Aug 20, 2016 03:21 PM EDT By Emily Marks, UniversityHerald Reporter

Online education has boomed in the recent years due, in part, to the increasing tuition fee rates of traditional colleges. It is a new approach to education that pushes the boundaries on learning.

Coursera co-founder Daphne Koller spoke up on the rising cost of higher education, which has increased at almost twice its rate for a total of 559 percent since 1985. This has made education unaffordable for a lot of people.

The number one skill that online students need to develop is self-motivation. This is the ability to stay focused on their goals and do what they need to do without external factors prompting them. Moreover, pair this with discipline to achieve exceptional results.

"Even though you're really tired at the end of the day, the perk of it is that you get to do it in your pajamas late at night, but you have to be motivated enough to get the work done," Kelly See, a Kansas teacher who finished her online master's degree in special education two years ago, said. "You have to be a strong, motivated student."

According to U.S. News, those who want to get an online education should keep in mind that they need organizational skills and determination to succeed in this type of learning. Practicing these self-motivation skills during the admissions process is one of the best ways to start.

Debbie Morrison, a digital education consultant, advised that online students should go with a mindset of taking charge of their learning. "It's going in with the thought process of, 'I'm in charge, I'm going to be seeking out the information I need, asking questions if I'm not clear on something, logging in regularly," she said.

One of the things that an online student can do is to block off times for studying each week. This way, coursework would be prioritized. Keeping the end goal in mind is also a great way to stay motivated in moving forward with one's online education. Check out these tips on how online students can balance their career and studies.

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