Pre-Course Prep

Each new semester offers a chance to increase or maintain your GPA. It's an exciting time for most students, but it's also a critical time to ensure you finish the course successfully.

Planning is key.

Follow these steps at the start of every semester to establish yourself as an A student.

Write down professor contact information (phone, email, and messenger names) and keep it somewhere you can find it easily and quickly.

Verify that you have the correct course materials If you're missing something, contact the bookstore first and then notify your professor. Let your professor know what steps you have taken to obtain the missing material and ask for suggested resources to utilize until that material arrives.

Review the course for major project timelines and plan. Write major project deadlines into your calendar and plan for them. If you have conflicts in your schedule that will impact one or more of those deadlines, plan for early submission rather than requesting an extension. Trust me. This is in your best interest and it will allow you to stand out as an exceptional student. Professors will remember that when you ask for a reference letter later on.

Check the grading distribution for all course assignments. While you are ideally submitting high quality work in all areas of your courses, the reality is sometimes life gets in the way. If you have work and/or family responsibilities, these often impact your ability to spend large amount of time on coursework and getting all of your coursework completed. Determine which assignments are going to have the biggest impact on your grade and focus on those first.

Introduce yourself to your professor. If the course has an introduction area, take time to identify your professional and educational goals and what you hope to get out of the course. If there is no introduction area, take a moment to email the professor with a short introduction. Avoid going into too much detail or sending lengthy emails. Professors are often overburdened with email, so something short and to the point will elicit the best response.

How you handle course materials will depend on your school. Some schools bundle course materials into the cost of the class and send them to you before the start of your course. In those cases, verify the materials you receive against the materials listed in the syllabus immediately. If anything is missing or incorrect, contact the bookstore (or whatever contact you’ve been given for course material issues) immediately. Obtain an estimated arrival date for the correct materials.

Then contact your professor via their preferred method. Use email if no preferred contact is listed. Outline the error with your course materials, your interaction with the bookstore, and what the estimated arrival date is for your corrected materials. Ask if he or she would recommend any other resources you can use to complete coursework until your correct materials arrive.

If you are required to purchase your own materials, do so as early as possible to allow time for any issues that may arise. Since cost is a concern to the vast majority of college students, don't feel compelled to purchase new. Purchase used when possible. And consider some of the new rental options available at some college bookstores, as well as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Half.com. Review the course syllabus carefully to determine edition numbers, as textbooks are often updated every few years to remain current. Considering an older edition to save money? Maybe. It could be the difference between spending $150 and $25. But review what updates were made in the newer edition first. Sometimes those revisions are simply corrections to typos or other minor issues, but sometimes they are major revisions to correct concepts and information.

Also review your syllabus to see if any assignments are pulled from the textbook. You want to be sure you have access to the information you need to complete your course. When in doubt, as your professor if an older edition will be acceptable. You may be able to supplement missing or outdated information with a little extra research on your own.

One area many students seem to overlook in an online course is the syllabus. Yet, this is your first step in establishing a plan for success in your online course. 

Review the syllabus for assignment types and due dates.

Does the course have a mid-term or final exam? If so, take a closer look and determine what kind of information you need to focus on leading up to the exam. Will the professor provide a study guide? If not, consider compiling your own throughout the course. What format will exams be presented in (multiple choice, essay, short answer, etc.)? Are they timed? Knowing what to expect will help you feel calm and better prepared on test day. 

Are there major projects or research papers due? If so, read through the directions and be sure you have a clear understanding of the expectations. Ask questions if there are areas in which you need clarity. If there are assigned topics, but you'd like to go in a different direction, ask. Explain to your professor how you feel a different approach might benefit your academic and/or career growth and how it will still comply with the overall objectives of the course and assignment. 

Where are grading rubrics located? Almost all online courses provide rubrics that outline how assignments will be graded. Find and review grading rubrics. Understand and follow them. This is how you are going to get the most out of your time and efforts.