The Art of Not Asking Stupid Questions

15 February, 2010 (14:54) | Success in the Online Classroom | By: Sandy

Question mark in handAsking questions is one of the things we learn to do at a very young age. It’s how we gain a great deal of our earliest knowledge. As we grow up, we still have to ask questions, but we learn (or we should learn) a little more about how and when it is appropriate to ask questions.

As a student, asking questions should surely be part of the learning process, but again, being an adult should mean that you do a few things before blurting out a zillion questions.

When your boss or your instructor gives you a new project, do you?

1. Start asking questions immediately
2. Take time to read and think through the assignment and then ask your questions.

I would love to hear your perspective, but personally, I think the second option is always best. As a teacher in the traditional classroom and now in an online environment, I often get the same results – option # 1!

Asking Questions is Not a Bad Thing

Let me clarify that I am a firm believer in asking questions, and I would NEVER want to make anyone feel intimidated about asking them, but I have to say that I do believe you can often answer your own questions if you take just a little time to read your assignments or your instructions. Then the questions you do ask are usually much more logical and you won’t feel nearly as dumb by having someone point out to you that the answer to your question is right in your face ;-) .

One Bit of Advice for the Online Learner

If you have a question about an assignment, you should post it a couple of days before the assignment is due to give your instructor ample time to respond while still leaving yourself enough time to put the instructor’s advice to work for you. If you ask your question one hour before the assignment is due at midnight, you should probably just go ahead and take a stab at your assignment or try to find the answers on your own.

Online learning is one of the most viable avenues available for adult learners who want to earn a college degree. If you or someone you know is thinking about earning an online degree, start at Accredited-Online-Colleges.com where you will find a directory of degree programs in many areas from some of the top schools in the nation offering online degrees.

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