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Managing your time

How do I study?

University of Essex Online offers you the freedom to study when and where it suits you – you can learn at home, during your lunch hour or anywhere else that you have internet access.

From week to week most of your studies will be self-managed. As with any academic course at this level, each assignment will have a deadline so you must be careful to manage your time. Tutors and academic advisors will be available to you by phone, email or online chat in case any questions or conflicts arise.

The increased flexibility of our innovative learning method means that no two weeks will be identical but we have outlined how a "typical" week might look:

Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday

Log into the system, review the key learning opportunities that week and how they fit into the overall framework of the subject.
Do background reading as directed in the online tutor instructions. This may involve looking at your textbook, visiting recommended web sites or reading around the topic in journals and other texts in the online library.
Call your tutor if there are areas that you don´t understand or want to explore further.

Friday / Saturday

Post items on the discussion forum to share with others in your class. There will be no more than 20 in your class, giving a good opportunity to build a strong learning community.
The discussion forum is based around a topic determined by your tutor but you will be encouraged to expand the topic. This will ensure you and your class get an in depth view of the topic.
You will be expected to post items for discussion and respond to other students' postings using knowledge gained through readings, work or discussion with others.
Your tutor will also access the discussion boards to add another perspective and ensure students are demonstrating key areas of knowledge and understanding.
By now you will have feedback from work submitted the previous week. Take time to visit your gradebook and review tutor comments.
If you need further help or want to query the marks, contact your tutor.

Sunday/Monday

This is the opportunity to post any final contributions and reflect on what you have learned this week through recorded lecturecasts, reading, discussion and relating the topic to your workplace.
You will complete a small project, often based around a workplace scenario, and submit online through your dropbox.

When will I complete my online Degree?

You can determine the speed of your studies. A unique feature of a University of Essex Online Degree is that you can dictate how long it takes until you attain a degree. You can choose how many modules to take at one time and how quickly you move from one module to the next. This process will normally begin as you progress onto your third module.

A traditional campus Degree programme includes long study breaks during the winter, summer and other holidays. This means that momentum can be lost and it may take much longer to complete a course than you would like. With University of Essex Online you can choose if and when you take study breaks and how you structure your learning.

Each Foundation Degree consists of 14 modules and most modules last 10 weeks. The BA Hons Top-up Degree consistent of 6 single modules & a double module. Each single module lasts 10 weeks while 20 weeks is required to study a double module. Students will study 1-2 subject modules for approximately 10 hours a week over a 15 week period. It will take a minimum of two years to complete your Degree or you may elect to study at a more relaxed pace and take up to five years for a Foundation Degree and 3 years for a BA Hons Top-up.

One of our Academic Advisers will work with you during the application process and throughout your studies to help you decide the right pace for you, based on your unique circumstances.

How can I fit an online Degree into my life?

You will need to manage your study time carefully to successfully complete a University of Essex Online Degree. Fitting your studies into a busy life is an important part of your path to success and this may be a challenging process if you haven´t studied for awhile.

It is important that you start a course with the proper expectations and commitment. Ask yourself what it is that has made you embark on the course in the first place. Picture your graduation day and how the degree will enhance your future. Keeping your mind clearly focused on this goal will help you maintain your motivation.

Our staff understands that almost all of our students will have jobs and many of them will have families. We have a team of advisors ready to work with you to find a schedule that suits your lifestyle.