Week 1 Homework - Smarter Measure

Online courses are a great option for students who might have difficulty attending classes on campus, or who enjoy alternative learning environments.  However, some students take online courses thinking they will be easier or allow them to turn in work whenever they like.  Those misconceptions often cause students to fail online courses.  So, I'd like you to be very prepared for success in this course, regardless of how many online courses you've taken.

Therefore, I have created this required activity in which you will analyze your preparedness for this course.  It will also help me to know you and to help you with strategies for success.  

Choose the Part A option below that best fits your situation.  Everyone will do Part B.  Remember, this is required and is designed to help you succeed in this course:

Part A.  Assessment of Online Course Skills.  

Choose one option. 

Option 1.  If this is your first online course OR you did not earn at least a 3.0 in your most recent online course:

1. Complete the Smarter Measure analysis. It has a number of sections and it takes about an hour to complete.  You can stop at the end of any section and save your work and then return when you can.  It will help you to analyze your strengths and areas requiring improvement in order to succeed in an online course.  Once you have completed the full survey, you will receive a copy of your results in your email.  Please know, this is not a test, and I will not see your results. If you have done this analysis before, you can use those earlier results. Click here to begin the Smarter Measure analysis. 
2. Review your results.
3. You will receive an email from one of our Student Success Coaches within 48 hours of finishing the survey.  You will need to submit a copy of this email to prove that you completed the survey.  This may happen after this assignment is due and that's okay. When you get the email, just upload it to this assignment and I'll track it in the rubric.
4. Go to Part B below.

Option 2.  If you have earned at least a 3.0 in your most recent online course,

1. Consider your most recent online course. Please submit the name of this course, the quarter you took it and the instructor's name. 
2. Look at the list of skills for successful online learning.  [Skills are the six "buttons" at bottom of that page.]
3. Think about what skills helped you to succeed and what skills you could improve.  Investigate strategies (click on the applicable button) for improvement.
4. Go to Part B below.

Part B. Analysis of Skills. 

With information you've obtained from Part A, I'd like you to write a short paragraph that describes the following:

• The one strength that will help you the most to succeed in this course.
• The necessary skill where you have the most concerns and how you intend to use available resources to improve that area so you can be successful.
• You're welcome to ask me questions or request specific help in this paragraph, as well.  We have an online student success coach and I can refer you to her for additional help, if you're very concerned about getting started in this course.  

To write the summary paragraph, click "Submit Assignment" box in the upper right.  Then you'll be provided with a text box in which to write your paragraph.  When finished, click "Submit Assignment again.

Have you received the email from our Online Student Success Coach?  Please remember to come back and upload to this assignment for full credit.

(Assignment Adapted from Judy Penn, Shoreline CC, August 2016)

Thanks,

Amy