To be successful in online courses, you must be comfortable using a computer and the internet. The following information outlines the computer literacy skills you must have in order to set yourself up for success.

You should be able to perform the following computer tasks:

• Turn your computer on, off, and reboot
• Comfortably use a mouse
• Create folders on the desktop and organize files
• Find lost files on your hard drive
• Create a new word processing document
• Save files to a desktop

You should be able to perform the following internet skills as well:

• Use a URL or web address
• Use the refresh/reload button on your browser
• Create and use bookmarks or favorites
• Search the web using a search engine
• Download and install programs or plug-ins
• Send and receive e-mails
• Attach a file to an outgoing e-mail message
• Download documents, images, or other files from the internet
• Participate in an online chat, listserv, or bulletin board discussion

If the above characteristics sound like you, great! You might be a good candidate for online learning. If only a few or none of the above apply to you, don’t fret! You can still be successful in an online course.

Back to Part 1: Patterns for Success Continue to Part 3: How to Get Started