Strategies for Success

Tips for Online Learners

This may be your first experience with online learning, and you may be wondering what it takes to be a successful online learner. The fact is the same qualities and skills that make you successful in your job will serve you well in our online programs. The following tips for online learning have proven helpful to our students:

Stay Engaged and Motivated
Even though the Internet allows a certain amount of invisibility, don’t just lurk. Participate actively in class discussions and interact with your fellow classmates. Active participation truly increases both learning and enjoyment. 

Develop a Network
Your professional experience and background will inform your coursework and contributions to class discussions. Your classmates, in turn, will bring different professional backgrounds to the table and provide insight that may prove beneficial in your own work environment. All of our courses emphasize real-world relevance, enabling you to use your current job as a proving ground for concepts and skills learned in class. 

Time Management
The great thing about online learning is that you can access program content and contribute to weekly class discussions at times that are convenient for you. But you still need to make the time. Figure out a schedule that works with your life and stick to it. The Time Management Matrix is a great start.

Ask for Help 
Our online learning platform is accessible 24/7, and so is our help desk. If you’re having technical problems, let us know; we’ll help you figure it out. The same goes if you don’t understand something in class. Ask questions so your professors can help you. They want to see you succeed and are always available. 

Schedule Your Coursework
Every adult student faces challenges that a traditional student does not. Our successful students make coursework a priority and schedule it into their routine. Below is a sample plan that can provide guidance on how your online coursework may fit into your life. 

Above all else, be assured that Norwich’s online programs provide you with the skills, knowledge, and support you need to succeed academically and professionally. Each program curriculum is designed by subject matter experts. You will have access to thousands of electronic publications and online databases through Norwich’s Kreitzberg Library, and our knowledgeable reference librarians can provide research assistance via email, phone, or chat.

Setting You Up for Success

Our online programs are structured so that students can take a single course at a time, eliminating the stress of juggling concurrent courses and overlapping responsibilities.

Alongside a small group of fellow students, known as your cohort, you will develop friendships and compatriots with whom you'll share your educational journey. Your cohort is part idea incubator, part gut check, and part coach who helps you exercise your intellectual muscle and roots you on if you ever begin to doubt yourself. These new friends become old friends and form a valuable professional network that is with you for the long haul well after your program comes to completion.

Self-doubt happens to all of us, but our online alumni will all tell you that success is more than possible at Norwich University. Of course, this is why getting to know your instructors and student services advisor is so important. From the initial correspondence you receive when you are accepted into the program, to the welcome calls before each class, the faculty and administrators of Norwich help you best when they get to know you and your unique situation. Help is just a call or email away.