As a student, you realize that it is important to have a good instructor. Especially at a college level, a good instructor is imperative to the success of enrolled students. So how do you know if you have a good instructor? These ten signs can help you find out whether your instructor is good beginning with the first time you are in contact with the instructor.

1. Good instructors show that they are interested in seeing their students become knowledgeable and successful. They show that they care about the process of their students every step of the way.

2. Good instructors are interested in the material that they are teaching and demonstrate some level of excitement when discussing the subject being covered. With an online college, this is sometimes difficult but it is still possible to convey a love of material in emails and other online contacts.

3. Because students taking online college courses may never actually meet the instructor face to face, good instructors will go out of their way to make contact with the students enrolled in their course and to find out more information about each student and what it will take for them to do well in the class.

4. Good online courses are built using a solid syllabus. A good instructor will be well organized and have a plan for each step of the course.

5. Good instructors will supply students with a list of reading and other assignments at the beginning of the course term, because they recognize that distance students learn and work when they have time. Sometimes, this is daily and sometimes only a few times a week.

6. Good online college instructors realize that students taking online courses often have additional responsibilities in their lives including families, jobs, etc. that may have to take precedence at some points and are willing to be flexible to a point with deadlines and assignments.

7. Good instructors know their material. They are able to answer questions that as asked, even if those questions are beyond the immediate scope of the course.

8. Good instructors will often tell students where to go for additional information about a specific subject covered in class. This demonstrates both knowledge and love for the subject matter.

9. Good instructors will turn around submitted work in a timely manner.

10. Good instructors will have teaching experience or at least industry experience in their field. Someone who knows the importance of the material they are teaching is often the best teacher.

If you are considering taking online courses for the first time, then it is not unusual to have doubts about the quality of the instruction that you will receive from the instructor and staff. Here are ten signs that an instructor will provide you with the information you need to be successful in your online courses:

1. They contact you as soon as possible to welcome you to the class. Communication is critical with online courses and an instructor without excellent communication skills is not likely to lead a successful course.

2. They provide a syllabus, much like a face-to-face instructor would do in a traditional course. A syllabus is a map of what will be covered and the assignments and exams during the course. This is a must-have for online students.

3. They provide you with background information about their experience teaching and their education.

4. They make themselves available to assist you or offer the assistance of a teaching assistant dedicated to the course that you are taking. Online courses can be more stressful for students, who often feel that they are out there on their own completing work with little or no guidance.

5. They provide clear and concise information and assignments.

6. They grade coursework in a timely fashion, to enable you to study the work and make necessary corrections. As in a traditional course, this is very important to a student’s success.

7. They respond promptly to any communications.

8. They have the experience necessary and are qualified to teach college level courses.

9. They do not treat the online class as they would a traditional class, realizing that distance learners are not traditional students and often have other responsibilities in their lives.

10. They follow the syllabus as closely as possible so that all students are able to stay current with their work and assignments.

It’s one of the greatest nightmares for anyone taking an online course - you stay up all night finishing a project before its deadline, only to have technological difficulties when it comes time to submit your work. Here are the five steps you should take when you have problems submitting an online assignment and the instructor hasn’t responded to your e-mail.

1. Look for alternate contact information
When you’re having difficulty submitting your assignment and your instructor hasn’t responded to your e-mail, you should take the next step and look for alternate contact information for the instructor. Check your syllabus, course web page, or even the school’s faculty directory, and look for a phone number or other e-mail address.

2. Ask your classmates
Contact some of your classmates, and find out if anyone else has had problems submitting the same assignment, or has had difficulty in the past. You can also see if any of your classmates know of another way of getting in touch with your instructor, or if there is some reason that he or she is detained and unable to reply to your e-mail.

3. Send a follow-up e-mail
If your instructor hasn’t responded to your first e-mail in a timely manner, consider sending a follow-up e-mail. Keep it friendly and polite, but ask firmly for a response or some action, and check to see whether or not the instructor received the first message.

4. Document all of your efforts to send the assignment and reach the instructor
If you’re not having any success getting in touch with the instructor, document your attempts to submit the assignment and any e-mails or calls you made to the instructor. This will help you in the case that your grade is later docked.

5. Submit the assignment through an alternate channel
When you’re not having any luck reaching your instructor and are still having problems sending the assignment, consider submitting it through a different channel. For example, post your work on a discussion board, so there is a record of it having been completed by a certain time and date.

Achieving a higher education through an online college allows one to gain vital knowledge while learning from home with a sense of comfort and convenience. Online college classes are the perfect solution for some people while it is not the best choice for others. Here are some things you should do if you find yourself struggling in an online college class:

1. Ask the teacher for help. The teacher may offer to give you extra help with online tutorials or direct you to a tutor.

2. Ask your classmates for help. Many online classes have a student discussion board for students to post their school issues. You may post that you need some help and direction. Or you can email your fellow students asking them about their ideas or how they did the assignment.

3. Ask the teacher if there is any way you can gain extra credit and take advantage or every extra credit opportunity.

4. Take some more time to focus solely on school. More time for school means more time to study and research.

5. Have a friend or family member come over to help you. They may be able to come up with ideas you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.

6. Check for online education blogs. These blogs focus on college classes and the issues and solutions students have.

7. Research Google on what exactly you are having trouble with. Most likely, someone else has had that same trouble and someone has an idea to overcome that struggle.

8. Don’t stress. Stress will only make it worse. Take a break, eat some mint to clear the mind, and come back to the school work refreshed.

9. Go to the library. Not only will you have quiet time to concentrate on school work, but you will have book resources to help you.

10. If it is early in the semester you can talk to your counselor about dropping the class, maybe picking up the class another semester when you have time to focus, or taking an alternate class that will be sufficient credits for that class.