Online Student Success
Online learning offers great flexibility, but staying on track without a physical classroom requires a deliberate strategy.
This page is designed to be your essential toolkit for succeeding in an online environment. Whether you are balancing coursework with a busy job and/or other responsibilities, returning to school after a break, or looking to maximize your study efficiency, you will find evidence-based strategies to support your academic journey.
Online Learning Success Skills
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Self-Regulation: The ability to monitor your own learning, manage your emotional responses to academic challenges, and evaluate your progress independently without relying on external prompts or reminders.
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Motivation: The internal drive that sustains effort and engagement over time, shaped by mindset, personal values, and the connections you make between your coursework and your goals.
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Time Management: The capacity to organize academic responsibilities into a realistic and sustainable schedule, balancing deadlines and priorities while avoiding the buildup of procrastination.
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Focus & Attention: The ability to direct and maintain concentration on academic tasks by managing environmental distractions, digital interruptions, and the demands of a home-based or remote workspace.
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Evidence-Based Study Strategies: Research-supported learning techniques such as retrieval practice and spaced repetition that are more effective than passive approaches like rereading or highlighting.
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Tech Skills & Resources: Proficiency with the digital tools and platforms used in online learning, along with the ability to troubleshoot common technical issues that might otherwise disrupt coursework.
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Communication & Help-Seeking: The willingness and skill to advocate for your needs, engage with peers, and reach out to instructors recognizing that connection and support are essential parts of online learning.
Explore Online Student Success Skills and Resources
Self-regulation skills help you plan and monitor your own learning to reach your goals.
Strong self-regulators set clear intentions before studying, check in on their understanding
as they go, and adjust their approach when something isn't working all without waiting
for a professor to prompt them.
Interactive Resource:
The Self Regulated Learning Lab is an interactive website designed to help you evaluate your current self-regulation
skills and build stronger habits for online learning. It covers goal setting, managing
your environment, help-seeking, and more.
Quick Tip!
Before each study session, write down one specific goal. Instead of saying "study
for class," be specific by saying "complete the first two sections of Chapter 4 and
summarize key terms." This small habit activates self-regulation from the start.
Staying motivated in an online course requires more than just willpower. It involves
understanding your personal goals, building realistic habits, and developing a mindset
that helps you bounce back from setbacks. The strategies below can help you build
and sustain your drive throughout the semester.
Identify Your Goals:
It's difficult to stay motivated when you're not clear on where you're heading. Make
sure your goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely. Set small daily study goals
and record them in your calendar so you can track your progress. For more info, watch this video on setting SMART goals.
Make Tasks More Manageable:
Large assignments and long readings can feel overwhelming, which drains motivation
before you even begin. Break tasks into smaller pieces: divide big projects into steps,
split long readings into 10–15 page chunks, and break up lecture videos into 10–20
minute segments. Pair this approach with the Pomodoro Technique (see time management)
to keep the momentum going.
Develop a Growth Mindset:
A growth mindset is the belief that your abilities can improve through effort and
practice. When you encounter a challenging concept or a low grade, a growth mindset
helps you see it as useful feedback rather than a verdict on your capabilities. Watch this video for tips to help you develop a growth mindset.
Online courses give you more flexibility, but they also put more responsibility on
you to structure your own time. Without a consistent routine, deadlines can sneak
up quickly. The strategies below will help you organize your week and stay on top
of your workload.
Get Organized:
Use a paper or digital calendar to map out the entire semester from day one. Pull
out each syllabus and record all tasks, readings, and due dates. Schedule dedicated
study sessions just as you would a class meeting. For asynchronous courses, block
out time as if it were a synchronous session. The Bullet Journal Method is a flexible system many students find helpful for planning and daily task tracking.
Prioritize Your Tasks:
Not everything on your to-do list carries equal weight. The Eisenhower Matrix is a simple four-quadrant tool that helps you sort tasks by urgency and importance,
so you can focus your best energy where it matters most.
Pomodoro Technique:
The Pomodoro Technique structures work into 25-minute focused intervals followed by a short break. This
rhythm helps you maintain concentration, avoid burnout, and build a sense of steady
progress throughout the day.
Procrastination:
Procrastination is one of the most common challenges for online learners. Research
by Dr. Piers Steel suggests that impulsiveness is the leading culprit as we tend to
favor short-term comfort over long-term rewards. Understanding why you procrastinate
is the first step to tackling it.
Watch this Ted-Talk and this video on the Procrastination Equation for some helpful tips. Use strategies such as making things manageable and the Pomodoro
Technique to help overcome procrastination.
Focused attention is a limited resource, and the online environment is full of distractions.
Knowing when your brain is sharpest — and setting up your space to protect that focus
— makes a significant difference in how much you actually retain from each study session.
Work With Your Energy Levels:
We all have time blocks when we feel most alert and can work on challenging tasks.
Identify the time block when you have the most energy, which is around 4 hours per
day. Schedule difficult tasks during this time period (i.e., solving challenging problems,
writing papers, creating projects) and less demanding tasks outside this time frame.
Create an Effective Study Environment:
Your physical space has a real effect on your ability to focus. Aim for a brightly
lit room, an upright and comfortable chair, and a cleared workspace. Silence your
phone and move it to another room if possible. Close browser tabs that aren't needed
for your current task.
Take Strategic Breaks:
Sustained focus is not a matter of willpower alone — the brain genuinely needs recovery
time. Build short breaks into every study session, step away after each synchronous
class, and pause after watching lecture videos before moving on to the next one.
Support Focus With Healthy Habits:
Sleep, nutrition, and physical movement all directly affect cognitive function. Prioritizing
these basics is one of the most evidence-backed things you can do to improve your
ability to concentrate. Watch this helpful video for more tips on improving focus and attention.
Many common study habits such as rereading notes, highlighting, reviewing slides,
feel productive but are not very effective. The strategies below are backed by decades
of cognitive science research and consistently outperform passive review methods.
Retrieval Practice:
Retrieval practice means actively recalling information rather than re-reading it.
The act of pulling something from memory strengthens the memory itself. Try taking
practice tests, writing out what you remember from a lecture before looking at your
notes, working through practice problems, or explaining a concept to a classmate from
memory. Check out Learning Scientists Retrieval Practice page for more information.
Spaced Practice:
Cramming all your studying into one session is far less effective than spreading it
across multiple sessions over time. Five hours of studying distributed over two weeks
will produce better retention than five hours the night before an exam. Build regular
review sessions into your weekly calendar from the start of the semester. Check out
Learning Scientists Spaced Practice page for more information.
Crash Course Study Skills:
Learn how to learn! The Crash Course Study Skills video series is an accessible, engaging
introduction to a wide range of learning strategies including note-taking, memory,
exam preparation, focus, and how to handle procrastination. A great starting point
if you want to level up your overall approach to studying. View the Crash Course Study Skills webpage to view these videos.
Online learning can sometimes feel solitary, but you are not expected to navigate
it alone. Building communication habits with faculty, classmates, and support staff
is one of the most effective things you can do to stay on track and succeed.
Connecting With Faculty:
Check your syllabus to find out how your instructor prefers to be contacted. Visit
office hours — online or in person — even when you don't have a specific problem.
Asking questions in shared discussion forums benefits the whole class. If you're struggling
with something, communicate early; don't wait until a deadline is right in front of
you. Always use a professional, respectful tone in all written correspondence.
Staying In The Loop:
Read your syllabus carefully at the start of the semester and refer back to it regularly.
Log into Brightspace and check announcements daily. Subscribe to discussion boards
so you receive notifications when new posts are made. Staying current with course
communications helps you anticipate what's coming and avoid surprises.
Group Work:
If your course involves group projects, exchange contact information and communicate
early — don't wait for an assignment to feel urgent. Establish a shared meeting time,
treat it like any other class commitment, and agree on how you will communicate (email,
a shared document, a group chat). Clear expectations at the start make collaboration
much smoother.
Study Groups:
Forming a weekly study group with classmates is one of the most effective ways to
stay accountable and reduce the isolation that online courses can sometimes create.
Even a brief weekly check-in with one or two peers can significantly improve your
consistency and sense of connection.
Online learning depends on your ability to navigate digital tools confidently. Technical
problems are normal, but knowing the basics and knowing where to get help means a
tech issue doesn't have to derail your week.
Brightspace:
Your home base for course materials, assignments, announcements, and grades. Log in
daily and enable notifications so you don't miss anything.
Zoom/Video Conferencing:
Used for synchronous sessions and office hours. Test your audio and camera before
the first class. Familiarize yourself with mute, chat, and screen-sharing.
Microsoft Office 365:
As a student at Stony Brook University, you have access to Microsoft 365 software
including Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc. You also have access to OneDrive and OneNote
as well as Microsoft Co-Pilot. You are able to install these tools on up to 5 PCs/Mac
computers to complete your work.
Google Workspace
As a student at Stony Brook University, you also have access to Google Workspace for
Education including Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Contacts, Sites, Groups, Hangouts, etc.
Email and Communication:
Check your student email account daily and use it for communication with faculty and
staff.
- Google Mail is the Stony Brook University email system for faculty, staff and students on West
Campus, Southampton, Manhattan and select departments within the Health Sciences Center.
- Members of Stony Brook Medicine, including Stony Brook Hospital and the School of
Dental Medicine, use Microsoft Exchange for email.
Basic Troubleshooting Tips
When something isn't working, try these steps before reaching out for help:
- Refresh the page or close and reopen the browser.
- Try a different browser (Chrome and Firefox tend to work best with most learning platforms).
- Clear your browser's cache and cookies.
- Restart your computer or device.
- Check your internet connection. Move closer to your router or use a wired connection
if possible.
- Disable browser extensions (ad blockers can sometimes interfere with course platforms).
- If you need additional help, contact Stony Brook DoIT Help Desk
Student Laptop Loaner Program:
If you are experiencing ongoing issues, contact DoIT to inquire about the Student Laptop Loaner Program. If you are local to campus, SBU students currently enrolled for the semester, with
valid SBU ID may borrow a laptop for use.
Reliable WiFi:
If you are experiencing issues with reliable internet access and are local to Stony
Brook University campus, you can connect to Eduroam on campus. If you are not local to campus we suggest the following resources:
- Local public libraries
- Local coffee shops and restaurants such as Panera
- Local community colleges
The most successful online learners reach out early before a problem becomes a crisis.
If you are confused about an assignment, falling behind, struggling personally, or
dealing with a technical issue, don't wait. A brief, clear email or a visit to office
hours can resolve in minutes what might otherwise derail days of work. Knowing where
to turn when you need support is a skill in itself. There are people across campus
whose job is to help you succeed. You just need to know who they are and how to reach
them.
Remember: Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It's one of the most effective study strategies
available to you. Every support office listed above exists because students need and
deserve that help.
Connecting with Faculty:
For questions about course content, assignments, expectations, and grades. Check the
syllabus for office hours and preferred contact method.
Writing Center:
For help with papers, essays, and written assignments at any stage including brainstorming,
drafting, or revising. Online appointments are available.
DoIT Tech Help:
For technical issues with Brightspace, Zoom, email or any other technology.
Student Accessibility Support Center (SASC):
If you have a documented disability or think you may benefit from academic accommodations,
reach out to learn about available support.
Financial Aid:
For questions about loans or financial emergencies that may affect your ability to
continue your studies.
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS):
For mental health support, stress management, and personal challenges. At Stony Brook,
you can access free short-term counseling.
Explore Online Student Success Skills and Resources
Self-regulation skills help you plan and monitor your own learning to reach your goals.
Strong self-regulators set clear intentions before studying, check in on their understanding
as they go, and adjust their approach when something isn't working all without waiting
for a professor to prompt them.
Interactive Resource:
The Self Regulated Learning Lab is an interactive website designed to help you evaluate your current self-regulation
skills and build stronger habits for online learning. It covers goal setting, managing
your environment, help-seeking, and more.
Quick Tip!
Before each study session, write down one specific goal. Instead of saying "study
for class," be specific by saying "complete the first two sections of Chapter 4 and
summarize key terms." This small habit activates self-regulation from the start.
Identify Your Goals:
It's difficult to stay motivated when you're not clear on where you're heading. Make sure your goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely. Set small daily study goals and record them in your calendar so you can track your progress. For more info, watch this video on setting SMART goals.
Make Tasks More Manageable:
Large assignments and long readings can feel overwhelming, which drains motivation before you even begin. Break tasks into smaller pieces: divide big projects into steps, split long readings into 10–15 page chunks, and break up lecture videos into 10–20 minute segments. Pair this approach with the Pomodoro Technique (see time management) to keep the momentum going.
Develop a Growth Mindset:
A growth mindset is the belief that your abilities can improve through effort and practice. When you encounter a challenging concept or a low grade, a growth mindset helps you see it as useful feedback rather than a verdict on your capabilities. Watch this video for tips to help you develop a growth mindset.
Get Organized:
Use a paper or digital calendar to map out the entire semester from day one. Pull out each syllabus and record all tasks, readings, and due dates. Schedule dedicated study sessions just as you would a class meeting. For asynchronous courses, block out time as if it were a synchronous session. The Bullet Journal Method is a flexible system many students find helpful for planning and daily task tracking.
Prioritize Your Tasks:
Not everything on your to-do list carries equal weight. The Eisenhower Matrix is a simple four-quadrant tool that helps you sort tasks by urgency and importance, so you can focus your best energy where it matters most.
Pomodoro Technique:
The Pomodoro Technique structures work into 25-minute focused intervals followed by a short break. This rhythm helps you maintain concentration, avoid burnout, and build a sense of steady progress throughout the day.
Procrastination:
Procrastination is one of the most common challenges for online learners. Research by Dr. Piers Steel suggests that impulsiveness is the leading culprit as we tend to favor short-term comfort over long-term rewards. Understanding why you procrastinate is the first step to tackling it.
Watch this Ted-Talk and this video on the Procrastination Equation for some helpful tips. Use strategies such as making things manageable and the Pomodoro Technique to help overcome procrastination.
Focused attention is a limited resource, and the online environment is full of distractions.
Knowing when your brain is sharpest — and setting up your space to protect that focus
— makes a significant difference in how much you actually retain from each study session.
Work With Your Energy Levels:
We all have time blocks when we feel most alert and can work on challenging tasks.
Identify the time block when you have the most energy, which is around 4 hours per
day. Schedule difficult tasks during this time period (i.e., solving challenging problems,
writing papers, creating projects) and less demanding tasks outside this time frame.
Create an Effective Study Environment:
Your physical space has a real effect on your ability to focus. Aim for a brightly
lit room, an upright and comfortable chair, and a cleared workspace. Silence your
phone and move it to another room if possible. Close browser tabs that aren't needed
for your current task.
Take Strategic Breaks:
Sustained focus is not a matter of willpower alone — the brain genuinely needs recovery
time. Build short breaks into every study session, step away after each synchronous
class, and pause after watching lecture videos before moving on to the next one.
Support Focus With Healthy Habits:
Sleep, nutrition, and physical movement all directly affect cognitive function. Prioritizing
these basics is one of the most evidence-backed things you can do to improve your
ability to concentrate. Watch this helpful video for more tips on improving focus and attention.
Retrieval Practice:
Retrieval practice means actively recalling information rather than re-reading it. The act of pulling something from memory strengthens the memory itself. Try taking practice tests, writing out what you remember from a lecture before looking at your notes, working through practice problems, or explaining a concept to a classmate from memory. Check out Learning Scientists Retrieval Practice page for more information.
Spaced Practice:
Cramming all your studying into one session is far less effective than spreading it across multiple sessions over time. Five hours of studying distributed over two weeks will produce better retention than five hours the night before an exam. Build regular review sessions into your weekly calendar from the start of the semester. Check out Learning Scientists Spaced Practice page for more information.
Crash Course Study Skills:
Learn how to learn! The Crash Course Study Skills video series is an accessible, engaging introduction to a wide range of learning strategies including note-taking, memory, exam preparation, focus, and how to handle procrastination. A great starting point if you want to level up your overall approach to studying. View the Crash Course Study Skills webpage to view these videos.
Connecting With Faculty:
Check your syllabus to find out how your instructor prefers to be contacted. Visit office hours — online or in person — even when you don't have a specific problem. Asking questions in shared discussion forums benefits the whole class. If you're struggling with something, communicate early; don't wait until a deadline is right in front of you. Always use a professional, respectful tone in all written correspondence.
Staying In The Loop:
Read your syllabus carefully at the start of the semester and refer back to it regularly. Log into Brightspace and check announcements daily. Subscribe to discussion boards so you receive notifications when new posts are made. Staying current with course communications helps you anticipate what's coming and avoid surprises.
Group Work:
If your course involves group projects, exchange contact information and communicate early — don't wait for an assignment to feel urgent. Establish a shared meeting time, treat it like any other class commitment, and agree on how you will communicate (email, a shared document, a group chat). Clear expectations at the start make collaboration much smoother.
Study Groups:
Forming a weekly study group with classmates is one of the most effective ways to stay accountable and reduce the isolation that online courses can sometimes create. Even a brief weekly check-in with one or two peers can significantly improve your consistency and sense of connection.
Online learning depends on your ability to navigate digital tools confidently. Technical
problems are normal, but knowing the basics and knowing where to get help means a
tech issue doesn't have to derail your week.
Brightspace:
Your home base for course materials, assignments, announcements, and grades. Log in
daily and enable notifications so you don't miss anything.
Zoom/Video Conferencing:
Used for synchronous sessions and office hours. Test your audio and camera before
the first class. Familiarize yourself with mute, chat, and screen-sharing.
As a student at Stony Brook University, you have access to Microsoft 365 software including Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc. You also have access to OneDrive and OneNote as well as Microsoft Co-Pilot. You are able to install these tools on up to 5 PCs/Mac computers to complete your work.
Google Workspace
As a student at Stony Brook University, you also have access to Google Workspace for Education including Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Contacts, Sites, Groups, Hangouts, etc.
Email and Communication:
Check your student email account daily and use it for communication with faculty and staff.
- Google Mail is the Stony Brook University email system for faculty, staff and students on West Campus, Southampton, Manhattan and select departments within the Health Sciences Center.
- Members of Stony Brook Medicine, including Stony Brook Hospital and the School of
Dental Medicine, use Microsoft Exchange for email.
When something isn't working, try these steps before reaching out for help:
- Refresh the page or close and reopen the browser.
- Try a different browser (Chrome and Firefox tend to work best with most learning platforms).
- Clear your browser's cache and cookies.
- Restart your computer or device.
- Check your internet connection. Move closer to your router or use a wired connection if possible.
- Disable browser extensions (ad blockers can sometimes interfere with course platforms).
- If you need additional help, contact Stony Brook DoIT Help Desk
If you are experiencing ongoing issues, contact DoIT to inquire about the Student Laptop Loaner Program. If you are local to campus, SBU students currently enrolled for the semester, with valid SBU ID may borrow a laptop for use.
Reliable WiFi:
If you are experiencing issues with reliable internet access and are local to Stony Brook University campus, you can connect to Eduroam on campus. If you are not local to campus we suggest the following resources:
- Local public libraries
- Local coffee shops and restaurants such as Panera
- Local community colleges
Remember: Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It's one of the most effective study strategies available to you. Every support office listed above exists because students need and deserve that help.
For questions about course content, assignments, expectations, and grades. Check the syllabus for office hours and preferred contact method.
Writing Center:
For help with papers, essays, and written assignments at any stage including brainstorming, drafting, or revising. Online appointments are available.
DoIT Tech Help:
For technical issues with Brightspace, Zoom, email or any other technology.
Student Accessibility Support Center (SASC):
If you have a documented disability or think you may benefit from academic accommodations, reach out to learn about available support.
Financial Aid:
For questions about loans or financial emergencies that may affect your ability to continue your studies.
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS):
For mental health support, stress management, and personal challenges. At Stony Brook, you can access free short-term counseling.
Additional Online Learning Support
Undergraduate Students
If you are an undergraduate student taking online courses and looking for additional support on success skills, reach out to the Academic Success and Tutoring Center Skills Based Tutoring Program.
Skill-based peer tutors help their peers develop and enhance their academic success techniques in areas such as time management, studying, using evidence-based learning strategies, academic goal setting, and using campus resources. They do not tutor specific courses, but instead tutor students on academic success strategies and behaviors that can be used in any class.
Please note: this is open to undergraduate students only.
Graduate Students
If you are in an online graduate program and looking for additional support, please reach out to your program for more information.
- College of Business- MBA online
- Health Administration
- Nutrition
- School of Nursing
- School of Professional Development