Mistakes students make in Online courses

There are many Mistakes students make in Online courses and many may surprise you. Learn more about these mistakes in this blog.

In recent years, universities have been turning all their courses online to cater to those students who can’t make it to a traditional classroom. While online courses provide increased flexibility to students who have other obligations such as an outside job, family, and kids, for many students, they can be frustrating and difficult to navigate at times.

I’ve been teaching online classes at several universities for four years. So I have picked up on some of my students’ mistakes in the online courses. Those mistakes have caused them problems with grades and their learning. I will share these common mistakes to avoid them in your college courses if you take them online or know someone who does. These points are especially important for those who plan to take all your courses online. Either because there aren’t any traditional classrooms available right now where you live, or you don’t want to deal with the physical aspect of going to a classroom.

Not using Blackboard or other course management systems efficiently

Many students enroll in online courses and never go to their course site again. It is a huge mistake as this site will contain all your class materials, including written articles, video lectures, and your professor’s and fellow student’s posts and comments about the topics covered in class. You should log into your course site at least once a week to check for any new course content added by your professor or peers, as well as post any questions you may have about what was discussed in class so other classmates can answer them as well as the professor who taught the lecture. Ask your professor if you aren’t sure how to navigate the course management system properly. They should be able to show you how to do everything needed in the class, such as submitting assignments and posting messages on discussion boards.

Not understanding Blackboard

While it may seem confusing, most schools’ course management system for online courses is pretty simple once you learn all its tricks. If one is available, you have to spend 15 minutes reading the manual your school provides on this site or go into a free tutorial by clicking on help within the software. You can easily learn everything from posting messages on discussion boards, submitting completed assignments, and taking exams online with no proctor needed.

Not keeping up to date with assignments

To keep your grades as high as possible, you should always keep current on all of your online course assignments and stay on top of due dates given by professors. There is nothing worse than waiting until the day a project or paper is due to learning that this assignment was due two weeks ago, and you now don’t have enough time to complete it. You will likely lose points if not handed in on time because of this oversight. You can avoid this by checking your school’s course management system every week for any new assignments posted by instructors. This way, you’ll never be caught off guard with something new coming down the pipeline which you haven’t had time to complete and submit.

Not taking advantage of private tutoring services

Most college websites provide access to free or paid academic help, such as the writing center, math help desk, or other areas where you can get one-on-one online tutoring for courses such as chemistry, calculus, and economics. There is no reason not to use these services for even one semester since they are offered at little or no cost to most students and could potentially mean saving points on assignments or exams that you may otherwise lose if you don’t go and seek out this extra support.

Not turning in assignments

Unfortunately, some students never turn in their online course assignments even though they have the time and resources to complete and submit them. It would help if you never fell into this category, as handing in assignments on time is crucial to getting good grades, no matter what online course you take from a reputable college or university. There is no excuse for not turning in assignments. Most schools offer unlimited time to do so and won’t penalize you for doing it late unless the instructor specifies otherwise before the semester begins.

Not asking questions

It’s always better to ask for help immediately rather than waiting until it’s too late if you find yourself struggling with a topic that isn’t entirely clear to you. Your professor and classmates will be more than happy to assist you with anything unclear which may be holding up your progress in the course. The faster you ask for help when needed, the better your chances of not dropping or failing this class, which could lead to serious consequences if it does happen.

Not participating in class discussions

One of the best ways to truly learn in an online college course is by participating in any discussion boards available with other students in your class, where you can ask questions, give advice, and share tips on completing assignments. Instructors heavily moderate these forums by instructors who ensure that what goes on there is only valuable and interesting content. Hence, there’s no need to worry about anything off-topic popping up unexpectedly while browsing through them. Just be sure to put some effort into your online course discussion posts and take advantage of the help you can get from other students.

Not turning in assignments on time

One of the biggest mistakes that any student who enrolls in an online college or university can make is not adhering to the strict deadlines given by instructors for completing online course assignments. Grades depend entirely on on-time submission. So if you miss the deadline, you will lose out significantly since all work handed in late will receive a deduction proportional to how late the instructor received it. It means that there’s no real reason not to turn your work in early (if possible) so that you have plenty of time left over for anything unexpected which might come up during the semester that could delay your progress. 

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Doing all of the work yourself

Doing all of the assignments, study, and research for any online course yourself is ineffective and very time-consuming and can easily lead to burnout if you attempt it for more than one semester. Instead, try to form relationships with other students in your class as soon as possible. This way, you can help each other out when needed during the semester. Help such as sharing notes or exam study guides that someone else worked hard on putting together could save you from doing extra work.

Not course content

There is a simple yet effective way to avoid any mistakes that result from not doing enough research on the type of online course you will be taking. Always look for feedback and ratings on that school or program before making a final decision. You can easily peruse through what other students have had to say about their time with certain courses and instructors and how beneficial they were, giving you valuable insight into whether it is worth your time and money.

Not getting help when needed

There’s simply no need to struggle alone in an online college course if you find yourself completely overwhelmed by the amount of work required, especially if it takes valuable time away from your personal life, which could eventually lead to depression. If nothing else seems to be helping you stay motivated or feel your grades slipping, then there are plenty of online homework helpers designed to help stressed college students find some relief. Just pick one that works for you, and it could be the difference between success and failure when trying to earn a degree.

No feedback from instructors

While most online universities pride themselves on their open communication with students in their courses, some fail to provide timely or consistent feedback regarding exam results or comments on assignments. It can make it difficult for you to improve your understanding of course material if they don’t go out of their way to let you know what could be holding back your grade in the class. Make sure that whatever online program you choose goes above and beyond in this regard, and you will be much less likely to make any common mistakes associated with poor communication.

Doing too many unrelated things

You may struggle in your online courses if you aren’t giving them the attention they deserve. Instead, you may waste your time on other activities such as spending hours playing video games or watching TV each day. It gives you little time left over for studying. It can also significantly impact your grades due to a lack of focus. Tasks that demand so much mental energy are usually put off until later, leading to procrastination with school work.

Skipping class sessions/live lectures

It is never advisable to skip out on live course meetings since this will miss out on the most important part of your experience, which is learning with your classmates. Not only will you miss out on sharing ideas about course material with each other, but you also won’t have the opportunity to interact with instructors either during or after class, which means that any questions about assignments/tests won’t be answered until later- if at all.

Quitting college

This common mistake is probably more easily avoided than many others mentioned in this article, but it can still take some people by surprise, especially if they had planned on finishing their degree within a certain time frame. Suppose you discover that it might be too difficult for any reason. In that case, there are plenty of schools available online that may accept you with lower grades, giving you enough time to bring them up to standard before entering a program. It is a one of the common mistakes students make in Online courses.

Focusing too much on just one area

If your goal is to earn an online bachelor’s degree, you shouldn’t try and complete all the coursework in just a few months, especially if you still have other classes you need to attend at your regular school. Even though some programs allow their students to study full-time, there is nothing beneficial about rushing through things and missing out on important milestones. Milestones such as exams can hurt your chances of getting good grades when they are finally submitted.

Not participating enough in class discussions

Most online courses include plenty of opportunities for communication among classmates. It helps everyone get better acquainted with each other while also allowing them to share their thoughts about course material, making learning easier since they will be more involved. However, you won’t experience this advantage if you aren’t participating in these discussions and could fall behind other students willing to participate instead since instructors usually encourage collaboration among their groups.

Not using the resources available

Online schools offer plenty of resources that can help you get ahead during your academic career from student forums where everyone has a chance to communicate with each other and find solutions for common issues, study aids such as outlines or sample tests, online tutoring sessions through live chat/video calls, etc. Some people may be too shy or think they know all the answers to take advantage of these opportunities. But they can significantly impact your online education and increase your chances of receiving high grades if you make the most of them.

Not doing enough research

Students make this mistake when they think they have got everything in their courses. There is no need to do further research, which couldn’t be farther from the truth. Most schools provide plenty of information about course content and general requirements. Still, nothing beats going through multiple sources yourself to understand better things such as different academic policies or how assignments get graded at each school.

Forgetting about college requirements

If you don’t pay attention going through your degree program’s syllabus, then you might not realize that there are certain requirements you must meet to fulfill your degree requirements, such as work experience, which can be time-consuming and difficult to obtain during the school year. Suppose you don’t look into these things ahead of time and figure out how to balance both academia and your personal life during the semester. In that case, you could find yourself behind schedule with no way of catching up on things beforehand.

Not taking advantage of additional resources outside class

In addition to those mentioned above, you should also try and explore other resources available at your college, even if they aren’t directly involved with course material, since those can still help prepare you for a great career by providing knowledge about important topics such as resume building or networking opportunities through student groups.

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Unprepared for exams

One of the most common causes of bad grades is not putting enough time and effort into study sessions throughout your semester. It leads to missing important material during test/exam preparation or not understanding things well enough to provide correct answers. It will significantly increase your chances of receiving low marks at the end of the semester, so try and divide up your list of tasks ahead of time to allow yourself plenty of practice time with different types of problems before taking an exam.

Not staying organized

Another common mistake made by students, especially those who take on lots of coursework each semester, is starting assignments but letting them up without putting aside some free time to finish them, which means that they have to work on them at the last minute. It can exhaust you mentally and lead to mistakes due to stress or lack of sleep. So you must try and set some time aside each day for additional research, completing coursework, or revising lectures/materials to catch up with things before deadlines are upon you.

Not knowing what affects your GPA

There are certain circumstances where one bad grade has a huge impact on your final GPA, and it isn’t always easy to keep track of these little details. For example, suppose you’re taking courses that require good academic performance. Any low scores could drastically reduce the chances of you achieving your degree requirements and even make going to school a waste of time. It is why you should make sure that you not only score high on grades during your classes but also take the time to investigate what happens if you have a bad semester. It affects your GPA and jeopardizes things such as scholarships or on-time graduations after being out of school for an extended time.

Not taking enough courses

Some students find themselves in difficult situations where they don’t have many options on their hands to picking classes. Taking care of younger siblings, working long hours at a job outside school, or going through some personal problems that can limit their ability to participate in a full load throughout a semester can be some reasons. And while this is understandable since no one wants to be in that position, it also means that they aren’t taking advantage of the fact that they are in school to help improve their career through additional learning opportunities.

This lack of commitment will only make it difficult for you to find a job when applying. Employers don’t want your resume to lack anything relevant after knowing how much effort you made in education. So make sure not to take things for granted by at least making sure you finish out your degree before quitting just because life got busy, or try and attend seminars or events over breaks so that you don’t get behind on coursework while enjoying yourself.

Further read: if you are a tutor, find out common mistakes that tutors make when they teach online. Click here (Will open in a new tab)