Now that you have chosen to continue your education online either full or part-time with Advantages School International, how do you make sure you are successful with your new online school program? What are the qualities of a successful online student?
This may be your first experience with online learning, and it can be difficult to get accustomed to making your own schedule. If you’ve always attended a traditional face-to-face school before now, how do you plan your day to accommodate your online courses and make sure you are getting your assignments completed?
Increased Flexibility of Schedule
You now have the flexibility to schedule your week to meet your daily routine, so it is important to make sure you schedule time each day for your virtual classes. Whether you are working toward graduating with ASI through an online high school diploma program or transferring courses earned with ASI to your home school, earning dual credit, a dual diploma, or working on test prep, scheduling your virtual class time into your daily activities will help you reach your goal.
At ASI, we recommend that you spend a minimum of 1 hour per day, per class working in your classes to be truly successful and to reach your completion goal, but how do you go about planning to meet that goal? The following strategies can help you get started and stay successful throughout your online school program.
Play to Your Strengths
The very first step to ensuring success in your online school program is to set a schedule that works for you. You are more apt to stick with a schedule if it meets your strengths. Do you work better right after breakfast or after you have been awake for a few hours? Do you get more done with 90-minute blocks or with frequent breaks?
Create your schedule with your strengths in mind. Also, be realistic about the time you will commit to studying each day. If you set unrealistic plans, you may follow them for a few days, but before long, you will find your plans are impossible to follow.
Put it in Writing
What good is a great schedule if you don’t stick to it? You are more likely to follow your schedule if you put it in writing. You can use the digital calendar in ASSIST to keep track of your assignments, you can write them down in a planner, or you can connect your ASSIST calendar to your Google calendar.
Using a calendar on your mobile device allows you to set up reminders and receive notifications when it’s time to get to work. Set aside times on the calendar or in your planner for work in each class just as if you were scheduling a meeting or a coffee date with a friend. You are planning for success when you set aside time each day to work in your online classes.
Post your Schedule
Post your schedule in a prominent place in your home so others around you will know your intended schedule. This allows others to see when you need privacy and quiet in order to complete your work. Consider hanging a copy of your schedule on the refrigerator so all of your family members can see what you have planned. If you’re using a digital calendar option, you can share that as well. Check out these instructions for sharing your Google Calendar with other people.
In addition to sharing your schedule with other people in your home, share your intentions as well. Take the time to talk to your parents, loved ones, and friends about your intentions for completing your school work. What courses do you plan to accomplish by the end of the semester or year? Why are you taking these particular courses? What are your future plans? By discussing these plans aloud, you are solidifying them in your mind and setting yourself up for success.
Organizing your week with your education in mind will only help you to succeed! At Advantages School International, we are an online school dedicated to personalized learning! Remember that your teachers, parents, and ASI team are here to support you. We realize that one size definitely does not fit all, and we are here to help. Click here for a sample schedule that will help you create your own Success Plan! If you have further questions about creating a plan that’s just right for you, do not hesitate to contact us today!
