According to the latest statistics from the National Center for Educational Statistics, 6 percent of graduating students major in psychology. Even more students take psychology classes as electives or as required courses for their major. Students in psychology study human behavior and the human mind. They may analyze the interaction of biological and environmental factors in influencing mental disorders. They may learn about how thoughts influence emotions and vice versa. Students in psychology might further learn about intelligence, motivation, human development and patterns in human relationships. Logically, a student in the field must be inquisitive about the human mind and show scientific curiosity and keen observation skills. Similarly, it is beneficial for a student to have interest and desire to interact and influence others' behavior.
If you feel that you are in charge of your successes and failure, than you have an internal locus of control. If you generally think that outside forces control your fate, than you have an external locus of control. The idea of locus of control refers entirely to a subjective feeling or interpretation of situations. For example, a student who feels he failed a class because the instructor did not know how to grade is attributing failure to outside forces and thus has an external locus of control. Another student with an internal locus of control might attribute such a failure to not fully understanding the material. In the March 2000 issue of the "Journal of Educational Psychology," researchers found that students with an internal locus of control were more successful than students with an external locus of control. A 1991 issue of the "American Journal of Distance Education" reported that students with an internal locus of control not only were more likely to succeed in distance learning but were also more likely to complete the course in the first place.
Dr. Powell of Wayne State University suggests in a 2000 paper that distance learners benefit from being computer savvy. However, a technologically savvy audience might choose computer science rather than psychology as a college topic. An online learner might need to install software, email, blog, post to a discussion board or access lectures or chat rooms. Universities offering Web-based classes usually offer technical help and tutorials of their system. However, students who are not adept at using the online learning programs might get quite frustrated with the process. In a 2003 publication of "Internet and Higher Education," it is reported that one of the most frequent reasons for dropping an online course was technical difficulties. Although knowledge of computers is not a prerequisite for psychology classes, students will encounter basic computer usage demands repeatedly. For example, psychology researchers use software for data entry, manipulation, presentation and analysis. Fortunately, taking a few basic computer classes can tremendously help in becoming more comfortable with technology and succeeding in navigating Web-based classes.
Without the context of a classroom, an instructor and classmates, it is essential that Web-based psychology students are self-directed. Online students have a great deal of influence on how and when their learning will occur. They can also have great influence on the content of their learning. In a 2002 issue of "The American Journal of Distance Education," researchers identify being self-directed as critical for online learning and report that such students show self-discipline, self-monitoring, self-initiative and self-management. A psychology student can get a fuller understanding of the field by initiating learning situations. For example, studying human behavior as part of an internship or as a research assistant can give essential real-world experience of what psychologists do. Thus, Web-based psychology students must show creativity and initiative to ensure that their study of people is not done entirely in front of a computer monitor.