The Internet has opened many opportunities for learning. Although you may be familiar with learning in the traditional classroom, learning online differs in many ways. Review the following to learn more about adjusting to learning online.

CT Distance Learning Consortium's Basic Online Skills course for new computer users.
Georgia Tech Professional Education "Are You Ready for an Online Class" survey portal
Education Portal's "The Differences Between Online and the Traditional Classroom Educations"
Georgia Tech Professional Education online learning information page
Brown University's Continuing Education page about online learning
Goodwill Community Foundation's Free Computer Tutorials for Microsoft Office, Google Drive and Apps, Internet Essentials, and Apple OS and devices.

Other Important Policies and Practices

Avoid Plagiarism Like the, er, Plague

Although most students have likely heard about plagiarism during their years of schooling, it still is prevalent-even in higher education.

The video below reviews what plagiarism is and how not to do it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q0NlWcTq1Y

This activity tests your knowledge of plagiarism (not graded): Self-check: Plagiarism

Netiquette, or Why Is It Harder to Be Polite Online?

Netiquette refers to using common courtesy in online communication. All members of the class are expected to follow netiquette in all course communications. Use these guidelines:

Use capital letters sparingly. THEY LOOK LIKE SHOUTING.
Forward emails only with a writer's permission.
Be considerate of others' feelings and use language carefully.
Cite all quotations, references, and sources (otherwise, it is plagiarism).
Use humor carefully. It is hard to "read" tone; sometimes humor can be misread as criticism or personal attack. Feel free to use emoticons like :) for a smiley face to let others know you are being humorous.
Use complete sentences and standard English grammar to compose posts. Write in proper paragraphs. Review work before submitting it.
Text speak, such as "ur" for "your" or "ru" for "are you" etc., is only acceptable when texting.

Review this video to learn more about education netiquette:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX19Qq-CRF4

This activity tests your knowledge of Netiquette (not graded): Self-check: Netiquette

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Original content contributed by Lumen Learning

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