EDUCAUSE Quarterly | Volume 30 Number 1 2007

Here is an excellent article detailing tips for online learning:
How Students Develop Online Learning Skills by Alan Roper, Educause Quarterly, vol. 30, no. 1, 2007.

After a survey of successful online students, Roper (of CyberCampus at Golden Gate University) distilled the responses down to 7 tips:

1. Develop a time-management strategy
2. Make the most of online discussions
3. Use it or lose it
4. Make questions useful to your learning
5. Stay motivated
6. Communicate the instruction techniques that work
7. Make connections with fellow students

These are also good tips for faculty--you need to structure your courses to encourage these behaviors. For instance, provide a forum/discussion where students can ask each other questions about what works and what doesn't, or specifically ask for examples from students' own work and lives. Faculty could also provide links to this and other e-learning articles.