Study Hints

 Distance education differs from the traditional classroom in that there is no instructor setting the pace. Generally, you’ll study when you decide to study, turn in assignments when you decide to turn them in, and take exams when you decide to take them. You must therefore plan your study time wisely in order to get the most out of a course.

Making a Schedule

Use the Making a Schedule worksheet in your course learning guide to create a study schedule for the course that will match your needs. As you develop your schedule, remember the following:

1. If you live in the United States or Canada, you have one year from the date you register for a course to complete the course. If you need more time to complete the course, you may request an extension (see Extensions, located here). If you live outside the United States and Canada or have an APO or FPO address, you have 18 months to complete a correspondence course because you automatically receive a six-month extension free of charge. We grant this extension for correspondence courses to compensate for postal delays. Please note that we do not grant this extension for online courses, since all lessons are submitted and returned online.
2. It usually takes about 14 calendar days after we receive your assignment or exam for it to be processed, graded, and returned to you. Correspondence courses can take longer than online courses because of our dependence on the mail service.
   Important: Our peak grading periods are the weeks directly preceding graduations (May, August, and December). During these periods, please allow additional time for us to grade and process your assignments.
3. You must complete a course, including all assignments and exams, at least three weeks before you need your final course grade.
4. Independent study courses are designed to cover a full semester of material, so it typically takes 12 to 18 weeks to complete a course. The time needed to complete a course will vary from student to student, depending on the pace the student works. It will also vary from course to course, depending on the number of course credits, the difficulty of the course material, and whether the student submits the assignments electronically (online or by email) or by postal mail.

Studying Effectively

Suggestions for studying effectively include the following:

1. Devote some time daily, even if only a half-hour, to your course work.
2. Don’t try to cover too much material in one sitting. Short study sessions will benefit you much more than long, mentally fatiguing ones.
3. Actively think about the material you’re studying. Ask yourself questions about it, fixing one thing in your mind before moving on to something new.
4. Take frequent study breaks to refresh yourself mentally. Occasionally get up and move around to get your blood circulating.
5. As you study a lesson, look for its main points. List them or arrange them in an outline, and then study the points until you can easily recall them. You’ll soon find yourself using the main points as hooks upon which to hang details.
6. Before going to bed at night, spend a little time reviewing what you learned earlier in the day.
7. Keep in mind that some times may be better for learning than others. Studies have shown, for example, that it may be harder to concentrate right after eating a big meal, being outside in the cold and entering a warm room, or exercising.