The number of students enrolling in online courses is increasing month after month. In fact, between 2017 and 2018, close to 300,000 students enrolled in virtual classes, and that number continues to go up considering the global pandemic that requires people to maintain social distance.
Online education is better mode of learning because it’s a lot more flexible than brick and mortar learning. Once you enroll in a virtual class, you create your own schedule, attend class when you want, and complete assignments at your own pace.
However, given that online classes give you a lot of freedom, it can be quite difficult to focus on your studies, especially if you’re struggling with self-discipline. So in this guide, we’ll give you an effective strategy that you can use to study for online classes the exact same way you would if you attended an in person class.
How to Study for an Online Class
Distant learning needs more than just self-discipline. You also need to have good study habits for college if you must do well in your exams. Therefore, here’s what you need to do in order to study well for your online classes.
1. Choose a Conducive Learning Space
Select a space in your house where you can study with minimal to no distractions. It should be a space that allows you to concentrate from the moment you start reading to the time your session ends. Also, make sure the spot has reliable internet access, as this is a mandatory requirement for online education.
While you can study from just about any space you can think of, provided it has a lot of silence and the kind of comfort necessary for online learning, there are at least three places that tend to be a lot more conducive.
- Study in a library. They not only have books on any course you can name, they also gives you access to the Internet at a small fee. You’ll need your laptop and a pair of good headphones or earpieces so you don’t distract others.
- Study at home. Pick a room not in frequent entry or exit and use it as space for your studies. If you live in a small house, your bedroom, far away from distractions such as television and radio can make a good environment for taking online classes.
- Go to an Internet café. They have reliable internet access for customers, which can help you with your online classes. Just make sure the café’s employees won’t mind you sticking around longer so that you can study.
2. Create a Study Schedule
Distant learning requires you to log onto your online classes every day, but doing so can be challenging if you don’t have a schedule to follow. If you think about it, online classes aren’t quite as demanding as traditional education. While you don’t exactly have to attend lectures at specific times like in person students do, it’s mandatory to keep up with the course material. This calls for creating a study schedule and disciplining yourself to stick to it.
Determine what time is appropriate to attend virtual classes each week, and for how long. Say you’re free between 4 and 8 O’clock every evening. This can be a perfect time to take your online classes.
Of course, you can adjust these times so they vary. However, it’s best to logon to your online classes at the same time every day because doing so helps you to create a learning culture that you can to pursue your course.
3. Use a Calendar to Track Important Deadlines
Due dates for online class assignments won’t be as obvious as what in person learners get. Plus, your teacher won’t be there to constantly remind you to hand in your assignments. Mostly, they’ll send you an email and expect you to respond at a particular time or within a period. So it’s important to track these dates and you can do that using a calendar. You should use this tool wisely, making sure you add new information as it becomes available.
Check your email for notification from your instructor and pay attention to instructions issued during your virtual lecturing sessions.
A physical calendar is a good option to use, especially if you study at home. Place it somewhere you can see, preferably on your study table or hang on a wall behind your study desk.
Another option is to use a calendar app for smartphone or laptop. You can take this even further by integrating reminder apps, which will send you notifications about your assignments. If it helps, you can use the reminder apps to alert you when it’s time to attend your classes.
The advantage to using a calendar and reminder apps to track important dates is you can attend classes on time and complete your assignments before the due dates.
4. Be Disciplined
The one thing that’s for sure about taking online classes is that there’s no one to supervise you. You have the freedom to choose when to attend lecturers and when to write your assignments. With this kind of freedom, it’s easy to fall into the last minute rush because you clearly don’t have someone to keep you on your toes.
The key to succeeding with online classes is to discipline yourself to stick to your learning schedule.
After all, you’re paying university credits to take an online course. And you don’t want you, or your parents’, hard earned money to go to waste.
5. Ask for Help If You Get Stuck
You won’t figure everything out on your own all the time. There are times when you’ll get stuck. In such a case, the best thing to do is to ask for help. Reach out to your teacher if you have questions about your assignments. Contact likeminded course mates for ideas. And don’t be afraid to get academic writing assistance from Help for Assessment if you don’t have enough time on your hands to complete some of your assignments.