Communication Remember that you will not have all those non-verbal cues that you get in the physical classroom and neither will your instructor. Also, your instructor's role will be much less that of the distributor of information, and much more that of a guide or resource for you in exploring an area of knowledge. The teaching style used in online courses may be different from the traditional university model. In fact, the web encourages a more collaborative and interactive teaching model. Again, that taking a class online means you will not be sitting quietly in the classroom.
Participation is essential for everyone involved.
As always, effective communication is critical to success. It is even more important in the online environment because your instructor can not see your frown, or hear the question in your voice. Here, you will be responsible for initiating more contact, for being persistent and vocal when you do not understand something. You will save a lot of time, and your instructor will have fewer sleepless nights. Be sure and ask about anything and everything that has to do with course content, course procedure and evaluation.