I used to run a DL degree
The single biggest piece of advice I can offer is that you should take every possible opportunity to interact with the other people on the course, including staff.

If there's a course bulletin board, use that to start discussions. If there isn't, start a facebook group and ask for the details to be circulated to the other students. It's not a proper substitute for classroom argument and discussion, but it's the best you'll get.

Other than that: if you're having difficulty tracking down, say, a book, get in touch with the tutor ASAP; don't wait until a week before deadline day and then whinge for an extension.

Make sure that you give yourself plenty of time for assignments - and by this, I mean give yourself a week before a deadline to put the assignment to one side, then revisit it after a couple of days. Part time doesn't mean half-time; it just means that you could do with a 10-day week. Planning is crucial, as is discipline.

If you're offered the opportunity to have draft essays looked at, take it. It can make a HUGE difference to the final mark if you've had some feedback. And if advice is offered, take it. We don't look at drafts for fun; we look at them because it's academically worthwhile. We don't piss around making comments for you to take or leave; we make them to make you better.



I think that's it.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Wed 2 Dec 2009, 10:00, Reply)