Studying online:A guide for new students enrolled in fully online units

Academic Skills UnitAustralian Catholic University

http://www.acu.edu.au/219616

Welcome to ACU!For all students, beginning study is a time of new experiences and new challenges. At the Australian Catholic University, there are a number of services and resources to assist you to make that transition as a fully online student.

To help you begin that journey, you might like to think about:• what online learning and BlackBoard is• comments from students about their experiences of studying fully online• differences between studying face-to-face and the online experience• the importance of planning your time.• the resources available to assist you with study:

– Office of Student Success– Academic Skills Unit– Library

We welcome you and encourage you to become an active part of our community.

Online learning and BlackBoard

• Online learning (called eLearning at ACU) provides students with a greater level of flexibility and interactivity by being able to access online course materials and learning activities at any time, from any location via an Internet browser.

• BlackBoard is the Learning Management System that ACU uses for its online learning. Learn more about this from the self-help tutorial and information located on the eLearning website.

What students say about their online experienceOn learning online• “You still need to set goals, plan the semester and have your weekly routine for study.

Because the learning is more self-directed it is easy to slip and think you can catch up later.”

• “While it is great to be able to do the work when you have time, it is easier if you keep up with the crowd. You will get responses from other students about your posts; otherwise, you can find people have moved on to the next topic and you start to feel more isolated.”

• “I’m not a ‘keyboard person’ so I wasn’t used to the chatting online but I found it useful to be able to talk to other students online who were having the same problems as I was.”

On using Blackboard• “It was a shock for me using the system for the first time, I hadn’t realised how much I

relied on face-to-face contact with my lecturers in the past. “• “You need to be prepared to feel uncomfortable, even anxious doing your first posting,

but the way to discover what’s expected is by using the system.”• “At the start make the effort to go through the Blackboard training, it really helps. I

had to go back in week 2 and find out how to use the system. And ask your lecturer if you need help.”

What to expect of studyTips from students:• It saves so much time not having to attend classes and to be able to

log on at any time to access the unit information.• You need to take the opportunities to chat with other students

online, it breaks down the isolation of studying alone without on campus classes.

• At the start take the time to go through all the training about how to use Blackboard. It is so much easier when you get used to the technology.

• Find out what your lecturer expects, so you need to read the Unit outline carefully and ask if you don’t understand what is required.

• It is different posting a response online that all students will see to handing in work in class. I think most students felt anxious about contributing to discussions at first.

Study strategiesFor all students, it helps to:

• Have regular times for study• Know when to study particular units• Use active rather than passive strategies• Understand your preferred learning style• Use a range of strategies and resources• Talk to yourself – self-check progress as

you study• Become familiar with the language of

the unit• Connect with other students• Have a mental contract with yourself for

completing task - rewards• Ask for assistance early • Enjoy the challenge, have confidence

that you can succeed and persist with the effort.

For fully online students:• Have a study plan. You will need to log on

to Blackboard at least a couple of times each week to complete readings and learning activities.

• Print a copy of the Unit Outline. It is your point of reference for the Unit.

• Know what you are expected to do for assessment tasks in the Unit - ask your lecturer for clarification if needed.

• Realise that lecturers will have different styles for engaging with students online and expectations will change for different units.

• Actively participate in online discussions. It is the way to connect with your lecturer and other students.

• Find out early how and where to get help if you are having difficulties with the technology, the unit content, study skills or personal issues.

Importance of planning for online learners

Online learning gives you increased flexibility with use of your time, but it also requires active decision making about how to use that time.

•A semester plan gives you an overview of the entire semester. This will allow you to see at a glance the tasks you need to complete for the semester and to prioritise and allocate your time throughout the semester.•For the most effective planning, use a semester planner in conjunction with a weekly planner to establish your study routine.•Whether you use the print resources from the Academic Skills Unit or your own electronic organiser, it is important to take control of your study early in the semester by deciding how you will organise your study time.

Using planners

• A semester planner gives you a visual overview of the entire 12 weeks, for each of your units.

• Download a copy of this planner from http://www.acu.edu.au/219069

• Place the planner where you have easy access to it.• Set start dates for each task and write them on the

planner.• Work out how much time you will need to complete

each task. Allow yourself plenty of time and remember to allow for extra workload or circumstances.

• A weekly planner helps you allocate your time.

• Enter your scheduled commitments for the week to identify free blocks of time you can use for study.

• Use in conjunction with the semester planner to organise enough time for each task.

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Office of Student SuccessThe Office of Student Success (OSS) has a number of

services you can access online or by phone:

– Academic Skills Unit (study/learning strategies)

– Campus Life (university events, sports/social clubs)

– Career Development Service (management of career)

– Counselling Service (personal issues/concerns)

– Equity & Disability Unit (access and equity issues)

Services are FREE and available to ALL students

Academic SkillsAcademic Skills Advisers can assist you to develop the skills and strategies for success in your studies.

Visit the Academic Skills Unit website for:•Our range of online study resources•Information about workshops sessions and materials•Email and phone contact details for individual advisers and ‘Ask an Adviser’ •Information about making an appointment with an adviser. As a fully online student, your appointment can be over the phone or via email at your appointment time. You will need to phone or email an adviser to organise this ahead of time.

The Library supports you with a variety of services and resources

• Connect to the Library using the link in the left-hand pane of your BlackBoard units.

• Access over 60,000 electronic books, 50,000 ejournals, millions of journal articles, thousands of images, current affairs TV shows, and much more using any computer with an internet connection.

• Use the subject guides that have been developed by subject Librarians as a starting point to help you find discipline-specific resources and materials for your studies.

• Request items from the collection using the Library catalogue and the Library will send them directly to you.

• Take advantage of the Interlibrary Loan Service. For Higher Degree Research, Postgraduate, and Honours students, the Library will locate items we do not have in our collection and get them for you.

Library Services

• Full details about Library services for fully online (Distance) students can be found at http://www.acu.edu.au/223792.

• All library messages, including courtesy and overdue notices, are sent to your student email account.

• You can contact the Library in many ways:In person – go to the information or loans desk at the nearest campus LibraryTelephone - speak to a Librarian at any of the campus Libraries.Instant Message – chat with us between 10 am and 2 pm (Eastern daylight time), Monday to Friday in semesterEmail – our online information service. We will answer your enquiry within 2 working days.

Good Luck!• By choosing to study at Australian Catholic University,

you have joined a diverse community of learners and scholars.

• The members of our community come from a variety of educational and professional backgrounds, bringing strengths and experiences you can draw upon.

• We welcome you, and encourage you to take advantage of the support and resources available at ACU.