Over the course of this term, I have learned so many different things. In this class alone, I learned about my learning styles, time management, and goal setting. All of these skills will assist me with continuing to be successful in my  online education. I am naturally an independent learner that prefers to figure out and solve problems on my own. This natural skill improves my ability to succeed in an online environment. That doesn’t mean online learning is something that just comes easy to me, though. Throughout this term, I’ve faced numerous difficulties. I’ve dealt with poor time management and unsatisfactory organization skills. Luckily, this class has provided lessons that assist me with overcoming these problems. I have learned many time management tips that help me to stay on top of my work better. I’ve also been using notebooks and planners to help keep me organized, too. If I didn’t have this class to help me, I would have probably had a stress-induced freak out. In this class, I also learned that I learn through a multitude of styles. Now that I am aware of that, I make sure to supplement my studying with tricks that will help me better retain the information. Instead of just reading my textbook, I will also play the audio that corresponds to it, or watch a supplemental video. Knowing what works specifically for me will greatly benefit my learning experience over the course of my educational career. Throughout this class, I’ve also learned a lot about the resources OSU has to offer. One of the ones that stood out to me was their study abroad programs. I am really interested in traveling and studying all around the world. At some point during my time with OSU, I hope to be able to complete a study abroad program. I am deliberating all of the possibilities of the places I can go and it is very exciting. The long-term goal that I have set goes along with my desire to travel and experience the world. By the end of my sophomore year, I hope to be in a different place doing exciting things. This class has taught me that you can only accomplish goals when they align with what you value most. This made me reevaluate the goals I had previously and come up with new, improved goals. For next term, I plan to finish researching the study abroad programs I am interested in and start contacting the Office of Global Opportunities. I am very excited about my goals and that is what will give me the motivation to complete them. Overall, I am very happy with everything I have learned from this class. I feel much more confident in my ability to succeed in an online learning environment than I did before.

Hello and welcome to my first blog post. My name is Kristen and I have no idea what it means to be a successful online learner. Okay, I wouldn’t say no idea, but I am definitely not as adept on the subject as I once thought I was. This is my first time taking classes online through Oregon State, and my second time taking online classes ever. The first time I took online classes was in high school, and let’s just say it was “sub-par”. I only did it for the last semester of my senior year. The main reason why I chose online learning versus in-person is because it lets me work on things at my own pace and at times where I feel comfortable. Although, I still got that in high school (somewhat), it sill doesn’t compare to my experience with OSU so far. OSU’s ecampus is so much more organized, engaging, and challenging. Which is where I have realized that this is going to be a lot harder than I expected. You’re really encouraged to interact with classmates and teachers through discussions (and now blogs), which is what seriously lacked in my previous online experience. This is something I will have to get used to, but I do believe it’s going to seriously benefit my learning experience. Another big difference would have to be the workload, but I expected that since I was transitioning from high school to college. One thing I wasn’t as prepared for though, would be the amount of information I have to teach to myself. A lot of the coursework consists of reading through textbooks and then comprehending the information on your own. I already know that this is going to be my biggest challenge. But now that I realize that, I am going to start taking steps to help me get through it. These past couple of weeks, I have learned methods and strategies that will benefit my specific learning strengths, and help me with my weaknesses. I realized that I cannot just read through information to fully grasp it. I am going to have to find ways to present the information to myself in a multitude of ways. As long as I can pinpoint my weaknesses, and figure out ways to overcome them, I should have no problems getting through my online classes. With that said, it seems like I actually DO know what it takes to be a successful online learner!