Seven Harvard Business School Online Credential of Readiness (CORe) participants share tips to help incoming students avoid procrastination, balance the course work with other commitments, and position themselves for success.
First, be prepared for a time commitment. The material is challenging! It takes time not only passing through the modules, but also participating in peer discussions, both of which are extremely important for mastering the material.
I've noticed that it is equally important to get your loved ones on board—it can be your family, your partner, your best friend, or your manager at work. Make sure you clearly communicate the time commitment you'll need to complete CORe.
Keep up with the rest of the cohort. At the beginning of the course, I'd finish the modules just before they were due. But when I completed the modules earlier, I was able to participate in more real-time discussions with other students for two reasons: 1) because people were still online and 2) because we had more time to talk about concepts rather than scramble to quizzes before the deadline.
How do you calculate the time needed to complete HBS Online work? Try module timing: work on a module with your best effort for an hour and see what percentage you've completed. Then it is a simple matter to do the math that will give you an estimate of how much time you will need in order to complete that module.
I was able to balance CORe material with my full-time teaching schedule due to the accessibility of the CORe platform. Even if you only have 45 minutes free, you can log in from anywhere (home, coffee shop, library, etc.), make some progress through a module, and then get back to your daily tasks feeling like you've made some headway.
Look at the course syllabus beforehand and try to set aside appropriate time to be able to digest the material and to be able to interact with others in the discussion tabs. It is important to offer help to those who might not be as quick as you, for you may be in the same boat down the line!
Allocate "hard" study hours each day. Put a pad between each module's targeted completion date and the quiz deadline. Stay focused and remember that there is no freeze button once HBS Online starts—the clock is always running.