Will you be a successful on-line student?

1. Are you comfortable using e-mail, computers and the Internet?

• Yes-This is a must for on-line course success. You'll be using e-mail, computers and the Internet on a daily basis for the duration of the course. You don't need to be a computer genius, but you should feel comfortable reading and sending e-mails, working your way through a website and word processing on a computer.
• No-You'll use e-mail, computer and Internet skills on a daily basis. You don't need to be a computer genius, but you should feel comfortable reading and sending e-mails, working your way through a website and word processing on a computer. If you feel you lack these skills, you may want to obtain them before you take your first on-line class.

2. Do you have, or can you obtain, convenient daily access to a computer, an e-mail address and the Internet?

• Yes-These are musts for on-line success. You'll need to check your e-mail daily for messages from the instructor and fellow students. You'll need to check into the course website several times a week.
• No-You should get access to all of these things before you take an on-line course. If not, you'll have to be willing to make daily visits to a library computer lab, wait your turn if other people beat you to the computers and be willing to log off and return later if computer access time is limited due to demand.

3. Are you prepared to dedicate 4 to 6 hours a week (anytime during the day or night) to participate in the learning process?

• Yes-Instead of spending three or so hours in a classroom listening to lectures you'll spend this time at home doing your coursework in an on-line course. You'll have homework as you would in a face-to-face course. You'll need to commit 4 to 6 hours a week to your on-line course if you expect to finish your work.
• No-Any college course requires a time commitment. If you don't have 4 to 6 hours a week to dedicate to an on-line course you'll probably allow other activities to take precedence and use the time you should be spending on your on-line class. It's likely you won't pass the course.

4. Are you a well-organized person?

• Yes-On-line learning allows for a degree of flexible scheduling. However, you must ultimately do the work. It's important for on-line learners to keep the study commitments they make to themselves.
• No-Since there is no teacher looking over your shoulder during an on-line class, disorganized people find it easy to procrastinate about doing assignments. If they procrastinate too much, they find themselves hopelessly behind in their coursework and end up dropping the course. For this reason, on-line classes typically have a higher withdrawal/failure rate than traditional classes.

5. Do you meet school work deadlines without being reminded by your instructors?

• Yes-You'll go weeks without seeing your instructor face-to-face in an on-line course. You need to have the discipline to make commitments and keep them.
• No-You won't be seeing your instructor two or three times a week in an on-line course as you would in a traditional course. There won't be an opportunity for an instructor to constantly remind you to keep up to date.

6. Are you willing to speak up if you have a question?

• Yes-Since you don't have the same face-to-face contact with your instructor in an on-line class, you have to be willing to tell the instructor when you have a question or concern.
• No-It's impossible for an on-line instructor to scan the classroom and see who looks confused. People who are unwilling to ask questions suffer silently, have an unhappy on-line experience and frequently drop the course.

7. Are you comfortable communicating through writing?

• Yes-Since an on-line course takes place over a computer, most of the communication with your instructor and fellow students will be written. The ability to express yourself well in writing is important for on-line success.
• No-Most of your contact with your instructor and fellow students in an on-line course takes place in writing. If you lack confidence in your writing skills, you might want to improve them before enrolling in an on-line course.

8. Are you comfortable learning by reading?

• Yes-Virtually all the course material is presented in writing, either on-line or through the accompanying Using Your Speech Power! workbook. So, good reading comprehension is important.
• No-Since almost all of the course material is presented in writing, good reading skills are very important. If you lack confidence in your reading ability, you might want to sign up for a traditional face-to-face class.

9. Does your lifestyle (family, work or personal schedule) make it difficult for you to attend courses at a regularly scheduled time?

• Yes-On-line courses are very beneficial for people whose schedules make it difficult for them to make a regularly scheduled class meeting time. You still have to do the work in an on-line course, but you have some flexibility about when you do it.
• No-Even if you can make a regularly scheduled class meeting time, there's no reason you can't take an on-line course. Many traditional students take on-line courses because they can't get the class at the time they want to take it.

10. Are you comfortable working in groups with other students?

• Yes-On-line courses, and my speech class in particular, require group work. Some of the group work will be during the in-class sessions and some of the group work will occur on-line through e-mail and the class discussion area of the course. Your ability to work well with others will make the on-line course a more enjoyable experience for you.
• No-Group work is a major part of all on-line courses and my speech class in particular. American businesses are relying more and more on groups and teams to make important decisions. You'll need these skills when you enter the workforce. I'm not saying 'Don't take the course if you're uncomfortable working in groups.' I am saying 'Be prepared to put forth an effort to participate in group projects.'