8. Learn To Become an Online Detective

Researching papers and assignments will be a part of your online program. Learn to follow your nose around the Internet to find the information you need. Search engines are getting overwhelmed with commercial sites, so learn to use academic search engines, and similar resources. If you find an article of particular interest, chances are the author is working at a university somewhere and has an email address posted on their website. Send an email with a few questions about the article. You will be surprised at the help you get.

9. Learn To Access Academic Databases

Learning to use academic databases for journal articles and finding online journals is key to research success. It can be tough work finding what you need, but the more you do it, the better you will get at it.

10. Find Inspiration

I met some incredible people online in the virtual classrooms of some my courses. People were overcoming tremendous obstacles to get an education. People bedridden with health problems, living in remote areas, dealing with financial difficulties and so on. The dedication and perseverance of these people were truly an inspiration.