Determine what you would like to learn. Identify the level of education you want to obtain.
Research home study online programs that can provide the education you need. Single out the best three to five programs and schedule consultations with a counselor from each to ensure the program is designed to provide what you need.
Determine if you can pay for the course independently or will require grants or loans to fund your tuition. A counselor can help you with this decision based upon the program's financial assistance options.
Choose a program and begin the application process. You will be considered and hopefully accepted into the program.
Review course materials, obtain online access to the course study and read instructions for successfully completing the course. Provided material may include textbooks (perhaps in online form), email communications detailing the website URL, course access, such as a user name and password, and tutorials.
Get organized as your plot you success strategy. Use organizational aids such as day planners and separate notebooks for each class. Choose a place to study that promotes alertness with tolerable distractions and noise levels, as well as adequate lighting and a comfortable room temperature. Exercise discipline. Most online courses require a certain amount of online activity and participation to complete the course. Set aside a fixed time and place to study and complete your course work online. This time and place should render the feeling of being in a classroom by yourself with only you and the instructor. Try to stick to the study schedule that you set.
Know your learning style. Some people are visual, while others are auditory. Some are hands-on while others can simply read the material and understand it. If you are a person who needs to see visuals, you might reference graphics and images either in the course materials or from outside sources. If you are an auditory learner, you might reference prerecorded lectures that you can view and hear online provided by your online instructor. Consider reading your text material aloud in repetition to retain it.
Develop good study habits. Prioritize your assignments. Determine the order in which they need to be completed to meet the deadline of the course. Make a schedule detailing how your will get each assignment done in time for the deadline. Eliminate procrastination. The more time spent coming up with reasons not to do the work is less time available to complete the work. Learn how to listen. When listening to or reading a lecture, try to pick up clues and keywords that explain the point of the concepts. Take good notes. Note-taking not only helps you build a reference guide for future tests, it also keeps you alert during long readings or lectures. Use all resources available to help you complete your coursework. These include library research, course aids, study guides and suggested reference materials. If your online program provides a message board, use the input of fellow classmates to gain insight into the concepts and assignments. Most online courses provide an option to communicate through email or message boards to ask your instructor questions and enlist additional help from them.
Manage your stress level. There will always be a level of pressure to pass a class with good grades. Celebrate all your victories big and small. Reward yourself for maintaining your grades and discipline. Surround yourself with a support system that you can go to for help and advice. Take a break at a suitable time and just relax and enjoy yourself and have a good laugh.
Be prepared for the test. Study the material and be confident that you understand it. Go to be early to ensure you get enough sleep the night before. Organize everything you need to to take the test the night before. Thoroughly read all the instructions on the test before your begin. Complete the questions you are sure you know the answer to first, then move on to the more difficult ones; this will build your confidence level. If test is a timed multiple-choice test, use the last five minutes to fill in all the blank answers. A guess is better than no answer at all. Relax and do the very best you can.