what questions should i ask before taking an online course

by Libby Keebler 3 min read

5 common questions students ask about taking online classes
  • What if I don't have Word or PowerPoint on my computer? ...
  • Are online classes self-paced or scheduled? ...
  • How often and how much will students interact with the instructor and other students? ...
  • How do I find what I need for class? ...
  • What if I have technical difficulties?
Mar 27, 2020

What are some questions to ask about online learning?

Questions to ask the online schoolHow many hours do you expect kids to spend on online coursework each day and each week?What are some examples of typical assignments and deadlines?In terms of time and work, are your overall expectations the same as or different from a traditional school?More items...

What do I need to know before starting an online course?

Ready To Build An Online Course? What You Should Know BeforehandChoose The Right Topic. The most common advice is "choose a topic you have a lot of experience in". ... Get To Know The Demand. ... Choose The Way To Share Your Knowledge. ... Decide On The Goal. ... Think About The Distribution Options. ... Success Evaluation. ... Set A Deadline.Dec 20, 2018

How do I prepare myself for an online course?

Tips for Taking Online ClassesTreat an online course like a “real” course. ... Hold yourself accountable. ... Practice time management. ... Create a regular study space and stay organized. ... Eliminate distractions. ... Figure Out How You Learn Best. ... Actively participate. ... Leverage your network.Mar 26, 2020

What are good questions to ask about a college course?

AcademicsWhat majors are popular?What departments or programs have the best reputations?What's your favorite class?Are your professors good teachers?Do your professors hold office hours, and will they meet with you outside of class?Are most of your classes taught by professors or teaching assistants?More items...

What makes good online learning?

A good online course is engaging and challenging. It invites students to participate, motivates them to contribute and captures their interest and attention. It capitalizes on the joy of learning and challenges students to enhance their skills, abilities and knowledge. A good online course is cognitively challenging.Jun 10, 2020

What are the key factors for making an online course effective?

What Makes a Successful Online Learner?Persistence. Persistence is perhaps the biggest key to success in online learning. ... Effective Time-Management Skills. ... Effective and Appropriate Communication Skills. ... Basic Technical Skills. ... Reading and Writing Skills. ... Motivation and Independence. ... A Good Study Environment.

What are the 5 tips to be successful in online learning?

5 Tips to Succeed in Online LearningDevelop a Schedule. Commit to making your online coursework part of your weekly routine. ... Set Specific Goals. Create daily goals and set reminders for yourself to complete tasks within specific windows of time.Get Connected. ... Create a Designated Study Space. ... Stay healthy.

What are the challenges of online classes?

What Are the Challenges of Online Learning for Students?Ineffective Time Management.Lack of Instant Communication.Not Receiving Timely Feedback.Not Receiving Clear Instructions or Expectations.Share Time Management Apps and Resources for Students.Utilize Educational Technology (“EdTech”)Increase Peer Review.More items...

How can I improve my online learning skills?

Successful Online Students Identify Seven TipsDevelop a time-management strategy. ... Make the most of online discussions. ... Use it or lose it. ... Make questions useful to your learning. ... Stay motivated. ... Communicate the instruction techniques that work. ... Make connections with fellow students.Feb 1, 2007

What to ask before starting a course?

Questions to Ask Before Starting a Training CourseHow will you learn? ... How often will you submit work? ... What feedback will you get? ... How will you be assessed? ... What size groups will you be taught in? ... What facilities are available? ... Who will teach you? ... What do graduates go on to do after the course?Jan 31, 2020

What are some good pre course survey questions?

Some examples of open-ended questions you can ask include: What expectations do you have for this course or program? Which skills do you hope to improve by coming on this course? What topics would you like to focus on during training?Jun 29, 2019

How can we ask about a course?

How to Ask a Question About Your CourseThe instructor's availability.Follow a question and its responses.Edit or delete a question or comment.How to send a message to your course instructor.Mar 14, 2022

What should every piece of online training content you include?

Keep in mind that every piece of online training content you include should tie into the goals and offer real world value. In other words, it needs be applicable on the job. Conduct online surveys, assessments, and interviews to get a clear idea of what knowledge they really need to absorb and retain in a practical sense.

What is the importance of planning and research for online training?

Planning and research are vital to the success of your online training program. You should learn as much as possible about the background of your online learners, the goals that must be achieved, as well as the performance gaps that need to be filled if you want to develop a succinct and successful online training course for your organization.

Is online training part of ongoing training?

In fact, it should be a part of an ongoing online training initiative that involves a supportive online training community. Stress the importance of your online training courses and make your employees feel like they play an important role in the online training process.

It is a good idea to take your course online

Not all courses are effective in the online platform. For example, courses like sociology, humanities, art appreciation, physical wellness, etc. do not require too much guidance from the professor and can be completed online. But some courses like language, English, medicine, etc. need the hands-on approach with extra support from the professor.

Are you the right candidate for online learning?

Online learning needs dedication and commitment.

Introduction

When I started my online degree program, I had no idea which questions I should ask my recruiter. While some questions were obvious, such as “How much does this cost?” and “Is this program accredited?”, there were plenty of questions that I had not considered.

1. Who created your courses?

When I began my program, I naïvely assumed that when you attend a school, the faculty of that school will teach the courses. When it comes to online degrees, there’s a completely different option – schools can pay companies like Pearson and McGraw Hill to create the courses for them.

2. How do your online courses differ from their traditional counterparts?

The digital revolution has changed many things, but in my experience, coursework isn’t one of them. Courses are structured as 14 lectures, each one corresponding to a week of the semester. Lectures are somewhere between 45 to 90 minutes each, like a traditional class.

3. Do recorded courses have minimum video and audio quality standards? What are they?

As a paying customer, you deserve better than poor-quality Flash videos recorded a decade ago. MIT actually got it right a decade ago – age of video isn’t a factor when enough effort is put in, and the videos are high quality and easy to understand.

4. Who performs the quality control for your courses?

Does anyone actually watch these videos besides the students? One person other than the professor should actually watch all of the videos in a course and give it a stamp of approval. Courses are recorded once and then recycled each semester to hundreds of new students. So how does the school know that the videos are actually, well, good?

6. Is all of the course material available at the beginning of the course?

This question invites a fun comparison with the television and online streaming industries. Before online streaming, you needed to tune in to the television at a specific time to catch an episode. This is akin to needing to show up to a professor’s lecture at exactly the scheduled time in order to learn.

7. Is all of your course content easily downloadable?

How easy is it for me to log in to your course software and simply download what I need? A PDF, a PowerPoint, the actual video file? I’ll tell you from experience – it can be very, very difficult.

Can you afford it? (3:54)

Here’s the first one: Can you afford to purchase the course? This is the most important question to ask yourself. You should consider this before you buy anything, whether it’s an online course, a service, or that 90’s floral babydoll dress throwback.

What benefits do you see this purchase having on your business? (11:15)

I’m talking about impact- specific impact that’s tangible. For example, if you’re considering a course of Facebook ads, the impact is NOT learning Facebook ads. It’s something like this: I’ll be able to target my ads to my ideal audience, which will result in increasing my web traffic, growing my email list, and selling my course.

What questions do you have about this topic (hint- make a list separately)? Will this offering answer these questions? (19:20)

Make a list of all the things you’ve been wondering about and you wish someone would teach about the topic of the course BEFORE you look at the sale pages.

Is this the right learning environment for you? (22:58)

This question refers to the way the course is structured. Before you go any further, identify what type of learner you are:

Do you trust the instructor? (26:29)

Be sure that the person you’re buying a course from is somebody that you trust. You should trust their knowledge and that the material they’re delivering is going to be useful to you.

Do you have the physical and emotional energy to follow through with watching the training and doing the follow-up work? (Hint: Look at your calendar) (31:24)

When we’re talking about energy, we’re not just talking about the physical energy… we’re talking about emotional energy too. Both energies are equally as important.

What to consider when looking for online colleges?

The first thing you need to consider when looking at online colleges is determining if the degrees they offer match the requirements of your future professional industry. Some careers, including those in psychology, medical, teaching, and social work, require professional licensing before you can practice within the field. Find out if your school’s degree program meets these requirements before enrolling at the college to ensure that you will be pursuing an education that allows you to continue advancing your career.

Why is online education important?

One of the biggest draws of an online education is the flexibility it offers to log in to your classes anytime and anywhere. For some students , this allows them the opportunity to take part-time classes and complete their degree at a slower pace to meet their financial and family obligations. For other students, the chance to accelerate their degree program in order to graduate on a shorter timeframe is their top priority.

What is the first step in choosing a college?

Choosing a college is the first step on the path to reaching your long-term career goals, and it is essential that you do your research before committing to an online degree program. There are several factors to consider when picking the college that is right for you – from tuition costs to student support and professional reputation.

What does it mean to be accredited for online school?

When a school is accredited by a recognized agency, it means that they have gone through a rigorous evaluation process to ensure that their curriculum and programs meet high quality standards.

Can you test out of classes with CLEP?

Whether you have some prior college under your belt or you simply want to accelerate your degree program based upon life experience, understanding the school’s transfer policy for credits is essential. Some schools will allow students to test out of classes with examinations such as the CLEP.

Is online education good?

A quality curriculum is essential for online education, but learning the skills needed to succeed after graduation also depends on qualified instructors. Even with online education, you will be in contact with your professors throughout your course of study, and it is important that you are confident in their credentials and ability to provide instruction.

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Questions About The Course in General

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These questions help you find out what are the overall impressions of a learner, from start to finish. Although they seem more general, think of it as a warm-up. For example, ask them to name the top three adjectives that come to mind when they think of the course. This type of information helps instructors refine their marketi…
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Questions About The Course Content

  • The biggest area of improvement is your course content. Your learners offer a unique insight so this should be your main focus, especially if you have limited time or want to build a shorter survey. Just make sure that you cover all aspects related to the course, such as structure, logical flow, extra materials, and of course, the quality of your main content. 1. How would you rate the …
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Questions About Learning Outcomes

  • Learning outcomes are how we measure the success of a course. And while you might be able to assess them through online quizzes or other types of assessments, it’s great to know what learners think about the final result. If an online course’s purpose is to lead the learner from point A to point B, you need to know if it has achieved that, to what degree, and assess how the cours…
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Questions About Their Interaction with The Course

  • These questions aren’t essential, but it can give you a better understanding of how learners interact with your course and with other users. This can help you make their overall experience better or assess how effective your efforts were to make it more enjoyable. It’s also a way to figure out if there were any barriers to learning, such as busy schedules or difficulties in accessi…
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