When we Bearkats hear about online classes, we often feel fearful or stressed. Fear and stress may come when we do not have computer skills or have never used Blackboard. Stress can also occur due to time management and procrastination. However, if you use the right resources and manage your time adequately, you will be successful in your online courses.
When I talk about resources, I am not referring to your computer itself but rather the resources SHSU provides for students and those we can utilize to communicate with others. As a first-time user of Blackboard, I watched the video provided in the Blackboard Student Orientation organization to guide me on how to find my assignments and other school resources. Online classes can be challenging, but by creating a GroupMe on the first day of class, I could connect with other students and get my questions answered quickly. GroupMe is a free application that college students use to communicate with peers via messaging. GroupMe allows you to send a link to the chat you have created to those you wish to join.
When taking online classes, emails are crucial. In an online setting, you cannot directly ask questions to your professor, so emails are the best way to get your questions answered by the professor. Asking questions is important when you are taking classes online. One thing I realized helped me was reaching out to professors to understand their expectations for the assignments. For instance, I would ask my professors what they expected when doing assignments, how to best prepare for exams as we go through the course, and any tips that could help me. That allowed me to meet the grading criteria and get a better perspective on how professors grade.
A few of my classes involved a lot of writing, so I would work on my assignments ahead to have enough time to take them to the writing center. The best thing about the writing center is that you do not have to go in person for them to check your papers because Sam Houston offers virtual meetings.
As we all know, technology can become stressful, especially when something goes wrong. For instance, I had an occasion when the exam froze on me while the timer continued. The best solution for technical issues has been to reach out to the SHSU Online Support Desk. I was able to reach out to them to get any technical issues resolved, which was beneficial in two ways. It allowed me to have proof to send to my professor to avoid being penalized for what had happened, and second, it got my issue fixed effectively.
You can have all these resources available for you to use, but if you do not manage your time adequately, you can go from an easy A to an F. The best thing I did for my online classes to effectively manage my time and stay organized was to write all my due dates with different colors for each class on my agenda. Some online courses allow me to get ahead, so taking advantage of that helped me have enough time to study for my upcoming exams. These classes are beneficial because they let you work on things at your own pace. However, if you are not careful, deadlines can get you. Therefore, it is crucial to not procrastinate in your online courses. In my journey, I was also guilty of procrastinating in my online courses. Professor Alexander introduced me to this LinkedIn Learning course over procrastination, which helped me get back on track. I learned we tend to procrastinate because we avoid a dreaded task, lack confidence, feel overwhelmed, or have trouble staying focused. After learning about procrastination, I was able to change certain habits that benefited me in the long run. Although I had an agenda, I improved my time management even more by setting a weekly schedule as if I were in class. Once I sat down to do assignments, if it became overwhelming, I would break down my big tasks into more doable ones. I would even work on it one day and continue the next instead of brushing it off. Something else that also helped me was to change my settings to avoid feeling bored from staying in a single place after a prolonged time. Changing places where I would do homework helped me have the energy to continue working on my assignments, but they would be places where I had little to no distractions.
I know staying in contact with others is crucial if you are married, have kids, or work. However, occasionally, we use that as an excuse to be on our phones, so we lose track of our assignments. The most effective way I would not miss any crucial life events was to inform my loved ones that if they truly needed me, to call me instead of texting me. To avoid distractions, I used an application to help me complete assignments. iPhone has a feature known as screen time, which allows you to block certain things for whatever time you program it. Using screen time helped me stay focused and away from anything that could lead me to procrastination. Avoiding procrastination is essential in your online classes. Ultimately, staying ahead on my assignments gave me more free time. By getting ahead on my assignments, I would not be stressing about missing an assignment when unexpected circumstances occurred.
Overall, GroupMe, emails, SHSU resources, an agenda, and a personalized schedule helped me through the years with my online classes. I am proud to say I ended all my online courses with all As. Ultimately, SHSU provides resources for almost everything, so as fellow students, we should not be afraid to use them, especially since they are part of our tuition and fees. Adequately using your time and resources will make those fears and stress disappear.
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