Preparedness

Are you ready to take remote courses?

Is online learning right for you? There are a few things to consider about remote courses before you participate in the program online.

Online learning requires time, focus, resources, and support. In order to balance your educational goals for online learning with outside jobs and commitments, there are several aspects to consider. Can you carve out time in your schedule to dedicate to coursework? Are your family members, employers, and co-workers ready to support your endeavors in an online program? Are you prepared for the impact this adjustment will have on your routines?

Being an online student requires lots of communication with various people in the university! For example, you must be on the lookout for emails from instructors. You may also be asked to talk to classmates through discussion boards. Additionally, it is helpful to initiate meetings with academic advisors for guidance. University support staff may contact you as well by phone about enrollment, etc. All of this requires that you regularly keep up with emails, voicemails, and online course homepages for announcements.
To aid in communicating, you’ll need reliable access to a computer with an up-to-date browser and stable high-speed internet. A printer, microphone headset, and web camera are also very helpful. Using a cloud storage solution such as OneDrive (access provided by UNM), can also help to routinely backup coursework. If your original work files get lost or destroyed, you’ll be glad to have a backup.

Online courses are rigorous and keeping up with them requires paying close attention to the given instructions as well as following those instructions closely and carefully. Ask questions if you do not understand any part of the instructions! Failure to follow instructions can result in some serious grade deductions. Ask for clarification right away if you find yourself considering skipping any part of the instructions.

Assignments and deadlines are easy to forget about without a calendar. Maintaining a calendar and keeping it regularly updated helps to track your responsibilities in each course. It is good to have designated times, at least 3 times per week, dedicated to working on your courses.
A minimum study time is set by the number of weeks a course is taught. A 16-week (or full semester) course requires at least two hours of study per credit hour, per week. For an 8-week course, you should expect the minimum study time to be four hours per credit hour, per week.

Be open-minded about new technologies and software! There may be a learning curve in using some of the equipment and interfaces that are necessary for online courses.
The University of New Mexico currently uses Canvas for online class management.
There are free software options available to UNM students, particularly collaborative technologies. The University of New Mexico also supports several applications within Office 365.

Utilize the vast expanse of information on the internet to teach yourself about new technologies and academic concepts. Googling skills are key to success in online learning! Once admitted, students also have access to university resources and support.
- For more information, consult this pre-admission-guide by UNM Online.

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