Online University courses? Input from students/instructors

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Haven't posted much at all for quite some time, but I remember reading here that there are a few forum members who are instructors of online College/University classes, and there are likely many others who have taken online classes.

I've been contemplating a return to studies, part time online at first, potentially shifting to full time on campus in years ahead. At this stage I'm doing very preliminary research on which courses I might take from where and confirming they're likely to be accepted as transferrable credits before taking them. With the Christmas Holidays fast approaching I'm not likely to dive into any course work until the New Year, but figured I'd make a thread here & see what sort of advice others have to offer.

It's been a while, but I'm no stranger to Acadamia. I did attend business school full tilt right out of high school, banging off 130.5 credits in 2 years by age 19, and have studied some things since. I'm currently an Apprentice in a construction trade (Taper/Drywall Finisher) & intend to follow through completing my apprenticeship as it'll enable me to finance my next formal education, OR, at least fund an OK quality of life as a not-so-terrible consolation prize should I not be successful in my academic pursuits. But, I have to at least try and see if I can make the grade.. so, here I am, doing a little pre-planning & posting this thread. Basically, if you have any advice as either a current or past student, or instructor, of online courses.. I'm all ears. Feel free to post away!

Note: I have taken some correspondence courses years ago, but never an online class. Why online? Because reputable schools from across Canada, the USA, and around the world are offering more and more online classes for free and as long a they issue official transcripts, many are likely to be accepted by my local university as transferrable credits. (Will confirm with admissions in advance.) I can "get my feet wet," taking online classes for free & piece an education together from multiple schools and see how well I can do (if I can make the grade) before investing a significant amount of money into further studies. I'm sure everyone's experience is unique and so are their study habits, but I'm curious if there's a common theme to advice like "take one class at a time, it gives you the best chance of successfully achieving high grades!" or "take 2-3, but keep them very similar so you're learning all the same sort of course material at once.. or different so you have different subject matter to focus on separately depending on what you feel like studying at the moment.." or ???

Looking forward to my new adventure in Hackadamia - learning as much as I can for free online before giving up a single dime for tuition expenses. Wouldn't that be somethin' if I can bang off a year or two's worth of transfer credits for all the basic 100 level classes for free online? If its possible, and from my preliminary research it is, then I'm gonna do it.

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