Hello, I am Karin Moyano Camihort, the Dean
of Online Learning here at HCC. I want to personally welcome you to our program. If it is the first time you are taking an
online class, you will find that learning online is convenient, is exciting and also
challenging. Our faculty and students have prepared a few
tips to help you succeed. We hope you will find them useful. It's tempting to think of an online class
as simply unstructured. In other words, I'm going to do the work whenever
I happen to have a few minutes during the week. Well, in my class, assignments are due three
times a week, not just once.
The idea is to save some time everyday or
every other day to work on assignments. I would pick a time that is convenient to
you that's the same every week and make that your online class time. So, one of the things that is helpful for
us is if you give yourself a presence in the class. So, obviously this means completing the work
but also it might mean responding to postings. It might mean emailing. It might mean making frequent contact with
a professor. Most of our communication is done through
reading and writing. Answering the discussion questions you have
to write your thoughts out. You have to articulate your thoughts.
Successful students read everything carefully. They understand written instructions very,
very well. They read their email everyday. They read the course announcements. They know where the course announcements are. Reading instructions is really important,
and if they're unclear, make sure you email your professor so that you can get feedback
as soon as possible and move on with your assignments.
It's important to log-on as many times as
possible because your instructor may have important feedback for you. I've logged on probably ten times a day before. You have to make sure that you have adequate
time scheduled so that you can about asking appropriate questions and seeking out the
support that you need. Check in to the class everyday. What I find really good is to set your homepage
as the HCC homepage. It is something worthwhile. It's something that has taught me a lot, and
it's the way of the world. It's technology and communication. It's growing and you need to integrate those
skills appropriately so that you're successful in your future.
By learning online, you will become a self
reliant learner. You will learn to manage your time, to communicate
effectively in writing and to fully engage in an online learning community. You will be prepared for a life of learning. We wish you the best. Keep in touch. And let us know how can we enhance your learning
experience here at HCC..
