In online courses there are a series of activities you might participate in each week.

Assignments: each week your instructor will provide you with a list of reading assignments, writing assignments, research, and other activities. You can complete his assignments editing time you choose, however you must turn in your assignments before their deadline. Make sure to check the course schedule to determine which assignments are due each week.

Lectures: online lecture materials are designed to extend your learning beyond your textbook. You will be required to study the online lecturers in addition to your textbook, and the online lecturers might consist of readings, PowerPoint presentations, podcasts, or videos.

Submitting Homework: you will need to complete your homework before you upload it to your instructor. It is important that you check your work for accuracy and spelling prior to submitting it. In most cases, writing assignments must be created using Microsoft Word, and you will upload the assignment to your instructor using the Dropbox tool.

Discussions: your instructor might have discussion activities in your course. Most instructors will grate your participation in each discussion activity, and you will be responsible for posting new messages as well as replies to other students. Therefore, in weeks which contain discussion activities, you will need to log into the discussions early, and then log into the same discussion several other times that week to read additional messages and poster replies to your classmates. Discussions are meant to help you learn the material through problem-solving, comparisons and contrasts, and applications of the material. The more that you participate, the better you will learn the materials.

Questions: in an online class, you don't raise your hand to ask a question. Instead, you should post your question into the discussions forum titled "questions and answers" so that your instructor can read your question and reply to it, and the rest of the class gets the benefit of that answer. If you have a question of a personal and private nature (such as a question a bout a grade on your assignment), then you should send a private e-mail to your instructor with the subject line which starts with the name of your class.

Quizzes and Tests: along with other assignments, your instructor may test your understanding of content and skills through quizzes and exams. In most situations, the tests will only be available for you to take for a few dates; it is very important to be aware of these deadlines and to complete your tests during those periods. Also, most tests have time limits, and once you begin the test, the clock starts counting down. For this reason, it is extremely important to take notes and study them prior to the test so that you are well prepared. Some instructors will provide sample tests or practice tests to help you gauge how prepared you are to take the graded examination. When these practice tests are available, it is to your benefit to use them and learn from them.

Group Work: some instructors will have you participate in group projects, and your grade will reflect how successful your group was at completing the learning objectives for the assignment. The keys to success in a group project are communication and cooperation. When you are a signed into a group project, it is very important for you to personally contact your other group members right away. Coordinate your efforts and keep in contact to make sure that everyone completes his or her tasks on time. In many group assignments, your instructor will be able to determine who has completed which work, and therefore it is very important for you to take an active role in a group project.

Presentations and Projects: some instructors might have you create a presentation to share with the rest of the class. This might be an online blog site or journal, a PowerPoint presentation, a podcast, a paper, or a YouTube video. Your presentation is meant to help other students learn the content from the course, and in presentations and projects you have a special responsibility to check your facts, organize your thoughts, and make the information that you are presenting clear and concise.