Advice and Strategies for Online Learning

The Office of Academic Life offers advice and strategies for ways to be successful in a remote learning environment:

• Frequently monitor your McDaniel email account and your Blackboard courses. Your email is the place professors and your academic support team (advisors, academic deans, academic counselors, etc.) will send information that is key to your academic success. Most professors will rely heavily on Blackboard and you should log into your courses regularly.
• Ask questions and ask for assistance – early and often. Your professors are here to help you but, without seeing the look of confusion upon your face in person, they may not know you need help. As soon as you have any questions, ask them! Do not feel like you have to navigate this new learning format alone. Ask questions all along the way. If your professor, or any member of the academic community, doesn’t know the answer right away, they will do their best to find the answer and get back to you.
• Actively participate in the online learning environment. Your instructors need to know that you are participating and learning. So, respond to emails, post in discussion boards, and write in learning logs as frequently as possible. Show what you know and try to be as detailed as possible.
• Take notes as you would in class. You should take notes in order to gather and integrate what you are learning – during discussion groups, during videos and lectures you watch, when the professor or your peers make important points you want to remember, and while you are reading and studying on your own.
• Be aware of and stick to deadlines. Your instructors may alter some of the deadlines for your current assignments, modify assignments, and/or create different assignments to assess your learning. Nevertheless, you will still have plenty of assignments that are due. Keep track of all due dates and turn in assignments on time.
• Keep an academic routine. Online learning can be quite flexible regarding WHEN you do your work, and creating a structured schedule will allow you to stay on track with all of your coursework. Develop a daily schedule so that you know you will do work for each of your courses during specific windows of time. If any of your instructors want to use the regularly schedule class time to do something virtual with the class, include those times in your daily schedule.
• Continue to use campus resources. The Writing Center, research support through Hoover Library, Student Accessibility & Support Services (SASS), the IT Help Desk, and the Office of Academic Life are still operating, just in a remote capacity. Hours and contact information available below. If your course/department had tutors available for in-person classes, you can ask your professor how to contact the tutors for remote support.
• Have a success mindset. As you transition to remote learning, you may not feel comfortable initially with the new format. However, you can learn to be successful with this format by following our recommendations above, communicating with your instructor regularly, and discovering what works best for you as you go. As you transition to this new mode of learning, know that you have people and resources ready to help you.
• Consider options for WiFi access, if needed. In response to COVID-19 developments, some internet providers are offering free services to low-income families and households with students. If you are staying in a location without WiFi and your data plan is not sufficient, click here to view free and low cost internet options. It is important for you to know that the College is not endorsing any internet options. We simply wanted to pass it on to students in case it would be helpful to you in the coming weeks.
• The Office of Academic Life is here for you. Should you need or want any academic related advice, assistance, and/or support during this time, we strongly recommend that you contact us, in the Office of Academic Life, immediately. The Office of Academic Life is reachable by phone at 410-857-2251 or email at academiclife@mcdaniel.edu, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and our team will respond to messages as quickly as possible.