General and Introductory Materials
Part 1 Introduction

Chapter d13 Tips for Online Learning

Tips for Being a Successful Learner

Writing Self-reflection Papers

The following is taken from Rena M. Paloff & Keith Pratt, The Virtual Student: A Profile and Guide to Working with Online Learners, (Jossey-Bass, 2003), p.165-69. (re-printed here with permission)

Netiquette provides the basic information about writing online so you can be properly understood; get your point across effectively; avoid annoying someone and avoid looking like a beginner on the net.

Don't write every thing IN UPPERCASE. Uppercase usually implies SHOUTING!
Keep your paragraphs short. People want you to get to the point. They're busy and they simply don't have the time to read a message in which you are "thinking out loud".
If you have a lot of text, break your message into several short paragraphs. Put a blank line between paragraphs. This makes it easier to read and gives the reader's eyes some relief. People often skip enormous blocks of text.
Don't just make it up as you go along. Plan ahead. So before you start to type, think first about what you want to say. Get your ideas straight in your head, then write it in as few words as possible. Short paragraphs force you to express yourself with a minimum of words.
Write diplomatically. Write friendly. Don't get caught up with the attitude of "I'm only being honest!" or "I'm just telling people what I think!". It is often tempting to write a message that is so harshly phrased that it is insulting. Careful this kind of attitude can start an argument that benefits no one.
After you have typed in a message and before sending it, read it back to yourself or outloud. Sometimes sentences that seem to be okay when you're typing don't really work when you read them back.
Check your spelling! It doesn't matter how smart you are, if you're a terrible speller people won't take you seriously. Be aware that sometimes people may appear ignorant or uneducated because of bad spelling, but english may not be their native language.
Avoid time-saving contractions, such as "ur" for "your", or "cya" for "see you later". When you use these, your telling everybody that you can't type well enough to use complete words. Take a typing course if you have to, or pick up a typing program at a retail office supply store.
Avoid using Acronyms. Acronyms are commonly used across the Internet to abbreviate communication. While some of these, such as "BTW= by the way", are well known, you can't be sure that all of your readers know what they mean. These Net Acronyms may seem "hip" but if they confuse the reader, you may not get your point across.

Note: Some contractions may be appropriate in the chat rooms, where fast typing is important. Still, do they save you that much time?

[Return to top of this page]

Acronyms

If you come across people using Acronyms you need to know what they mean. Here are some common ones. HTH.

AAMOF: As a matter of fact
BFN: Bye for now
BYKT: But you knew that
CMIIW: Correct me if I'm wrong
EOL: End of lecture
FAQ: Frequently asked questions
FITB: Fill in the blank
FWIW: For what it's worth
FYI: For your information
HTH: Hope this helps
IAC: In any case
IAE: In any event
IMCO: In my considered opinion
IMHO: In my humble opinion
IMO: In my opinion
IOW: In other words
LOL: Lots of luck or laughing out loud
MHOTY: My hat's off to you
NRN: No reply necessary
OIC: Oh, I see
OTOH: On the other hand
ROFL: Rolling on the floor laughing
RSN: Real soon now
SITD: Still in the dark
TIA: Thanks in advance
TIC: Tongue in cheek
TTYL: Talk to you later
TYVM: Thank you very much
WYSIWYG: What you see is what you get

[Return to top of this page]

Emoticons

You'll probably come across someone using an Emoticon. Emoticons are used to compensate for the inability to convey voice inflections, facial expressions, and bodily gestures in written communication. Most emoticons will look like a face (eyes, nose and mouth). Too see these faces, while looking at the text below, tilt your head to the left, or rotate the text ninety degrees clockwise.

:) or :-) or :] or :-] or :D or :-D
Expresses happiness, sarcasm or joke

:( or :-( or :[ or :-[
Expresses unhappiness

:I or :-I
Expresses indifference

:- or :/ or :-/ or :<
Indicates undecided, confused or skeptical

:Q or :-Q
Expresses confusion

:S or :-S
Expresses incoherence or loss of words

:O or :-O
Indicates surprise, yelling or realization of an error ( "uh oh!")

[Return to top of this page]

Quoting

Many e-mail and message-board programs let you grab the entire message that another person has written and embed it in your reply. This is known as quoting.

Avoid Me-Tooing

How many times have you seen someone place a brief comment at the end of a large quote, such as "Me too", or "I agree"? It can be quite annoying to a person who has to scroll all the way to the end of a message looking for the part that you wrote. It would make more sense to quote only a few important sentences and place a comment telling people why you agree or disagree. You can state some of the reasons why you feel the way you do, this way, you'll appear as a thoughtful person who thinks carefully about things and considers all the facts.

Avoid Stepladdering

A message that contains a quote, but inside that quote contains another quote from an earlier message and so on, is called stepladdering. A quote within a quote within a quote, can cause your reader to be confused as to what point your commenting on. Keeping your sentences short and accurate, writing on the topic, will ensure that your reply is obvious to the reader.

Alternate Between Quotes and Your Comments

Don't let bad quoting habits make your messages unclear. If a quote contained several points, selecting the whole quote and then letting your reader guess what part of the quote your commenting on, can be aggravating. Quoting effectively does require more effort than simply grabbing the entire text of what was previously written, be selective. Here are a couple of examples.

"...so I called the helpdesk but nobody would return my call"
Did you know the internet has answers to a lot computer problems? Write down the exact pop up error and search for it on the internet.

"...still, Quick Time Player is better than RealPlayer"
That really depends on what you require and prefer, don't you think?

[Return to top of this page]

Tips for Being a Successful Learner

Learning in the online environment is clearly different from taking classes in the face-to-face classroom. Be prepared for the amount of time that online learning takes and make time for it in your week. By planning your time on a weekly basis you'll soon make time management a habit, thus less time to plan and more time for something else. You can make a daily/weekly planner, similar to the sheet below, to help you sort out all the things you need to do during the week.

Weekly Planner
	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
8-9
9-10
10-11
11-12
12-1
1-2
2-3
3-4
4-5
5-6
6-5
6-7
7-8

Log on to your courses site daily or every other day, with the intention of reading only. Check for announcements and discussion board postings. (The first time you log on, will be to make initial comments and see what others may have posted).
Print new messages if you need to in order to give yourself time to reflect and review at your leisure.
Prepare your first post for the week in response to discussion questions posted by the Instructor. Don't read your colleagues postings yet. Sometimes reading the responses of your colleagues before you have posted your own response can impend your original ideas.
Take your time! Don't feel that an immediate response is necessary. Work on your responses offline, and use a word processors spell check feature. You can type up a message in a word processor, spell check it, and then copy & paste your message into the online program your using.
Stay on top of your weekly readings and assignments. A weekly planner could help you sort out your To Do's list.
If you become upset or angry with something someone has posted, take a deep breath, wait twenty-four hours, and then respond. That posting generally looks very different the next day.
Work on being flexible and patient. Technical issues and difficulties are part of the challenges. Remember that you are learning a new way of earning that certificate/degree. "Go with the flow", life will intervene in the best of plans.
Be a self-directed learner. Do not expect the instructor to provide you with all the information and direction you need in a course.
Become good at research, taking initiative will be positively received and will maximize your learning.
Rely on and be responsible to your colleagues in a course. Be willing to provide good, constructive feedback to one another.
Ask your family and friends for their support. You will need time to complete your work in a course - time that you may have to take away from them. Share your time management plans with them so they understand the demands on your life at this time.
If you feel lost or confused, ASK!
Online learning is dynamic and exciting. You are learning about what you are studying, but also about the use of technology and how it can change the way you learn and interact. You will develop new relationships in a new way. Enjoy it all!

[Return to top of this page]

Writing Research Papers

Here are some tips and questions you can ask yourself when preparing a research paper.

Have I provided an introduction that sets the stage for the body of the paper?
Let the reader know "Why they are reading your paper", the rational for your work. If appropriate include the methods of your research, i.e. How did you gather your research, through interviews or literature reviews?
Do my ideas follow a logical flow? Is the paper well organized?
Have I constructed good transitions between ideas and sectional paragraphs?
Use subheadings to set apart sections of text. Make sure the subheadings are relevant to the content beneath them. Think of the subheadings as the main points you want to get across, and guides you want the reader to follow.
Have I presented good evidence for my thoughts and ideas, Stating the strengths and weaknesses in my arguments?
The discussion sections of your paper should elaborate on the various aspects of the topic and demonstrate your command and understanding of the material.
Have I used reference materials and have i cited them properly in my paper?
Have I checked my spelling, used good grammar and short complete sentences?
It is ok to use first person expressions like "I" when expressing your own opinion. Be careful not to revert to third person in the next point, stay consistent.
Have I defined all words or phrases if applicable?
Lastly, have I provided a good solid conclusion that ties all of my ideas together and perhaps makes a point of something that needs further study?
You could think of a conclusion as a summary skeleton outline of your whole paper, but with one added new thought provoking idea to stimulate the reader.

[Return to top of this page]

Writing Self-reflection Papers

There are two types of reflection papers that you may be asked to write for a course. One could be your overall learning process in the course and the second could be on the material studied in the course.

Reflecting on Your Learning

When you are asked for an evaluation of your learning and the course, this is the opportunity for you to evaluate the process, and to provide suggestions to the instructor for course improvement. Consider the following:

Has my view of myself as a learner changed, have I learned something new about myself?
(Think about who you were as a learner before you entered the course.)
What have I gained (or not) by participating in this course?
Have I learned anything new about the topic?
What suggestions do I have for future students and the Instructor of the course?
How do I evaluate my own contributions to the course?
What grade would I give myself?
Would I recommend this course to my friends and colleagues? Why or why not?

Reflecting on Course Materials

The course material ideas:

What information was presented in the readings or in the course discussions?
What were the key points of the arguments, both pro and con?
What is the context for the information read or discussed?

Analyzing the course concepts:
What were the implications, the strengths and weaknesses of the ideas presented?
Are there gaps or omissions?
What were the main influences, and how were they manifested within it?
How did the context of this course work influence the outcomes?
In summarizing and analyzing this course work, what new ideas have emerged for me?
What is my opinion or how do I view the course material?
What are some new areas of study that are indicated by this course work?
What criticisms do I have of the course work?
What do I see as the strengths or contributions of this course work to the field as a whole?
If gaps or omissions exist, how might they be filled?
[Return to top of this page]

© Copyright: Tom Richstatter, Franciscan Province of St. John the Baptist, Cincinnati Ohio, Order of Friars Minor. All Rights Reserved. This page was created by Fr. Thomas Richstatter, O.F.M. Every effort has been, and is being made, to acknowledge sources when the ideas are not my own. Any failure to comply with the United States Copyright Act (Title 17, United States Code) will be corrected immediately should I become aware of it. This site was updated on 06/02/05 . Your comments on this site are welcome at webmaster2@tomrichstatter.org.

General and Introductory Materials
Part 1 Introduction

Chapter d13 Tips for Online Learning

Netiquette and Clarity

Acronyms

Emoticons

Quoting

Tips for Being a Successful Learner

Writing Research Papers

Writing Self-reflection Papers

Netiquette and Clarity

Acronyms

Emoticons

Quoting

Tips for Being a Successful Learner

Writing Research Papers

Writing Self-reflection Papers

General and Introductory Materials Part 1 Introduction

Chapter d13 Tips for Online Learning

General and Introductory Materials
Part 1 Introduction