How to Succeed in EARTH 105: Quality in = Quality out
In music, as in sports, the phrase goes something like "Practice, Practice, Practice!"
And in the world of cooking, everyone knows that the better the batter, the better the cake!.
In other words, what you put in greatly influences what you get out.
For online courses, the advice most likely to lead you to success is "Engage, Engage, Engage!"
What does this mean? Quite simply, it means being active in the course on a regular basis. It means keeping in synch with what's going on in the course, staying on top of deadlines and assignments, asking for help when necessary, and taking every opportunity to interact with the content, with the instructor, and with each other. It means making this course a regular part of your routine. Do this and it will be difficult for you NOT to succeed in this course.
In online courses, the role of both the instructors AND the students tends to shift from traditional classroom settings. The instructor defines and sets overall goals, outcomes, and timelines, s/he makes the information, resources, and experiences available to you to meet those goals, and s/he provides the support, guidance, communication channels, and feedback to help you succeed. Your primary responsibilities, then, are to stay on task, to manage your time and energy to get what you need done on a weekly basis, to ask for guidance when you need clarification, and to take every opportunity available to you to improve your chances of success.
That's the model here - I want you to succeed, and my commitment to you is that I will help you do that as long as you meet me at least half way.
Be engaged in this course at least eight hours each week, and log on several times each week to spread out your study time and thinking time. In the final analysis, multiple on-line sessions of quality study time is a tried-and-true recipe for success.
