Some people are probably upset reading the title of this article, considering the current semester has not yet come to an end, but I just got an e-mail from one of my summer professors, and it forced me to think about what is to come when the first summer semester begins for me on May 18. Taking summer classes in the online format obviously isn't the norm, and clearly you won't have a professor that you can have face-to-face contact with, so you must adjust and learn ways to basically teach yourself.
One way to be successful is getting to know your professor. If you know who your professor is before the spring semester is up, stop by their office to see and get to know them. Just like you are used to having the face-to-face contact with your professors, they probably went into teaching because they loved interacting with students. They would love it if you took the initiative to get to know them and ask questions about the course. Also, if you need to ask questions via e-mail for any reason, they are able to match a face to the digital world and make the conversation more personal—which will inevitably work to your benefit.
Another way to be successful is to take time management to another level. With online summer classes, you have assignments due online at specific times, or due dates at the end of the week for specific assignments without exception, and that is that. When you are at school, you are constantly reminded that you have something to do. And when you have an internship or another job to make money, you need to allocate time for other activities. So, it is imperative to your success that you do not forget to complete your assignments and get them in, in a timely manor of course. The sooner you get your assignments done, the sooner you have time for more fun summer type activities.
Additionally to keep in mind, summer courses are accelerated! You are completing 16 weeks of material in almost half of the time! People often forget that, and that is why people complain that summer classes are too much work, or they forget to complete assignments. To go along with this, you don't want your education to be wasted, and you want to make sure you absorbing all the information you are learning. Having so much information jammed into a short amount of time may force you into the "I just want to get it done mode" mindset, but you can't think like that. You are taking this class for a reason. Concentrate, enjoy the material you are learning and get everything done to the best of your ability!
Lastly, don't plagiarize! This is the number one culprit of students taking summer classes online because students think they can get away with it. NOPE! If anything, having a class solely online means that the professors or graduate students teaching them are MORE cautious when looking out for students who plagiarize. Bottom line, don't do it. No paper is worth getting kicked out of the class or the university.
Enjoy taking classes in the summer when we all should be spending time at the beach! It will be worth it in the end.
