How can I get back on track after falling behind on my online courses?

Question

I need some advice on how to catch up on my online courses. I have gotten really far behind on my work and lack the motivation to keep going. This my second year taking online courses and it seems harder than the first. What should I do to move forward?

Answer 1

As Yoda says... "Do or Do not... there is no 'try'"

As both an educator, and a student in online learning I can feel for you on both sides of the coin. Allow me to inject some of my personal tricks... tools to help you.

First off... contact your teacher/instructor/professor. This is critical point one and both appropriate, and professional. This reach-out opportunity is your chance to tackle a few serious steps toward getting back on track:

• it allows you to admit that you have lost motivation and that you know you are behind.
• shows you to be accountable for your lost placement and willingness to get back on track.

Next, a mentioned before, start "triage"... an emergency assessment & prioritize a list of what must be completed first. Some projects could be banged out in an hour, but worth only a few % points. Others may take 2 days but have serious weight on final grades. Refer to your syllabus and see what is most important for the final grade. After you have assessed their importance and created a complete list of everything due, estimate their completion times (2 hours, 6 hours, 2 days etc etc)

Once you have a prioritized list of what weighs heaviest, and their estimated times... create a time line with the total number of days/hours/weeks remaining in the class. I use excel as it is easy to navigate and layout the time frame. Pen and paper works just as good though. Hopefully you have weeks and you have enough time to right the ship... but if it is days, you need may need to sequester yourself and focus intently on finishing.

Now that you have a list, and a timeline, inject the items to be done into the time line (create a gantt chart) and you have your plan of action ready to go.

...NOW... All of this is the plan. Only you can physically make the commitment to turn off the tv, step away from the video game, opt to not go out drinking, to the movies, or dinner... and settle in and FOCUS.

I find that I often pull up a neflix/amazon selection and put on a movie or something I have seen a dozen times already so I know what is happening without actually "watching" it. This seems to help to with eliminating that deathly silence in my den.

Only you can find your own motivation, and make the hard decission to actually buckle down and focus. It is hard (and I have done it) to find that once you have lost a few weeks. Perhaps pick a few smaller exercisses or tasks form your plan and finish them first to get that sense of accomplishment to fire off a few points in your direction. That may be just the sense of completion you need to find the next level of commitment.

Last point, and perhaps the most important... DO NOT GIVE UP!

Answer 2

First, you have to assess how much time is left in the semester and how much work you have left, then do some triage. If you've missed assignment deadlines or exams in one or more courses, those may not be salvageable.

The result of your assessment should be a list of those course(s) in which you still stand a chance of earning a satisfactory grade. Work like the devil on those courses.

Communicate with all of your professors. For those you're trying to salvage, apologize to the professors for getting behind, tell them you're trying to pull it our, and ask for help. Most professors will work with you if you're working with them.

I'm less sure what you say to the professors of the courses you've decided to write off, and maybe someone will comment on that. I think something like, "I realize I've gotten so far behind in your course that I cannot pass. I apologize. I hope you won't hold this against me too much when I repeat the course." I am sure that silence in the write-off courses is not the right answer. Do not just disappear.

Answer 3

• First of all it boils down to how far you are curios and passionate about the subject area of the course you are talking

• From question it seems that you were interested to learn but some what distracted with other reasons

• Remember One Thing

  The state/situation/position you are in are the action of your past thoughts and that's this truth will apply for your future too

• Have a Plane Of Action

• First prioritize your activities i.e do first things first

• Remember your goals

• That doesn't mean that you should have a life time goal but it points that a person with out a goal is as good as kite with out a thread

• Learning something without any purpose doesn't at all interests you

• First of all learn the purpose of what you are learning and history around it and it's evolution and talk about it with you friends who shows interest towards some discussion that gives you little boost of encouragement and interest towards the course

• If He can then you can

• Please don't get carried away by peoples judgement about you because they to are humans and it's self implies that humans vulnerable to mistakes work hard and prove them wrong ....I know that's what you will do from now

• Have a RoleModel

• We all tend to have role models based on our interests ,having and remembering them from the work they have done will always keep you motivated and forwarded

• Please Don't get carried away by immaterial ,fragile ,immortal temporary pleasures ,all these can entertain you for a short period of time but they will fade away soon

• Every Expert was once a beginner

• Don't give up at the first attempt that's not the nature of winners

• i.e When you are trying to catch a rabbit out of a folk and you could not get it don't change the rabbit but change the tactics

-----------Wish you all the Success in you life---------

Einstein,Newton,Euler,Madam curie,Martin Luther King ,Columbus,Alexander,....