Our distance learning students tell us that distance learning courses take as much or more time and effort than classroom seated courses. Generally, successful college-level work requires, for every credit hour, at least three hours of reading, writing, online work, video viewing and note-taking, research, labs etc. That's at least 9 hours per week for each 3-credit course. A 15-credit course load would be equivalent to working a full-time job. Students harmonizing work and family with college coursework should be aware of the time commitment, and plan appropriately.

Plan your study time now! Look at your personal schedule and plan on 6 to 9 hours each week for your course. Just because you are not in a classroom, there still is a lot of work to be done. You will do better in the course if you set aside regular time every week to work on your course.