How to Make the Most Out of Your Online Classes

I’m excited to share that the book my husband Jay Phelan co-authored with his long time collaborator and friend Terry Burnham is finally out from Princeton University Press.

The book is called The Secret Syllabus: A Guide to the Unwritten Rules of College Success.

Here I am holding the hardcover version!

I recently posted a question on Facebook asking people to pose questions about how to make the most out of their college experience. One reader posed the question:

What advice do you have for students who are attending a university in-person but have some classes that are online only?

And by way of a “guest post” of sorts, here is Jay’s answer:

For any college class, you will have a richer, more valuable experience if you are able to engage in a meaningful way with your instructor. While this is true for both in-person and online classes, engineering meaningful engagement can be a challenge and require more initiative in the online format. After all, with in-person classes, you have numerous, relatively easy, opportunities for engaging with your instructor, many of which might seem trivial (they’re not!):

• before class: just saying hello to your instructor;

• during class: conveying through your participation, demeanor, and even body language that you are actively focused and interested;

• after class: making eye contact with your instructor and saying “Thank you! That was a great class!”;

Before you’ve ever “officially” met your instructor, you have some familiarity and recognition. These small interactions can pave the way toward additional valuable interactions with the instructor, during office hours or other meetings outside of class time.

The result can be the extremely valuable development of a professional relationship, mentorship, and more.

In an online course–whether it consists of live Zoom meetings or watching pre-recorded content videos–it is difficult to make a similar impression on your instructor through the accumulation of such repeated interactions.

But that doesn’t mean it is impossible. You just need to be more deliberate in crafting them.

• in the chat window: point out in an articulate and concise way when your find something intriguing, provocative, or unexpected;

• make use of the occasional quick email, introducing yourself and letting the instructor know that you’re enjoying the class and all that you are learning–with a specific detail or two.

• make more of an effort to attend an occasional online office hours meeting–just to say hello and introduce yourself.

Try not to lose sight of the fact that your goals are the same whether your class is in-person or online. It’s just the mode-of-interaction that differs a bit.

You can find some additional ideas and suggestions in The Secret Syllabus:

Chapter 8: Classroom Behavior: How to Master Content and Make a Positive Impression on Your Instructor.

Chapter 9. Nurturing Your Relationships with Instructors: The Path to Recommendations, a Mentor, Jobs, and More.

Thanks for the insight Jay Phelan!