But practically speaking, how will you fit eLearning coursework, online discussions, group projects, and term papers into your already busy life? With the responsibilities of everyday life on your plate, it can be challenging to have a positive and profitable online education experience. That's why Alice Quinlan, director of the Woods External Degree program at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (Terre Haute, IN), shares her insight into making eLearning work for you.

Outline Your Goals
"It's important to get real clarity about your motivation for pursuing a degree," says Quinlan. Whether it's for personal fulfillment, a career change, or to better the life of your children, she insists that putting your reasons on paper will help keep you focused and shape the decisions you make throughout your online learning experience.

Traci Joan Macnamara, a student in Goucher College's online master of fine arts (MFA) in creative nonfiction degree program, set the goal of writing her first book while in school. "I was coming into [the program] with a few scattered essays and ideas about how to bring them together into a continuous book-length narrative, but I wanted some mentorship through that process," she says.

A clear end goal not only led Traci to the appropriate program, it helps her stay on track with her studies as well. "I have made excellent progress in my writing," she shares. "I've written more than I've ever written in my life, and after my first year [in the program], I had a first draft of a book manuscript."

Set Up a Support System
Whether it be family, friends, or fellow students, be sure to include others in your struggles and successes, Quinlan encourages. Let the important people in your life know how things will change once you're busy with schoolwork, and how they can help you achieve your goals. "Sometimes it helps just to have someone to talk to about the work," she adds.

Traci attests to the strength she gets from the support of her online classmates. "We encourage and check in with each other over personal e-mail, and we also interact in an online forum," she shares. "In my current semester, we have an online 'coffee shop' forum, and it ends up being a place where everybody can just post what's on their mind or ask questions related to the writing or coursework."

Aside from helping her think more critically about the material, Traci says being able to interact with her peers on a more personal level has given her a sense that she isn't the only one trying to juggle a million things at once. "[Eventually], the emails moved beyond a discussion of writing and literature into things like caring for a dying parent, working in a restaurant to pay the bills, traveling to Asia, and visiting a friend in the Peace Corps in Fiji," she shares. "It was helpful to know that people were doing these things while pursuing an online degree"

Seek Counsel
"It is critically important to reach out to your professors for help," says Quinlan. "No online student should hesitate to connect with an instructor - push past any hesitation or embarrassment and think like a consumer. You're paying good money for the course, the instructor is a professional, and he or she is there to help," she adds.

"During my first semester, I had weekly phone conversations, lasting about 30 minutes each, with my professor," Traci shares. "With others, I have had e-mail discussions and monthly phone calls." Since one of her main reasons for enrolling in the program was to seek mentorship, Traci says such interaction with professors has helped her immensely in accomplishing her goals. Most online programs offer a variety of ways to achieve this level of contact with professors. Virtual office hours, professors' Web sites where additional material is posted, and basic e-mail correspondence are just a few of the available options.

Budget Your Time
Balancing coursework with an already busy schedule can be a challenge. "The key is to not let yourself get behind," says Quinlan. "Take it one step at a time, and stay on top of your work as much as you can."

Traci says she understood the value of managing her time even before she enrolled in the program. "This coursework and writing have been my priority, so I've structured my life around it, not tried to cram it into an already-busy life," explains this communications operator at McMurdo Station, the largest United States base for scientific research in Antarctica. Having worked different jobs while pursuing her MFA, Traci sets small day-to-day goals to meet no matter what her work schedule. "One thing I try to do is write 300 words [about a page] a day - that's the number I try to hit as far as a pace goes," she says.

Regarding her online coursework, Traci admits that keeping up with the online forums can be a challenge. "It feels overwhelming to log into an online discussion and see five different conversations going at once, so I try to respond to one at a time," she says. "I'll allow myself 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes later that day, and then move on to a different set of threads the next day. In that way, I'll pace myself to participate over three days instead of trying to do it all at once."

Keep Your Eye On the Prize
"Tapping back into your original motivation is important," says Quinlan. "It's easy to get overwhelmed, and it's vital to make the material relevant to yourself in order to stay motivated."

Life is unpredictable, and situations may come up that interfere with your coursework, such as family problems, financial troubles, work pressures, or health issues. But Quinlan urges you to keep going, even if you need to withdraw from the program temporarily.

"The whole premise of adult education and online learning is it's never too late to start, and it's never too late to finish."

Traci, who admits to feeling extremely overwhelmed during her first semester, attests to the value of not giving up. "Writing a book seems impossible most of the time," she shares. "The mentorship is what keeps me going - these people are expecting to receive my work, so I do the best I can to get it to them in time because I want their feedback. That personal connection keeps me motivated."