Title: The Online Student User’s Manual: Everything You Need To Know To Be A Successful Online College Student
Author: Diane Hamilton, Ph.D.
Publisher: Dr. Diane Hamilton
ISBN: 9780982742808
Pages: 184 Paperback
Genre: Reference/Business/Computers
Reviewed by: Nicole Sorkin, Pacific Book Review
Book Review
Are you thinking about pursuing an online education? Most people these days have a challenging daily agenda with work, family and trying to pay bills in a difficult economic time. People are looking for solutions to help them in a fast-paced environment. Dr. Diane Hamilton’s new book titled, The Online Student’s User Manual: Everything You Need to Know to be a Successful Online College Student will help the inquisitive reader explore the various options readily available to everyone.Online schools offer a convenient way to complete many fully accredited classes, certificates and degrees in the privacy and comfort of your own home. However, they aren’t an easy way out. The potential student will still have lots of reading and writing. In addition, online schools typically require the same amount of work and interaction as a traditional college course. Students should plan to spend 5 to 12 hours each week on the class depending on the difficulty and how they process information. The student has the main classroom, a discussion board and a forum where they participate in weekly discussions. Some online schools even have a “chat room.”
Dr. Hamilton stresses in her book that it’s essential the student has a functioning working computer and to have backup files of all work in case the computer crashes. She strongly suggests you do your research to make sure that you are enrolled in an accredited school. Dr. Hamilton provides a recommend link in her book for a complete list of accredited agencies. She writes about making sure not to get trapped in the “diploma mill schools.” This term is used for schools that are fundamentally just selling diplomas and extracting money out of your wallet. It’s important to be cautious of any “fake accrediting agency.” A prime example of this would be Columbus University.
If you are considering enrolling in any online school or class, The Online Student’s User Manual would be a valuable resource that you should read completely. This book is an outstanding source of advice and information about online schools; including learning the correct buzz words, setting goals and time management techniques. The reader will also learn how to improve their test-taking capabilities and will have access to easy-to-understand checklists and examples of online tools. Dr. Hamilton explains important things to consider both about you as well as about a variety of online programs. In the relatively new world of online education you need to carefully evaluate your options and this book will help you do it. She also gives solid advice on what to expect and how to succeed as an online student. This book includes appendices, references, an index, a glossary, personality study techniques, and more.
I found this book to be an enjoyable read that communicates in terms that are easy to understand, yet offers a lot of very helpful information. I highly recommend this book for anyone planning to invest in an online education of any kind; invest in this book first. The Online Student’s User Manual: Everything You Need to Know to be a Successful Online College Student is the one necessary resource for anyone looking to begin or continue education through non-traditional means. Online learning is the futuristic way of achieving an education.
