<p>I completely regret taking it. The instructor isn't helpful, the due dates for assignments/quizzes are extremely vague which has caused me to already miss an assignment and a quiz, along with the discussions every week being no more than a waste of time... borderline busywork. And the worst thing is, I can't drop it without losing the HOPE. I'm at 13 hours right now and if I drop it I'll be forfeiting the HOPE scholarship and will be dropping down to 10 hours. What on earth can I do at this point? I've learned my lesson, but at this point it seems like I'm trapped into failing the course if this keeps up.</p>
<p>If you have a smartphone (and almost everyone does), make sure you put the due dates into your calendar so that it’ll notify you when something is due.</p>
<p>What do you mean by the due dates are vague?</p>
<p>That’s what you really need to figure out. If you’re problem is just that you miss assignments and quizzes because you’re missing the due dates, that seems like something that really shouldn’t be a problem at all. Is there a syllabus with any due dates on them? If there are assignments listed but no due dates, then can you contact the professor to ask when things are due or to clarify the dates? In the online course site, are there due dates listed in the place where you would submit the assignment or quiz? If you have some vague “it’s due this week” or “it’s due in two weeks,” then just do it as early as possible, so there should be no issue with being late. Are any other students having trouble with due dates? Maybe you can see if it’s possible for you to contact other students in the class to see if they can help you out (any sort of online message board for the class, possible to send out a class wide email, if you know anyone taking the class).</p>
<p>If the issue is just that you don’t like the class, then sorry, but suck it up. We all have to take classes we don’t like, and it seems like you have a really good incentive to keep the class. If there’s no other option, all you can do is to do your best. If you’re really in danger of failing the course even if you turn in all of the assignments and quizzes from this point forward, perhaps you could contact the professor and see if there’s something you can do. I don’t see how missing one assignment and one quiz (unless those are the only assignments) could make you fail the course entirely.</p>
<p>Baktrax has some really good advice. I’ll add that maybe you should go see your instructor in person. Are they an on-campus instructor? Do they have office hours? Maybe it’d be clearer for you if you can sit down and go over things in person. If they’re one of those distance professors, maybe you could call or Skype them? I’m sure they’ll have some kind of communication besides email. </p>
<p>I’m taking my first online course right now, and it is a rough transition. You really have to be diligent. I check our Moodle page and my university email several times a day. Sometimes important things come up, and sometimes your professor will send out reminders. </p>
<p>Since you’ve been having trouble, try treating it like a normal class. Check the course page every day at the same time and set a schedule up for yourself. As you get the hang of it you can check it less frequently, but give yourself a chance. </p>
<p>GL! </p>