We recently told you about some exciting changes coming to the online experience. Beginning tomorrow, students will see the changes in action.

We’re always asking for feedback from our students, and we consistently try to incorporate that feedback into new tools for the Campus Common and Classroom.

With this in mind, we have made improvements to the Campus Common to give students greater visibility into important information from the classroom. Included in these changes is a snazzy upgrade to the classroom design.

NEW CAMPUS COMMON FEATURES:

• We have introduced a new “Dashboard”
• When students log in, they will see a new "My Classes" area, aimed at giving them a quick view of their current class
• Below that, students can still Launch your classroom or enter their new "Dashboard"
• The Dashboard provides quick insight into course grades, recent faculty and student comments and much more

NEW CLASSROOM FEATURES:

• A sleeker, refreshed design helps unite the Classroom with the larger Campus Common

To take a tour of the changes coming tomorrow, check out our tutorial video!

At The Argosy University Online Programs, we’re dedicated to delivering an excellent online experience for our students.

As part of that commitment, beginning Thursday, August 23rd, students will see some upgrades in the Campus Common and the Online Classroom meant to simplify and improve their online experience.

So, stay tuned for more exciting details in the days ahead!

So far, we’ve provided you with four tips to help you stave off procrastination. Thirsty for more? Read our last three tips below!

• Cut Down on Distractions
  There are so many things that demand your attention on a daily basis – family, friends, pets, TV, cell phone, email, Facebook, and the list goes on. It’s time to tell all of them (if only for a short time) – NO! Tell your family that you need a set amount of time alone and give them a time when you’ll be available, do work in a room that doesn’t have a television, turn your email alerts off on your computer.If what you’re working on doesn’t require Internet access, turn off your connection, turn your cell phone off (or leave only phone call rings on in case of an emergency). One by one, begin to eliminate the things that grab your attention away from your work. Focusing on the task at hand and not allowing yourself to be distracted will get your tasks finished sooner and better.
• Identify Why You’re Putting It Off – Tackle Self Doubt
  One way to really get to the heart of your procrastination problem is to be honest with yourself. What are the reasons why you keep putting off this project? You haven’t had time? Set the schedule. You keep finding other things to do? Cut down on the distractions. These problems are easy to solve. But, oftentimes, there may be bigger issues at hand. Have you ever put off something because you weren’t sure if you could actually accomplish it or accomplish it at the quality you were hoping for? If self doubt is holding you back, just remind yourself that “The only real failure in life is the failure to try.” Just go for it! No matter what the outcome you’ll learn something from the process. If you don’t do anything, there’s nothing gained and an opportunity wasted.
• Reward Yourself
  Once you’ve used all of these strategies to get your work done, it’s time to give yourself a nice pat on the back. You can pick out small rewards to get you through each step. For instance, give yourself a short break in between tasks but make sure to set a timer so you know when it’s time to get back to work. Or you can set up larger rewards for when you completely finish something. Pick out a really special treat – be it a decadent dessert, an extra hour of TV time, a game of cards with the family, anything to keep you motivated!

In our first blog post in this series, we encouraged you to avoid procrastination by breaking up large tasks and tracking your progress. Below, you’ll find two more tips to help get you off on the right foot.

• Set a Schedule
  This seems pretty simple, but it really makes a difference. As a busy student, you probably only have a few hours a day that you can devote to your homework. Make sure to make the most of that time by filling in your schedule with all of your responsibilities. Make sure that when you set aside time for homework, you assign specific times for working on specific things rather than just writing in “Homework”. This will not only keep you focused but will help you visualize in black and white how much time you really have rather than assuming you have tons of time to get something completed. Schedules make you create and face your deadlines – don’t let them surprise you! Keep a schedule and you’ll know exactly what stands between you and your deadline.
• Urgency – Do it Now!
  All right, so you’ve got your schedule down, but when it comes time to tackle the tasks at hand, you think “I could really spend this time (fill in the blank with anything besides what you should be doing).” Did you really need to organize your spices in alphabetical order instead of getting a head start on your last paper? Once you put off the task you were supposed to accomplish, you start the excuse game. You tell yourself, “Oh, I’ll have plenty of time to get this done while I’m working out or riding the bus or while I’m doing laundry. I’m great at multitasking!” You may very well be good at multitasking, but why would you add on extra stress to yourself later? Just do it now! Because, really, when else are you going to do it?

Face it: the time to stop procrastinating is now. Stay tuned for our final blog post in the series!

At one time or another, we’ve all been guilty of procrastination. It lurks around at the worst times. When you’ve got a to-do list a mile long but that episode of Law & Order is just begging to be watched, what do you do? Most of us give in, get beaten by Procrastination. What can you do to fight off the temptations to put off the work that you know you need to do? As an online student, you often just don’t have the time to procrastinate. If you procrastinate, you’ll fall behind. So it’s time to put on the boxing gloves and get ready for a match against your most villainous foe. In this three-part blog post series, we’ll share tips for knocking it out once and for all. Check out our first two tips below.

• Break up Large Tasks
  So your To-Do list has only four things on it - that’s great! Until you realize all four things are huge, daunting projects that seem like they will take forever to complete. The best way to combat this is to go against your better judgment and make your To-Do list longer. Break up those large projects into smaller and more manageable pieces. You’ll find you’re more motivated to start doing something if you think the tasks are easier and will take a shorter time to complete. This strategy will also help you plan out your attackm, which will ensure you are really thinking through your process and not wasting time.
• Track Your Progress
  Doesn’t crossing off items on a To-Do list feel so good? It really helps us visual people understand the progress that we’ve made. So even for small projects, go ahead and jot down a quick To-Do list. As you complete these little tasks, you can reward yourself with a quick slash mark through each of them.

Need more motivation? Check out our next blog post in the series, coming soon!