How to Become a Successful Axia College Student

Axia College offers the flexibility of an "asynchronous" learning environment, which means that you will be able to choose what time of day you do your school work.  This means that no matter what time of the day or night you work, you can still fit college courses into your schedule.  It does not mean that you can juggle a full time job, family responsibilities, an active social life, and several hobbies all while earning high grades! 

Realistically, you should expect to spend at least 12 hours per week studying for your classes. If you struggle with basic skills, or if it has been several years since you were last in school, you may need to devote more than 12 hours to your classes.

Saying, “I'll squeeze it in somehow,” is not a strategy for time management. In order to succeed, you will need to find realistic, specific ways to make time for your studies. Cutting back on work hours is ideal, if you can manage it. Other ideas include enlisting the help of your family with household chores, making childcare arrangements, and putting off volunteer activities, hobbies, and social obligations. There will be plenty of time to enjoy hobbies and a social life once you are finished with college!

In a face-to-face class, you can often get away with handing in a paper late or redoing an assignment.  You can explain about your computer crashing or your child getting sick as you hold out your paper, giving your instructor your best winning smile and "puppy dog eyes".  The instructor grumbles something about not letting it happen again, takes the paper from your hand, and all is well.

None of that applies in the online world!  Online instructors are held to rigorous standards.  They are required to enforce college policy, and their communication with students is audited in order to make sure that they are following the rules.  An instructor who takes a lax attitude toward college policy will not be an instructor for very long. 

While many of your instructors may wish that they could accept your paper a few minutes late or allow you to redo an assignment because you didn't understand the directions, they will not be able to bend the rules for you.  If you post an assignment in the wrong file format or turn it in after the drop-dead due date, expect to receive a zero.  If you turn in an assignment a few seconds after the initial due date, a late penalty will apply.  Assignments that include information you "borrowed" from Wikipedia will result in a plagiarism charge. 

Your best defense against the rigors of the online learning environment is a thorough command of the college policies.  Make sure that you understand both the general rules for all students and the specific rules for each instructor's course.  Follow them to the letter and you will be successful.  If there is something written in the college policies or the instructor's syllabus that is unclear, as your instructor or academic counselor about it.

This should go without saying, but to succeed at Axia College, it is vital that you complete assignments yourself.  So-called homework "help" sites offer papers for sale, or even free sample papers.  However, instructors at online colleges have access to plagiarism detection software, which means that using a paper from a homework help site will usually result in a plagiarism charge.

It's always better to attempt the assignment yourself than to copy your work from someone else.  If you complete the assignment on your own, the worst you can do is get a zero by completing it incorrectly.  On the other hand, copying someone else's work may get you kicked out of college!  Play it safe, and keep your work original.

One of the skils you will learn in your first few Axia courses is how to format references and citations according to the standards of the American Psychological Association (APA).  APA formatting is somewhat daunting, but it is a skill worth learning, since your instrucors in later courses will expect you to use it.  Learning APA formatting early on will help you be successful in every Axia course you take. 

Your instructors will not allow you any additional time for assignments because your computer crashed or your Internet access was down.  Make sure that you have an emergency plan in place so that you can complete assignments even if you have computer problems.  Perhaps you could make a standing arrangement with a friend or family member in order to borrow their computer in an emergency.  Another alternative is to complete your work at the local library. 

A course like history or biology at a traditional college may not involve much writing, since many professors opt for short answer or multiple choice exams.  At Axia College, on the other hand, even math classes require writing!  Most of the courses you take will revolve around written assignments rather than exams.  If your grammar skills are poor, or if you have trouble writing a coherent paragraph, you will need to address the problem in order to succeed in any Axia course. 

The good news is that Axia does offer free writing workshops in addition to introductory courses that emphasize written communication.  If you make use of the workshops early on and learn the material in your introductory courses, you will have the writing skills needed for the rest of the program.

Axia College has a policy that prohibits the use of "non-academic sources" such as Wikipedia, Yahoo! Answers, and even Helium.  These sites are not considered reliable, since anyone can post to them. 

The number of websites based on user-generated content is growing rapidly.  A Google search of almost any topic will turn up hits from sites like JustAsk, Buzzle, and WordPress.  None of these results will help you with your Axia College assignments, so instead of using a standard search engine, use the Axia library.  The library has articles on a variety of topics, so you should be able to find something there that supports the point you hope to make.

As an Axia student, you will be required to participate in discussion forums.  If you are a natural "listener" who would rather take in what others have to say than speak up and share your own ideas, then discussions will be a challenge.  They can also be a challenge for students who tend to be blunt and opinionated. 

The best strategy for handling Axia discussions is to remember that your goal is not really to have a meaningful exchange with your classmates, but rather to illustrate your knowledge and communication skills to your instructor.  Don't be afraid to quote the text book or bring up a scholarly article you found in the library, even if you feel a little silly doing so.  The more relevant information you bring to the discussion, the more likely your instructor will give you a good score on participation. 

When choosing which classmates to respond to, take the easy road and choose classmates who have made intelligent, thoughtful posts.  Use their good ideas as a springboard for your own.  Try summarizing what your classmate said, adding some information from the textbook, and then asking a question, such as, "Can you think of any other examples?" or "What do you think the implications are?"  This formula will work well in most classes. 

Above all, remember that diplomacy is the most important aspect of communication.  If your words hurt someone's feelings, you will never get your point across.  Once you have offended someone, it is impossible to sell that person on your ideas.  Most importantly, if your instructor finds your post offensive, you are unlikely to get credit for it.  Avoid emotionally-charged language at all times, and try to include as many positive statements in your posts as possible.  If someone makes a post that you cannot respond to in a positive, academic tone, then ignore that person.  Never forget that your goal is to earn a degree, not to correct your classmates.  By staying out of heated discussions, you can prevent the negative individuals you encounter from interfering with your goals.

The sad truth is that Axia College has a graduation rate of under 25%.  To put this in perspective, three out four Axia enrollees will not graduate with a degree.  If you manage to earn a degree from Axia College, that means you are a better scholar than 75% of the people who enroll.  When simply graduating is a challenge, expecting to graduate with a 4.0 is (for most students) more than a little silly.   

You may have been an A student in high school or when you attended college previously.  However, if you are an adult student balancing work, family, and school, it may not be realistic to expect the high grades you earned as a single full-time student.  Instead of getting frustrated when you earn a less-than-perfect grade, pat yourself on the back for being able to manage school along with the other aspects of your life.

Things Needed

12 or more hours of free time a week

Reliable Internet connection

Solid writing skills

Realistic expectations