I think that I would classify online learning and working full time at the same time probably the hardest thing that I have ever had to do in my life. Just the sheer physical and mental exhaustion of working 12+ hour a day and then coming home and working on homework hits me hard every day. Believe me it is definitely not for the faint of heart. You have to have a drive to want to succeed. I believe that it probably my strength that is going to help me get through online schooling. A typical work/school day for me is about 17 hours. If I didn’t have a drive to want to get my degree I would have definitely given up a long time ago. One thing that has helped me cut down these long days is the time management skills that I have learned this term. I plan to keep using what I learned about tie management to help keep myself on track and focused since I do not have much time in the day to waste.

Since I am a more visual learner it is hard to strictly focus on techniques to help facilitate my learning styles. Sure I can watch videos, but still there is a lot of reading and writing that are involved in online learning. Sometimes I wish online learning was more like putting together Ikea furniture (yes I may be the only person on this planet that doesn’t mind putting together Ikea furniture). What I mean by that is I wish there was a step by step instruction guide for everything. I think the thing that will help me is by trying to find strategies to help me to become more of a “reading” learner.

I have always been an advocate for the OSU guidance counselors and this time is no different. They are like the go to resource at OSU for almost every case that you could come across while as an online student at OSU. I have never had such a caring counselor in school. I have been pretty honest this term about how I was not very successful from the start of my online career at OSU. However with the help of my assigned guidance counselor I was about to get myself a second shot. And for that I will always be grateful.

For my upcoming term at OSU I will say my biggest goal is completing all of my assignment on time. This term I have been better that I have in any of my other terms with getting homework in on time. However there were times that I may have missed a due date by a couple of hours or might have forgot completely. I didn’t miss enough assignments to put any of my grades in jeopardy or anything, but if I can get all of my assignments in on time next semester I will feel far more accomplished. My long term goal is to have at least 4 Straight A terms out of my last 7 terms at OSU. I feel that this goal is definitely something that I can accomplish and if I start by getting all of my homework in on time every time then I will get a good start on my long term goal.

I am naturally programed for setting goals I guess, from childhood my mother was a driving force in my need to establish goals for myself and not be afraid to set my sights high, “Reach for the Stars”. She taught me that there was nothing wrong with dreaming the big dreams and has been supportive all the way, she is a possibility thinker. Unfortunately my father was more of a practical thinker and even though he didn’t say it out loud, didn’t put a lot of value in setting goals that would stretch my limits.

The area that I would like to improve is my organization skills and time management skills. One of my students once told me that I was unorganized, referring to my in box of mail that was sitting on my counter behind my desk. It is true when it comes to my mail organization skills I need to learn better time management skills. I try hard to keep organized when preparing for classes. I guess I have always been that way, even as a child I remember the excitement of organizing my new clothes for the first day of school, but as the days went by that excitement did too. It is like new shoes when they come out of that box they have that new shoe smell, no stains, just brand new leather and I just can’t wait to put them on and walk around in them. But as time goes by and my new shoes get dirty and lose that new smell, I lose that excitement. So goes my classes, they lose that new class feel and so my excitement to be organized are gone. So I need to keep excited and that organization and time management will remain throughout the term. This class has helped me find some great tools like the Learning Corner and others, to help me stay organized and motivated.

The Term at a Glance is a great tool for me so that I can see the requirements I have for each day, each week and the term. I have found this to be a great tool this term and so thankful to have received this tool. The to-do list is another tool that will help me manage my time more effectively. I have used to-do list especially when preparing for a trip or a weekend Honey-Do list.

OSU resources that I plan to get involved with include the Student Sustainability Initiative (SSI), Academic Success Center and the Veterans page. SSI has a gardening and landscaping group that will help me with making a connection with the OSU campus if I can get a cooperative program going between the Heritage Farm in Clark County and OSU. The Academic Success Center provides help when needed and has a large variety of pdf documents that can provide success information. The Veterans page provides a good starting point with connections to a lot of the things that can help veterans like myself, be a success.

In developing my short and long term goals I tried to choose them based on those things that would help me to be better organized or continue my degree. My long term goal was developed because it is a major milestone that I must complete to continue my degree pursuit at OSU. The long term goal will be a challenge since it could require that I change jobs or at least work shifts.

This has been a very rewarding term for me and I hope for you also. I wish all of you the best of luck.

As the term comes to a close, I’ve reflected on how some of the weeks were relatively easier while others were a bit more stressful and I also learned a lot about my learning strengths and weaknesses. I believe the strengths that I naturally possessed regarding organization, as well as determination to stick to a plan or schedule helped me to stay on top of all 5 of my classes. There were a couple of slips however, and I notice that my weakness in my academics is outside stress. I noticed that a couple of times where I procrastinated and didn’t stick to the routine that I planned for myself for taking care of my coursework were when I had been really stressed out over things that were going on outside of school. This is something that I want to improve, because stressful events in life will always happen and I cannot let that affect my academics or one day I will fall too far behind.

I actually enjoyed taking this course much more than I initially thought I would have. It put things in perspective to take the time to evaluate myself and my learning skills and weaknesses. I will definitely have a new and improved outlook on how I approach my academics from here on. I will continue to use the organizational tools such as the planned weekly schedule that I have been using as well as trying out a couple of new ones (Term At A Glance Calendar) in the next term. I haven’t figured out how I am going to keep outside stress from affecting my academic performance quite yet, but since I won’t be continuing until Fall term, I will take advantage of the summer break to practice habits in dealing with that. I will definitely be utilizing the OSU Library more and will most likely use NetTutor starting Fall term as I should be taking a Math class then as well as Chemistry soon afterward. I know these are my weakest subjects, so I will turn to those resources to guide me in improving my skills in those areas.

My goals for the next term as well as those following will remain as achieving the best grades as possible in all of my classes. I don’t want to graduate by slacking and barely passing the courses that I’m not as knowledgeable in just to get by. I want to get the most out of all the courses that I take and to do so will require a lot of dedication to my planned routines, as well as practicing good time management habits. I know that there will probably be some cases where I do not perform as well as I had hoped, but it will be alright as long as I know that I tried. I will just continue to make improvements because the moment that I start to really procrastinate and lose priority in my academic performance will be the moment that the achievement of my goals will begin to be at risk which is not something that I’d like to look back on and regret. Overall, I’m confident that the next 4 years of my degree program will be full of great learning experiences that I can proud of!

This term was a bit of a rough ride for me. I was 1 week post op from a major surgery and then at about 5 weeks in, I had to have another surgery. The fact that I was able to keep up (with a single exception) with two classes , work and home must be partly attributed to better utilization of tools available to me and improved time management.

I was seriously beginning to think that although my learning styles should support an ecampus approach, that I wasn’t cut out for it, but I am doing quite well this term. Using Canvas was a big part of that – I especially liked the calendar function for assignments. And for anyone that didn’t realize, there is a Smart phone app for Canvas that helped me keep track on the go too. I used to just schedule in my calendar but would inevitably miss something – this tool made sure that I didn’t. But as with most things, you have to use it for it to work! I did and it did!

This course really helped me realize there is a lot more available to me at OSU too. The library services presentation was very good. I had something similar in my Masters program at PSU – in person. Having the online resources so readily available was something I didn’t realize. This should be particularly helpful in any future writing intensive courses. I also had no idea about the support services for e campus students. I imagine I will continue to visit these sites into the future.

The biggest change over the term is that I decided to quit taking courses randomly and without purpose. I’ve already started the process of post bacc admission. I only wish I had done it sooner!

I took this course because I had struggled in previous online courses and thought it would help. I’m actually glad now for that struggle because I think it will improve my online course journey. Thanks Brandi! I also want to thank my fellow students. Everyone was very supportive and kind. It seems we lost a few students, but the ones that hung in there – thanks!

Boy, time sure does fly by when you’re, I’m not going to say having fun because it was definitely not all fun, so I’ll say busy. This has only been my second term as a college student ( my college career so far has been completely online), and I must admit that I have experienced a lot more frustrations than in the first term. I realized that while most instructors of online classes are prompt in their posting of assignments and grades, as well as giving feedback when grading, occasionally there will be those that can’t get it together (I had one of these this term). Although this instructor’s untimely posting of assignments and total lack of feedback has caused a lot of stress, my innate stubbornness and ability to learn on my own has helped me to muddle through. I must lend credit to this class, Online Learning Success,  as well. As a natural procrastinator, the time management skills and tools I learned in this class are the main reason I continue to persevere and haven’t dropped the other class which is a baccalaureate core requirement. So for all of you who may be experiencing difficulty in a particular class, utilize your tools and resources. They can be a lifesaver!

I cannot put enough emphasis on the importance of the time management skills and tools that I discovered through this class. My learning style is multi-modal, and I can pretty much learn from any media. My main personal setbacks have been procrastination and memory loss (because I’m old). Learning to better manage my time and the implementation of my planner, which I believe is essential for all students, has proved to be crucial to my online success. Now, I do still procrastinate, but I procrastinate in a much more efficient manner.Learning how to utilize the OSU resources to discover areas for student involvement has also been interesting.

Through searching the OSU resources, such as the online Library and the college website that governs my major, I discovered a source of study that I did not know was available: the Hatfield Marine Science Center. One of my goals is to attend classes at the Marine Science Center in the summer of 2016. In doing so, I would not only be fulfilling some of the requirements for my major, but I would also be giving my children the wonderful experience of living close to the ocean, if only for a few short weeks. Who knows, maybe we’ll love it so much, we’ll decide to stay!

This is my first term here at OSU so it has been a roller coaster for me in many different ways. This is also my first term in college where I am taking all online classes. From transitioning from a in class student to an online learner has been pretty challenging for me. I can honestly say that I kind of had the mentality that doing online classes would be easier for me. There are many pros to doing online classes, but it is still very time consuming and difficult to do. A struggle that I had for most of the semester was managing my time and knowing when I can do assignments and when not too. I have struggled and still struggle with having the tendency to procrastinate and the farther the semester went the more I realize how destructive it can be to my grades. I think that this transition for me from in class student to online learner has been good for me too. By becoming a online learner and taking this class I have realized that I have strengths as a student.

This class has made me realize and identify the strengths that I have as a student and strengths I have as a online learner. One thing that this class has made me remember about myself is that I am a very driven and hard working person. I was raised that way and I try and apply this to be a college student as well. Some of the work in the classes I have this semester has been very hard and frustrating for me. If it wasn’t for the hard work that I put into my work I could honestly say that I would be failing right now. Something else that I realized this term is that I am not afraid to speak up and ask for help when I need it. Taking college course in Ohio from Oregon is a bit distant and requires me to contact different people in order to get help. I am glad that this class has made me realize that this is a good thing to do. Just this week I had a problem with a professor and I emailed him and contacted my adviser so I could get other opinions form people. Overall I’m glad this class has made me realize and identify the strengths we have as students. I hope everyone got something out of this class the way that I did.

-Joey Cramer

When I started my online learning experience here at OSU, online classes were not a new thing for me; however things have changed quite a bit since I completed my last program. I now have a family, a career and various other obligations that I must be involved with.  So as a result, the experience of being a student has also changed.

In general, I am a very organized person. When it comes to taking online courses, I can usually plan my week out accordingly and stick with my schedule. I would consider this to be a strong point of mine; however I have found that it is not so easy to stick with a schedule when you have absolutely no idea how long an assignment might take. This term I am taking a computer programming class, in addition to this class. The biggest obstacle that I have discovered with the assignments in that class is the amount of time it takes to write, debug and test a program. For example, last week I spent about 20 hours on one assignment, where 15 hours of that time was spent testing and debugging. Obviously this doesn’t leave me with a lot of time for my other course work. After learning the hard way, I have decided to reverse the order in which I complete my work, starting with an assignment that has a predictable duration followed by the unpredictable work.

This class has helped me to focus on my time management a little closer; it has also helped me to look for ways to maximize my learning. One of the biggest eye openers for me was finding my peak and valley times. It’s interesting that this seems like such a trivial concept; however, it never crossed my mind in the past. Taking this into consideration, I have discovered that I retain more from lectures and reading, when I study in the early afternoon, as opposed to early morning when I normally try to study. I have also learned that it is okay to take frequent breaks, in fact it is beneficial. This term I learned that I am left brained and a multimodal learner. Learning this information has helped prepare me to adapt my learning to best fit my learning style. After using the OSU library’s academic search function, I was thrilled to discover a tool that tracks my sources. This is a tool in which I will use for any research I conduct from here on out.

Moving forward into future terms, I will be adopting these skills and techniques, as well as many other methods learned in this class.

My strengths for my success in an online learning environment has to be my tenacious. The reminders in this class have brought back memories of many tips that become useful in online environments. Being organized, not procrastinating and working off of your strengths just to name a few is what helps me get my work done. There are so many specific tools that can help with an online environment but the one I think I’m going to choose for right now would be ask a librarian. I guess this is because I don’t feel alone in trying to accomplish a goal. Of course I have to have the specifics down in mind that is very nice that they have suggestions for you and can point you in the right direction so that you can pinpoint what is needed for you to get your assignments accomplished. The resources that I need to take into account is trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I need to talk to counselors and take some aptitude test to see what I would work best at in seeking a job. I also have to learn a new way of studying. I am one of those this still wants to print everything out and annotate in the margins. I want desperately just to download these files and save them to the computer or my notebook to read in a leisurely manner. Not being forced to stay at the desk for long readings. I don’t have a clear mind in the upcoming term because I am wanting to change direction to more suit my strong skills. The main goal that I do have is to learn Spanish and get a BA degree.

When I think back to the beginning of this class and think of what my goals were then I believe they are the same now, but they have become more refined, more outlined and I have become more determined to complete them. I have every intention of making the most of my education and completing most if not all of my goals: short and long term. I think when everyone starts college they have very vague goals in mind of graduating and getting a good job. Some are set on changing the world as we know it. I think as you go through college and start completing classes and finding what it is that is so completely you that your goals change. Maybe it’s very subtle, maybe it is extraordinary, but there will be some change to either your goals or how you complete them.

The goals I have are still the same and I still have the same skills I have had in order to do well in online classes, but I have learned, gotten new tools, reevaluated how I can complete my goals and turn my life into something I want it to be. This class has changed the way I see myself completing my goals and my dreams. I have more tools available, I know more now than I did before and I am grateful that I will be able to use these new processes to complete my classes and get the help that I need to reach my potential.

Some incoming freshman may not feel as if they need this class or one like it. They probably think they know how to use the computer and they know how to turn in assignments. More than likely they do not know all of the resources available to them. From your professors to your advisor to the financial aid people, there are resources all around you at OSU that want you to succeed and will do everything they can to help you. The online library, the student online tutoring, and learning about diversity at Oregon State will be the things I take with me to complete my next classes, and the ones after that.

Knowing my learning style has helped me a lot in my other classes. I now know that reading is my greatest strength in learning and that auditory is my weakness. Knowing this has changed how I do learn, instead of only listening to power-points or watching the videos I read along with them and I am able to retain more information and for longer periods of time. I have stopped cramming right before a test and started reading all of the written material as well go along and then review before an upcoming test. Just knowing about my learning style has changed the way I am learning and helping me with my goals.

If there was only two things I would recommend to incoming freshman coming into OSU it would be to first take this class or one like it and second, get involved in your community and diversity either in your school or online through blogging, discussion boards or any other interests you may have. I know that I feel better about my schooling, my goals and my ability to complete them after taking this class. I am so glad that I took the advice of my HDFS advisor to take this class.

This term has flew by!  It just seemed like yesterday I was trying to figure out what a google doc was (my wife is so patient with me) and now I am doing one of my final posts of the course.  As a new online learner, these past 9 weeks have shown me that I need to take the initiative and do the assignments as soon as they are available.  Next thing I know it is Friday night and I am trying to make weekend plans, but low and behold there is a discussion board staring me right in the face.  They say the early bird gets the worm, and my worm is a school-free, relaxing weekend enjoying life.  I am also not a great procrastinator, so I have to allot myself extra time to get over any speedbumps.  To all the successful procrastinators out there, I SALUTE YOU!  I have come to realize that my reading comprehension may need some work.  I have to figure out how to be a more proficient reader before I get into my core classes for Earth and Environmental Sciences.  From this class, I have realized the importance of goal setting and To-Do lists.  I utilize both in my professional life and it was a nice realization that the two just mapped right over to online learning.  I have to tell myself that if I write down a task and don’t complete it, that maybe I should break down that task into subtasks.  Progress is progress no matter how big or small!  My strategy of staying ahead of schedule has worked thus far for me, so I will try to continue down that path for as long as I can.  Having a 7:00am to 3:00pm work schedule, two dogs and no TV really makes me able to stay on top of school assignments.  Again to all the students out there who work multiple jobs, have children and work on school well into my bedtime, I SALUTE YOU!  I envy students who get to live on or be in such close proximity to the main Corvallis Campus.  I really missed out on “college life” when attending a traditional school way back when.  I heard it was just like Animal House!  No, but really, I would love to get involved with the KBVR-FM student radio and the Memorial Union Program Council.  Beaver Radio is pretty sweet to listen to as you are studying away (and I think you can make requests).  The Program Council puts on what seems like some pretty cool events on campus.  I think my long term goal is similar to most people:  GRADUATE!  As of now, I am only planning on taking no more than 6 credit hours each term, so my graduation date may be later than most everyone else!  I enjoyed the required reading from the textbook and the Ted Talk video this week.  It was a nice motivation heading into the last few weeks of school.  The speaker had some poignant words that I will keep in my brain bank:  “Choose Now, Choose Well.”  “Living an incredible life is no accident.  You have to do it on purpose.”  With this new chapter in most of our lives, dedicated to online learning, we must all remember that as long as we set clear objectives and goals and maintain positivity, we will all come out successful.  The textbook stated that “We must enjoy the journey of education.”  We have a similar saying in the Gaither household.  On a trip to San Francisco, my in-laws encountered a gentleman by the Golden Gate Bridge that gave them a piece of advice that we have now adopted and continue to pass when out in the world, “Wherever you go. Whatever you do.  Enjoy the journey.”

Cheers,

Justin