Thinking about enrolling in summer school? Smart choice! Taking summer classes is a great way to stay on track in college or get ahead academically. If your GPA or credit hours are not where you want them to be, enrolling in distance classes over summer break also can help you catch up or make up a credit. Follow our tips for success in online courses this summer and you’ll be set to squeeze as much as possible out of college summer school.
Honor the Class with Your Presence
You won’t get an engraved invitation, but do yourself the favor of logging in on the first day. If you think nothing important will happen the first week of class, summer is different. And online is different times two. The instructor will likely get all instructional right off the bat.
Yes, some professors do take attendance for remote classes when there is a mandatory live section of the course. But most online college courses are asynchronous, or self-paced, so you watch lectures on demand whenever you feel like it. Problem is, you might not feel like it very often, especially when the social element of being on campus is absent. Do it anyway. You will learn so much more, and your presence will be reflected in your grade, even if attendance is never taken.
Keep Your Eye on the Syllabus
With apologies to trees everywhere, printing out the syllabus on the first day and keeping it posted on your wall or centered on your desktop (the real one, not the virtual one) is a powerful visual reminder that school’s in session and you’ve got work to do.
Remember That Summer Term is Accelerated
Squishing a 15-week term into four or six weeks online results in a large quantity of material coming your way in a very short period. This is not the semester to eagerly sign up for a 3000-level physics course if you barely passed the prerequisite last fall. Biting off more than you can chew is a risk, particularly for first-time college students who just graduated from high school and feel academically adventurous. Don’t be a hero this summer. This is the ideal time to take an introductory course, with material you can reasonably manage in a compressed term.
An accelerated schedule means everything happens faster, including falling behind. Online summer classes seem to do some weird time-warp thing, making you believe you have many more weeks of study time than you actually do. Bottom line: Keep up. The is the semester to get good at taking efficient notes and fast-tracking your study schedule.
If you pluck up the courage to ask for clarity on a lecture point, someone else in your online classroom will feel a huge sense of relief. You’re not the only one who sometimes gets lost. Helping you find your way is the professor’s job.
Each online classroom platform will have a different mechanism for asking questions – could be the chat icon, a message system, a Q&A after the lecture, or your professor might prefer email if it’s an on-demand class – but they’re all equipped for give-and-take. So, ask away.
You need to give your study time the respect it deserves, with a writing surface, a comfortable chair, and some privacy. It’s fine once in a while to read class material while lazing in a hammock (it’s summer, after all), but you should have a dedicated spot for schoolwork. If it has natural light, that’s a bonus. Studies show that sunshine makes you more productive.
You’re online but you’re not on your own. The same academic resources that are available on campus are still available to you remotely. For instance, at USF, the Academic Success Center provides remote learning support for tutoring, writing, and skills mentoring. Many online summer courses organize study groups or tutoring breakout sessions.
If you think you can forgo the textbook for a short and sweet summer session, think again. Textbooks reinforce the lecture material, and for many students who struggle with the auditory ecosystem of online classes, the textbook provides the best route for comprehension and better grades.
As you acquire credits this summer, make a virtual appointment with your advisor to plan your fall course schedule. Confirm how many more credits you’ll need before you can declare your major (and in which sequence to take certain classes) or how many semesters you’ll need for graduation. This status check will renew your enthusiasm and focus as you complete summer school.
Remote learning has its challenges, and one of them is, well, you’re remote. But it’s possible to forge real friendships in an online academic environment. Participate in discussion forums. If there are no virtual study groups for your course, create one. As you do admin duty for the group, you can set the tone of friendliness and fun and help your classmates connect. Having friends in class can help you maintain your interest in attending and participating in class discussions, which can boost your grades.
USF’s Online Summer Classes Start Soon
If you’re already a USF Bull, register today for Summer A, B, or C, all fully online. If you’re an incoming first-year student or a transfer student, we invite you to consider getting a jump on the academic year by enrolling in one or two summer sessions. If you’re a high school student evaluating your college choices, we invite you to look into the online summer courses offered at USF. Our admissions team is here to answer your questions. Contact us by email or snail mail or phone, 813-974-3350.