In college, few things bring out more polarized emotions than online classes. Whether you love them or hate them, there comes a point in nearly everyone’s college career when it makes sense to take at least one, be it to catch up on necessary classes over break or to streamline a class schedule. A number of people consider them very easy; others find them impossible. In the end, the same rules apply to them as to any other college course; it’s mostly dependent on the professor, the class, and the student. However, no matter your particular situation, you can succeed!
#1: Plan Ahead
More often than not, the reason students fail an online class is the same as why they fail their regular classes: they didn’t set aside enough time for the work. With an online class, you have to find out when things are due and prepare for them in a timely manner. Find out at the beginning of the semester what days big projects will be due, and write the dates down in a planner. Then look at your own schedule and find a time each week when you can work at smaller projects that occur regularly. And there will be smaller projects! Since there is no in-class lecture, professors have to find other ways to make sure students learn the material, and this is often done through weekly quizzes or forum posts. These will probably be due on a specific day each week, and you will not want to miss them.
#2: Understand the Course Website
Personally, I’ve been through three different online learning platforms. They’ve all functioned differently. They all look different. Worst of all, none of them have ever worked properly, and I’ve lost countless essays, posts, and quizzes into the digital abyss. But guess what? Learning both the platform and your specific course’s site is half the battle. Test all tabs and links to make sure you can access them; sometimes it can be a problem with your computer, and sometimes it’s an uploading error, but the important thing is to find out if something is unavailable as soon as possible, so the situation can be corrected and your work can be submitted on time. Of course, plan to upload a bit before the due date (or hour, let’s be realistic here) so there will be time to resolve technical problems. Additionally, make sure you know where your professor keeps links for assignments and lectures so you won’t miss important information.
#3: Purchase (And Use) All Required Outside Materials
Basically, if your online class recommends a textbook, get the textbook. Professors usually use a combination of their own lessons and textbook material, and the emphasis is almost always on the information in the textbook when it comes to quizzes and forums. It pays off to use your textbook in the end. The same also applies to outside resources such as software and study guides, since it’s quite likely they will be utilized at some point during the course.
#4: Keep an Orderly Study Space
Just like for all other classes, it’s important to have a stable, quiet space to work and study in. For online classes, this is twice as important, since you are both learning the information and working on assignments in this area. You’ll be spending a lot of time in your work space, so make sure it’s as neat and comfortable for you as possible. Keep your textbook and planner here in a prominent place so they won’t get lost or forgotten.
#5: Check All Work
Online courses are often writing-heavy, since there are usually forum posts and papers that take the place of classroom discussion. Since you have the opportunity, make sure you check your writing for grammatical errors and message clarity. A quick proofread can make all the difference to your professor and earn you a much better grade. Checking also applies to uploading; make sure your essay or post shows up on the site after you’ve uploaded it. The only thing worse than uploading poor work is finding out you didn’t upload anything at all!
Like with any college class, a bit of self-reliance and proactivity does a great deal to help you get A’s. If you treat your online class with the same importance as on-campus classes, you will do just fine. And enjoy it! After all, who doesn’t like earning college credit while curled up in pajamas at home?
Students in the fashion, entrepreneurship, and music departments successfully planned and produced their very own fashion show this past week! Members of the Introduction to Fashion and Introduction to Entrepreneurship classes collaborated to create outfits and plan Fashion & Entrepreneurship: Stories and Role Models, a fashion show and informative discussion held on Wednesday, November 16, at the Stone Ridge campus. The event highlighted the designs, merchandise, and entrepreneurial stories of seven fashion companies from the local community. The designers and companies who worked with the students included Leong Ong, Pool 28, LLC; Cal Patch, Hodge Podge Farm; Karina Cousineau, Karina Dresses; Margrit Wenzel, LGND Supply Co; Beth Petramale, Next Boutique; Ryan Roche, Ryan Roche Fashion; and Kelly Lyndgaard, Unshattered. A following panel discussion with the business owners offered wisdom and advice for the up-and-coming designers and entrepreneurs, as well as the public.
To create the show, the Fashion and Entrepreneurship students were put into teams and received valuable experience while they studied the work of the fashion companies, met with the business owners, held interviews about their designs and companies, and planned the fashion show. The students compiled what they learned about each company into a story that they shared at the show. Designs were showcased using students as models. A group of students studying Music Entrepreneurship designed the music for the event, and students planned and implemented the marketing for the fashion show.
immersing themselves in the real world, they learn by doing and spending time with experts. Students actually practice skills and the characteristics of an entrepreneurial mindset through projects like this. This is truly the SUNY Ulster way.”
She first discovered the program through posters around campus, as well as from the Honors and STEM departments on campus. After applying and getting accepted, Eva got to spend late May through early July living at Purchase, working on her research project with fellow program members, who were grouped into teams by major. Under the direction of their faculty sponsor, Dr. Mark Jonas, they developed their project, titled “The Effect of Carbon Dioxide on Climate Change”, which was designed to discover the effects of excess carbon dioxide on the genetic expression in fruit flies and specific plant types. While the main portion of the experiment was based in the biology field, Eva and a fellow computer science major in the group were given the task of creating a remote-controlled robotic arm for accomplishing specific tasks, like planting seeds. The idea behind this, and robotics in science experiments in general, is to reduce the effects of human interaction and lessen the possibility of error, an obvious goal for all research projects.
Douglas Furman, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Department Chair of Sciences, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM), has announced that a book he co-edited, Writing the History of Mathematical Notation: 1483-1700 (Docent Press, 2015), has just been published. He has also been appointed as a member of Docent Press’ Editorial Board. His new book, through careful examination of additional texts, pushes the origins of many arithmetical notations further back in time. The book takes full advantage of recent large-scale digitization initiatives by including snippets from original texts that show the early usage and evolution of these notations.
The National Association of Geoscience Teachers Geo2YC Division, has named SUNY Ulster Adjunct Jessica Moore for the March 2016 Honoree for the Outstanding Adjunct Faculty award! She was nominated for this recognition by Steven Schimmrich, and is being acknowledged for her work at SUNY Ulster. She will receive a complimentary one-year membership to NAGT Geo2YC, and will be considered as one of four quarterly honorees for the Annual Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award to be determined in Fall 2016, which includes a stipend of up to $750 from Pearson Publishing to support classroom or professional development opportunities.
Dr. Ray Raymond, Associate Professor of Government and History and Director of the Katt Institute for Constitutional Studies, gave the February Dean’s Lecture at the US Military Academy West Point. In it, Dr. Raymond examined the various forces threatening the territorial integrity of the United Kingdom. In April, he gave the keynote address at the SUNY Ulster Spring Phi Theta Kappa induction. Entitled “Ignorance is a luxury we cannot afford,” Dr. Raymond’s address explained the basic principles that should govern the relationship between the US intelligence community and policymakers.
A longtime Associate Professor of Nursing at SUNY Ulster, Dr. Schulte, has been awarded a Doctor of Nursing Science (DNS) degree from The Sage Colleges in Albany. Dr. Schulte’s research focuses on supporting non-native English speaking students in associate degree nursing programs in New York State. Her passion is cultural diversity; last summer, Dr. Schulte traveled to Brazil with students from SUNY Ulster and Oswego to promote cultural exchange between the Americas. In addition to all this, she was the keynote speaker at the New York League for Nursing Conference on March 12th in Saratoga.
