eLearning Hints and Tips

Five Crucial Tips for Success with online courses

• Schedule your own “class time.”
• Limit the number of distance classes you take.
• Complete the recommended orientation.
• Keep up with your reading assignments.
• Keep in touch with your instructor.

Taking Online Tests Successfully

• Don’t enter a test site before you are ready, as many online tests are set to allow you to access the test only once for a score.
• Before you take the test, review the objectives for the module or modules that you will be tested on. Read any study guides your instructor has provided, and reread your notes and documents as necessary.
• Before starting a test, be sure to turn off any pop-up blocking programs that you are running on your computer. A pop-up blocking program will not allow a test to open.
• Email the instructor any questions that you may have about what will be on the test or the format of the test.
• Do Not click on the “Take the Quiz” button until you are ready to take a quiz. If you open a quiz and are not ready to take it, a grade of 0 will be recorded.
• Find a time to take the test in which you will be free of interruptions.
• Don’t cheat. Remember that taking shortcuts in education really deprives you of the education for which you are paying.
• Many online tests will be “open book,” but if your instructor does not explicitly tell you that you can use other people or materials when taking the test, then they are off-limits.
• When you first access the test, read the directions carefully.
• Make sure that you note if the test has a time limit.
• Don’t close the window of the test for any reason.
• When you have marked all your answers, read them once more before submitting the test.
• After you submit your test answers, you may receive a score only for the items that the software could correct, although essay questions and most short answer questions will have to be graded by your instructor.
• Pay attention to any feedback and use it as a way to learn the answers to the questions you missed.
• To check your grades, click “Grades.”
• Your instructor will probably take varying amounts of time to post grades. If your grade is not posted within a week of turning it in, then send an email asking for clarification.
• Your Grades show the total number of points possible for each assignment and your score. The total points possible for the course may include work that you haven’t been assigned yet. Some instructors weigh the grade on each quiz or assignment toward the total course grade. Other instructors calculate your final grade based on the total number of points that you earn in the course. Check the Course Syllabus for an explanation of how your final grade will be determined.
• If you found errors in the test, send your instructor a message immediately. Let him or her know if some questions were unclear. This will allow your instructor to adjust your grade if needed or make corrections to the test.