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LIBR 281
Seminar in Contemporary Issues
Topic: Publishing for the Library and Information Science Profession
Is Online Right For You?

Laurie Putnam
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Is Online Right For You?
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Online learning can be quite different than learning in a traditional classroom setting. It requires the student to think differently about how he or she communicates with faculty, completes assignments and tests, and most importantly, studies. To be successful as an online student you should be able to answer "yes" to the following questions:

1. Do you possess strong time management skills?
You will be responsible for completing weekly assignments. There are established timelines for submitting assignments.

2. Do you possess strong organizational skills?
There are no established times during the week that you will have to be online. You will be given the how and the what, but the when will be up to you. You may find that 6:00 AM or 11:00 PM is the most convenient time for you to be online. Your ability to effectively organize your time will be crucial to your success.

3. Are you self-motivated?
Due to the flexibility and convenience of online learning it is often easy to put off class work until the last minute. Self-motivation is key to staying current on assignments and completing class work in a timely manner.

4. Do you enjoy working independently?
The majority of your work will be completed on your own. There is no face-to-face contact with faculty or other students. Online learning requires a greater than average self-discipline to be successful.

5. Are you comfortable working with technology?
All assignments and correspondence with faculty are conducted 100% online. The ability to correspond via e-mail, send, receive, and view documents, and have access to a reliable Internet connection is mandatory.

6. Do you enjoy a challenge?
Online learning requires most students to spend more time per week per class than they would typically spend in a traditional classroom setting. The very nature of learning online requires more in-depth study and interaction with faculty than what is traditionally required. Students can expect to spend 10 to 20 hours of study time per week per class.