This online learning strategies course has helped me become a better student and employee in several different ways. Many of the topics covered throughout this course have been very beneficial and could help not only me but other students and professionals as well.

At the beginning of this course, I knew I procrastinated, but did not really think this class would change that. In the past my teachers, parents, and even other classmates have told me to stop procrastinating and offered advice on how I could do that but nothing ever changed. Although I did not think anything could change, I learned that it could. By planning my homework time a little differently and not waiting until the day things were due to complete them, I learned that I could be a lot less stressed out and actually be able to focus on the assignment rather than just getting it done. I also learned that I should save the times when I do not feel like doing homework for the easy assignments instead of just doing those first in the week when I am refreshed. Now, I do the harder, more time consuming assignments first and it allows me to finish my week more relaxed.

The most meaningful experience in the course was during the second or third week when I actually decided to try to do things early. I had plans that were canceled and decided to distract myself from that by doing a few assignments. Finishing these assignments so early was an eye opening experience for me. This is when I learned that instead of planning my procrastination, I should plan a few hours a couple days a week to just get things done. Figuring this out has helped me get through weeks less stressed and less worried about deadline days because I had the assignments finished way before they were due. If I finish the assignment, it is out of my mind and crossing that off on my planner so early was a great feeling of accomplishment.

Learning about online tools and resources was also very helpful in this course. I learned that there are many different resources available for organizing and planning your notes, resources with tips for taking better notes, websites to help you study, and most importantly to me the OSU library website. Sometimes when I study for tests I rewrite or type my notes from class into an outline form. The websites that allow for a more creative way of filtering through your notes are very helpful. The website that helps you plan your course schedule based on what school you go to is a great website that can help every student. Traditionally, I write down every possible class and time then go through it all to see what fits together the best. Now, I can save a lot of time. Lastly, the OSU library website tutorial was very helpful because I was never shown how to navigate that before. I was a transfer student last semester and have not met anybody that I could ask for help. Being able to watch the video for the assignment in this class about that library taught me a lot.

In the future, I will use the skills I learned about planning my time and work schedules so that I do not procrastinate or stress out over deadlines. I will also use the tutorials and websites given for online tools that are available in case I am having a difficult time researching or studying a topic.

Throughout your academic career you will need to find reliable sources for many things including papers and research. Finding credible sources is extremely important in order to have a well written paper, accurate information, and access to find the resource in the future if needed. To ensure that your source is credible, it needs to be reliable, be of good quality, and have good utility. These are especially important to consider now that most resources used these days are found online.

In order to determine if your resource is reliable, it needs to have the contact info available. It also needs to have the credentials of the author so that you know whoever wrote is knows what they are talking about and is educated. Your source also needs to be from a publisher or organization with a good reputation. If your source in an article, having a peer review of it may also be helpful.

The quality of your source can be determined if it is making broad generalizations or if  it actually provides some detail. It is also a good sign if your source is up to date and consistent throughout its content. The information needs to be well written and without a biased opinin because this can alter your view while you are writing your paper. Lastly, it needs to have citations of all the resources it used.

For your article to have utility, it needs to of course be related to the topic you are interested in. It also should be written for the appropriate audience (at least college level), and provide a good amount of detail.

Sometimes while you are taking notes in class you think you are doing a good job and getting all the important information down. Then later when you go to use your notes you can’t read them, or understand them, or the information you need is not even there.

One way to help prevent this from happening is by following a few note taking strategies. The strategies that can help you improve your note taking include: only writing down the main ideas, include helpful quotes or examples, needed references, and questions you may have. You could also prepare for the lecture by setting up a chart or note taking outline that helps organize the ideas more clearly.

To be able to take better notes you also need to be an active listener. While it is easy to check social networking sites or shop online during class, this does negatively impact your notes even if you think you are listening. To be an active listener you need to: prepare for the lecture, observe the speaker, focus on what they are saying, actually think about what they are saying, write your notes in your own words in a way that you will understand later on, respond to questions and directions, and show your interest by keeping eye contact and sitting up straight in your chair.

This video is a tutorial on how to factor mathematical equations. A few of the steps it explains is lining up your terms from high to low, finding the greatest common factor, and making sure both numbers in the parenthesis are perfect squares. The difference of squares is the next main explanation of the video. It also reminds you of how to make sure you have a quadratic equation to begin with.

This video enhances your understanding of the topic because it uses a popular song that is engaging and keeps it interesting. It also shows examples and highlights or circles the part of the equation they are talking about. Lastly, the teachers and students in the video are young and relatable which, for me, always helps me stay focused.