How to be Successful as a GMC Online Campus Student Before the Beginning of the Term Communicate with your GMC Online Campus Teachers. One week prior to the beginning of the term you will receive a welcome and expectations message from your GMC Online Campus teachers. In it your teachers will introduce themselves, give instructions on how to log into the course, and provide an overview of course content. This e-mail will go to your GMC student e-mail account. You can access this and other student services areas by visiting www.gmconline.edu. Access to the courses, however, will not begin until the Friday prior to the start of the term. Purchase your textbooks. Sometimes it takes a while for the items to arrive, so be sure to order the textbooks and materials as soon as you enroll in a course. Do not wait until the week before the course begins, or you may be without a textbook at the beginning of the term. GMC Online Campus textbooks cannot be rented from the College bookstore. Visit www.ecampus.com/gmc to view the required textbooks/materials for each online course. Log in on the Friday prior to the start of the term. In order to become better acquainted with the course material, log in to the course on the Friday prior to the beginning of the term. Have a look around. Become familiar with the course. Take note of any activities that may be available before the beginning of the term. For those of you who have not logged onto the site yet, please follow these steps to log in the first time: - Go to the correct web site: www.gmconline.edu - Your GMC account is structured as follows: o The first initial of your first name and your last name and your birth month and day. For example, Jane Smith whose birthday is November 6th would be jsmith1106@student.gmc.cc.ga.us - Your password is the last seven digits of your social security number. Update user profile if needed. If you are new to the GMC Online Campus, you will want to create your personal profile. This profile will be the main source of information about you available to your instructors and fellow students. Because this is your student profile, you will want to provide information that is appropriate for the academic environment. When selecting your profile picture, choose one that reflects your intellectual best. Post to the introductions discussion forum. Each course will include an introductions discussion forum. In it you will be introducing yourself to your instructor and the other students enrolled in the course. Be personable. Be friendly. Now is the time to make your very best first impression. Read the syllabus. And finally, read the syllabus! Double check to make sure you have purchased all the necessary texts and materials. Make note of your instructor’s contact information and office hours. Pay special attention to expectations and assignment due dates. During the Term Manage time wisely. In the online learning environment, it is really important to pace yourself. Waiting until the last moment to complete assignments will undermine your success. At the beginning of each week take a look at what is expected and plan your week accordingly. You may want to break up the reading assignments into smaller segments and spread them throughout the week. Or give yourself deadlines for rough drafts of reports or papers. Use the online calendar. A calendar is included in every course that shows the due dates for each assignment. The calendar is also available for students to use to add events such as rough draft and reading assignment goals. Make use of live chat sessions. At least two live chat sessions per week are available for students to interact with the instructor in real time. The dates and times for these sessions are the same as the office hours posted in the syllabus. Take advantage of these sessions to ask questions and get clarification regarding assignments, labs, tests, or anything else related to the successful completion of the course. Communicate with faculty. All instructors provide information on how to contact them in addition to the live chat sessions. Whatever the preferred method (email, phone calls, etc.), do not hesitate to contact your instructor if you need help. Welcome feedback. Throughout the term you will be receiving feedback from your instructor. You will also be both giving and receiving feedback from your peers. Learn from this feedback and try to incorporate the most useful into your studies. Help your fellow learners by providing positive, constructive comments that will help them to succeed also. Ask for help. The faculty and staff with the GMC Online Campus are on your team. Whether they are instructors, advisors, tutors, or administrators, there are many people who are eager and ready to help you be successful. Be sure to ask for help if you need it.