Strategies for Success

Communicating with your instructor

Your instructors want to hear from you and help you. Remember to be patient.

• Find out how each instructor prefers to communicate about everyday questions related to the course (for example email, Moodle discussion groups, Google Hangouts, virtual office hours on Zoom, etc.). Make a chart of this if you need a quick reference.
• Use the communication tools provided by each instructor, such as Moodle and Zoom, to engage in course activities and stay updated.
• Use in-meeting features like chat, raised hands, or reaction boxes to ask questions during a synchronous class meeting.
• Ask your instructors the same kinds of questions you would ask in person, like questions about
  • course content
  • your assignments, progress, and grades
  • changes to the course format
  • virtual office hours and scheduling a time to meet
  • letters of recommendation
• When trying to schedule a virtual meeting, provide your instructor with options. First, check their office hours. Next, consider emailing three different date/time options when you are available to meet virtually.
• Keep all communications professional.
  • Be polite.
  • Keep the message short and focused on one specific question or request (3 paragraphs max)
  • For more tips on crafting effective email messages to instructors, check out this page and video from the NC State Graduate School Professional Development Team

Establish Good Study Habits

Remote learners can stay focused and successful with the right environment for learning and a few organizational tips.

Stay Organized

Once you’ve heard from each instructor about changes to your course schedules, formats, and requirements, make a chart that documents the key changes and post it where you can reference it easily. This might include new deadlines, new exam dates, different projects or new assignment instructions.  Update the document immediately when you receive new information.

Optimize Your Environment

• Create a new study environment that mimics the places where you typically study best.  If that’s a quiet space, make sure your study space is away from conversations, television, music, and other distractions. If you typically study in a public place like a library or coffee shop, try sitting in a chair or adding background noise with a white noise app.
• Make sure your work environment is comfortable.
  • Adjust the height of your chair, keyboard, and screen to be comfortable
  • Forearms and thighs should be level and parallel to the floor.
  • Wrists should not be bent while typing.
  • Avoid eye strain by making room lights at least as bright as the computer screen

Collaborating with classmates online

Working in groups for class assignments can sometimes be difficult, especially for the online learner. Follow these useful tips for participating in group work online to help guide you into a more successful virtual group dynamic!

• If you typically study with a classmate or group, create a virtual study session using Google Hangouts, Zoom, or group texting.
• To stay connected, consider identifying one study partner for each class. Set up times to meet-up virtually to study, work on class projects, and/or give feedback on each others’ work.
• When possible, choose group members with similar schedules to avoid challenges of different time zones and opposing work schedules.
• Align group roles and responsibilities with individual strengths and interests.
• Identify what project activities must be accomplished, in what order and by when. For example, you can use a project management tool like Asana to divide activities and set deadlines for each task/member.
• Choose a group leader who is comfortable taking on that role.
• Establish clear guidelines around when, where and how your group will communicate with each other.
• Create a comfortable forum to communicate through, even if it’s not the online classroom setting.
• Schedule extra conference calls closer to project deadlines to address any last-minute hiccups and tasks.
• Always be honest, but respectful, in a group. If either the project or a fellow group member is heading down a path you don’t agree with, speak up.
• Ask your instructor to consider a peer evaluation strategy. This encourages equal participation by ensuring individual accountability. Here’s a sample peer participation report.
• Lastly, don’t be afraid to talk to your instructor. Provide regular group updates, which can then be used to track progress and mediate concerns.

Tips for group members in different time zones

Working in groups across time zone differences can present some challenges.  Here are simple tips to help you work through some of them.

• Use calendar invitations, which take time zones into account, to schedule times when you’ll meet to work together.
• Try to be flexible with meeting times – it could be necessary to schedule them late or early in the day for everyone to participate.
• Once your group has decided on a meeting time, try to keep it consistent
• Determine which remote tools your group will use to communicate and collaborate and stick to using those tools.
• To organize information and create a project, such as a group report, work together through a tool like Google Docs, even if you’re not all working at the same time.

Preventing Academic Misconduct

Transitioning to online courses has presented challenges for students and faculty. This information on Student Conduct’s website serves as a resource for students during this difficult and unprecedented time of a pandemic. The goal of this information is to provide success strategies for students while completing academic work primarily in an online environment.