How to Succeed with Online Learning
If you’re new to the idea of taking classes online, it can take a bit of adjustment to get up to speed. To help, we at LABM – London Academy of Business and Management, have a few tips to help you succeed with online learning.
HOW TO SUCCEED WITH ONLINE LEARNING
To succeed with online learning, there are four main areas you might want to consider. Paying some attention to each of these can help you learn as efficiently as possible:
YOUR ROUTINE
Your learning routine is one of the cornerstones of your online studies. If you keep up positive habits, you’ll soon see the results. Although it’s tempting to get complacent when your classes are on the internet (whether live or recorded), it’s vital that you stay focused. Here are some ways you can do so:
Treat it as you would in person
One of the best ways to succeed with online learning is to treat the experience as you would with an in-person class. This means approaching your studies in the same way you would if you had to attend campus. Hold yourself to the same standards, making sure you’re organised, on time, and ready to learn.
As enticing as the prospect of studying from your bed or playing video games during lectures sounds, it’s not conducive to learning. You wouldn’t do it during your regular studies, so avoid doing so when you’re learning online.
Stay disciplined
Part of treating your online learning as you would with an in-person experience is to keep disciplined. Although your home or halls of residence don’t look like campus, you still need to have the same self-discipline when it comes to independent learning. Your class and study schedule should match that outlined in your courses, and you also need to dedicate time to your own studies outside of that.
Set aside time and space in your day to study, and stick to your timetable once you have it. Try and account for the time spent at your desk, as well as that for things like lunch, short breaks, and the end of your day. Writing your schedule down can help, as it might force you to stay on track with your learning.
Write up your notes
Whether your lectures or seminars are pre-recorded or broadcast live, you should aim to make time to write up your notes. It might be tempting to think of the online resources as pre-made study notes. However, making your own notes encourages you to engage with the material and put it into your own words.
For live video, try and pay attention to what’s going on at the moment rather than writing notes straight away. Hopefully, you’ll be able to revisit the video later. If your class is pre-recorded, you can pause and take notes as you go.
Contribute
Learning is a two-way process. Although turning up to online lectures or reviewing the material is important, so is getting involved with the discussion. Ask questions where appropriate, and don’t be afraid to seek help with the material if you need it.
You may also find that there are things like discussion groups, forums, or message boards where you can post questions. Try to contribute to these where you can, whether it’s reading what others have written or asking questions yourself. At the end of the day, you’re there to learn, so if you don’t understand something, you have a right to ask for clarification!
Follow up
Once your class, lecture, or seminar is over, don’t just forget about it and move on. As well as writing up your notes, spend some time to think about the subject you covered and any questions that were asked. Make sure that you’ve grasped the details before you conclude your learning.
Keep in touch with your tutors as well. They may ask for feedback on their materials and videos, for example. Don’t forget that this is probably a new way of doing things for them too. They want you to succeed with your online learning, so honest feedback on how effective their presentation is can go a long way in helping you both.
YOUR SKILLS
One of the key assets that can help with your online learning experience is your soft skills. These are the character traits, behaviours, and attitudes that help you deal with challenges. There are all kinds of these that can help you succeed with online learning, and many are those you use in regular classes:
Time management
There is always the danger of procrastination when you’re studying remotely. Depending on several factors, your courses may or may not be taught in real-time. Either way, your study timetable might not be particularly well-defined. As such, it’s up to you to manage your own time and make sure you meet deadlines.
A good place to start is by reviewing the syllabus for each of your courses. You can then identify when your key dates are, such as due assignments and exams. Add these to your diary or planner, so they don’t take you by surprise. Daily to-do lists can also help you keep on track, as well as give you the satisfaction of ticking off your achievements.
Organisation
We’ve already outlined how important your learning routine is. As well as organising your time, you need to plan how you’re going to complete your work, where you’re going to study, and what type of environment is best for you.
There are all kinds of ways you can organise your efforts. A study diary, filing system, and to-do lists are all useful. Similarly, you’ll want to make sure that you have everything you need for a productive work environment, which we cover in more detail further down.
Digital skills
As one of the digital generation, you’re probably pretty familiar with a lot of the technology you’ll be using. Yet to succeed with online learning, you need to know how to apply some of the essential digital skills to your studies.
It’s worthwhile knowing how to harness the digital tools and online resources provided by your university. Equally, understanding how to develop relationships and build a support network is essential.
Communication
When you’re learning online, strong communication and collaboration skills are vital. The skills needed are different from those required in the classroom, meaning it’s worthwhile thinking about them. As well as discussing and sharing your work with tutors, you’ll also need to work with others on projects.
Understanding where your strengths and weaknesses are in this regard is essential. By working on these skills, you can ensure that you understand course content and that your needs and questions are understood by others.
Motivation
Given how uncertain the world seems right now, it’s no wonder some people are struggling to stay engaged with their day-to-day life. However, if you’re to succeed with online learning, you need to stay motivated.
Your routine and time management skills will play a part in your overall motivation. You might also want to take a goal-orientated approach. Set up your overall aim for each course/module, and break that down into smaller chunks. From here, you can reward yourself for meeting your mini-goals, whether on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
For information on LABM online courses including Online Free Courses, Online Short Courses, and Online University Progression Courses please contact a member of our team through the following lines of inquiry.
HEAD OFFICE
EMAIL – info@labm.institute
PHONE – +44 2034 733 854
REGIONAL OFFICE
EMAIL – afg@labm.institute
PHONE +93 79 669 6972
