Qualities of Successful Online Students The Attributes of Successful Distance Learners
Distance learners must maintain a variety of characteristics in order to find success in online courses. These are varied in their complexity, but are manageable by all learners. Successful distance learners must be self-disciplined, critical thinkers, and able to communicate their needs. Knowing that they possess these attributes, learners can feel confident in their ability to succeed at an online education, regardless of the content.
Primarily, distance learners must be self-disciplined. Since online courses often do not require scheduled meetings with professors or colleagues, learners must be able to complete all of the required work, watch the assigned videos, and read the course documents without undue prompting by the professor. They must be able to do this in a respectable amount of time prior to the due date and in a manner that promotes knowledge retention. This may manifest itself in setting a specific time each week or day to work on the material, so long as the learner shows enough discipline to have the material completed as requested by the course administrator. As the University of Houston, Learning and Assessment Services points out, “effective distance learners become and stay responsible for themselves” (2008). This ability to remain responsible for completing course work in a timely and professional mann