If you are curious about how an online student spends his week, this entry will give you a taste of how I go about attending online classes. I hope that you will observe the practical details of what makes an online student (or any student, for that matter) successful in his studies. I am taking human-computer interaction course for my Masters in Computer Education.

On Monday, I go to WebCT, my school’s online course software, and pick up my weekly email from the instructor. The details of the assignments are all there, and the task is discussed along with a short review of the next examination. The assignments are detailed in the syllabus but these weekly reminders make it a lot easier for me to keep track of where I am in my course. I see my grades from previous assignments, as well as the comments that the instructor has made for my reference.

On Tuesday, I review the book and read the assigned chapter. I paid more attention to important sections that may be useful for future exams. I know some people prefer to mark the book chapters with highlights and doodles, but stickies work better for me. My review is much easier because of the PowerPoint presentation provided (with 30 slides).

On Wednesday, I watched a video on WebCT that my professor posted online. I have the CD, but I still find it more convenient to simply load the video and watch it while I have other browsers open. This strategy may not be for everyone, particularly those that do not have broadband.

From Thursday to Saturday, I do other things. I tend to procrastinate and put off doing the assignments until Saturday or Sunday. I read up during Mondays so I can think about the assignments while I commute from work.
Sunday is the day I prepare the assignments. I go to WebCT to access the appropriate assignment and upload my files according to the assigned web page the professor set up. As soon as the upload is done, the assignment is marked as finished and I get a confirmation email.

The final thing I have to do is to prepare for the discussion question in the WebCT community board. There are prior postings from other members and I reply to interesting comments. After this, I review the schedule for the next week.

I have taken a number of courses for UNT through WebCT and other systems that the University provides. If I feel like travelling to attend a class, I travel 30 miles to meet my professor in person.