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Taking an online course — or enrolling in an online degree program — requires a lot of self-motivation and time management to complete assignments and tasks, meet deadlines, and plan for exams.

Enlist the help of desktop and phone apps to get organized, connect with other students, and stay focused.

Of course, the essential app for any Â鶹ҹÊÐ online student is the Â鶹ҹÊÐ app, available through the Apple App Store and Google Play. Through the app, students can connect to Moodle, online program Success Hubs, email, ULink, and more.

Everything else is just lagniappe.

Get organized.

Asana

is one of the dozens of project and task management platforms professionals and organizations use to stay on track. The perks of this particular program are its multiple view options —  list, board, calendar, files, and tasks, among others — and that it allows users to collaborate with up to 15 people for free. There are apps for iOS, iPad, and Android and integration options for programs like and Gmail.

AirTable

is another option for organizing your assignments, schedule, or group projects. The company is now giving students a free two-year pro account to access the full suite of features. Pull from a handy bank of templates for , , , and .

Evernote

offers apps and browser plug-ins to let users create to-do lists, capture different types of content and documents, and share files while syncing across devices.

You can also easily search for your notes or an article you’ve saved in the app and take advantage of integrations with other programs, like Google Drive or Microsoft Teams.

Mendeley

When you’re collecting peer-reviewed studies and articles for a research project, is a great resource for managing your references.

Create folders for different papers, projects, or topics, and then save articles using Mendeley’s Chrome or Firefox plugins. You can also upload documents manually to build a library you can access from any device.

The platform also offers citation guides and a handy citation export function that’ll make compiling your reference section a breeze.

Connect with other students.

Microsoft Teams

As a Â鶹ҹÊÐ student, you have access to for free by logging in through your browser or downloading the applications to your device. In addition to Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote, students can access Microsoft Teams.

is a platform for group chats, web conferencing, calls, file sharing, and collaboration. It also integrates with other programs, like Asana and Evernote.

GroupMe

Keep in touch with classmates or groupmates with a free messaging service like . Receive and send messages through the app or SMS to collaborate on group projects, ask questions about class assignments, and build connections.

Increase your productivity.

Focus To-Do

The Pomodoro method has a cult following of .

The concept is simple enough:

1. Identify a task (or series of tasks).
2. Work for 25 minutes.
3. Take a 3-5-minute break.
4. Repeat three more cycles.
5. Celebrate with a 15-30-minute break.
6. Repeat full cycle.

While you can use a to keep track, an app like can help you track time as well as tasks, whether you’re working in a browser or completing an assignment on your phone. 

Forest

If you need more incentives or accountability to focus on the tasks at hand, lets you grow a virtual tree for every half hour you stay focused. The more you practice good productivity habits, the more trees you’ll grow!

The app and browser extension lets you personalize your experience by blacklisting websites that are your productivity busters. Navigate to those sites and your adorable virtual tree withers away along with your hopes for a higher GPA.

Improve your grades.

Quizlet

If you’re a fan of using index cards as a study tool, but you’re not a fan of trying to keep bundles of notecards handy, give your test prep an upgrade.

lets you make your own digital flashcards and take practice tests either in your browser or in the Quizlet app. The platform also allows you to set study goals to create a custom plan, based on how familiar you are with the information. 

Tutoring

OK, OK. These technically aren’t apps, but they are great online resources for Â鶹ҹÊÐ students.

Online Program students

Both are online tutoring services that connect online students with live tutors 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Students enrolled in fully online degree programs must for free access.

For more support and student resources, visit the Student Support section of the Online Programs website. If you’re interested in enrolling in one of Â鶹ҹÊÐ’s online programs, connect with an enrollment specialist at online@louisiana.edu.