will give you the deadlines and a suggested pace to make you successful, but it will be up to you to decide when and how often to go online. Most good online students check in every day or two to see if there are new messages or discussion items. This is just a basic idea of what to expect on online classes so make sure you fully understand are well into learning before trying it out. Remember that you won’t have all those non-verbal cues that you get in the physical classroom and neither will your instructor. This is pretty much a huge difference of online classes that from regular classroom type learning. Also, your instructor’s role will be much less that of the distributor of information, and much more that of a guide or resource for you in exploring an area of knowledge. Almost all your information will come in the form of words. Words on the screen help the instructor “see” you much more clearly. The teaching style used in online classes may be different from the traditional college model.

Taking online classes means you won’t be sitting quietly in the classroom; participation is even more essential.

Online classes can work for any student, just as a physical, onsite classroom with face-to-face instruction can work for any student, but we all know the quality of the “fit” with a particular instructor or a particular class environment varies. In this type of actuality, the tendency is to rely more on the teacher or the professor instead of figuring out and identifying the pro and cons or cause and effect of things and reasoning behind the answers and solutions. The plus side is that you will have a growing urge to learn on your own and grow independently from the help of others which is really quite good. When I say some one who will support you first hand, what I mean is an actual teacher or a professor that will literally and physically show you what to do and where to get the answers from.

Online classes allow you to do your coursework when it is most convenient for you, in a time that is flexible, to accommodate your other responsibilities. The main benefit of online classes is the interaction among you, your instructor and other students in classroom online message board. Students can post comments or questions to the instructor or other students, share ideas, communicate about your learning experience, or discuss topics of the course with other interested students. Out latest up to date and state of the art good for everyone Online classes give students access to their classes 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Once logged in, students are able to view their syllabus, course documents, assignments and materials. If you do not use email, online classes may not be for you.

Online classes are fun and offer you the flexibility to continue with your job, kids, and other obligations. You can work when it’s quiet and you can concentrate.

In online classes you really have to be online at a specific day of the week, but while you are working toward your college degree online, you are expected to stay on schedule with assignments, and login multiple times per week. Some classes may have several due dates each week; others may require work once per week, but you have the flexibility of choosing the time of day or night you want to log on to the Internet and work on an assignment and other requirements that are asked of you.

Online classes allow you to do your coursework when it is most convenient for you, in a time that is flexible, to accommodate your other responsibilities. Earning a college degree online is a great way to broaden your career opportunities, without having to sacrifice that all-important time away from your family, job or other activities. The main benefit of online classes is the interaction among you, your instructor and other students in classroom online message board. Students can post comments or questions to the instructor or other students, share ideas, communicate about your learning experience, or discuss topics of the course with other interested students. Online classes are fun and offer you the flexibility to continue with your job, kids, and other obligations.