1. Look ahead to understand your assignment due dates.
Whichever learning management system your courses utilize, it’s crucial that you spend time familiarizing yourself with the interface and with your specific assignments. Look ahead at your scheduled assignments, and take particular note of your due dates so that you can better craft a realistic plan for completing all of your work.
2. Set time to study and work in batches.
Many students pursue their education alongside other responsibilities and obligations. Work, childcare, family obligations, internships and the like all compete for your time and attention, making it critical that you create a schedule that allows you to meet all of those challenges. Chunking tasks gives students a way to feel accomplished. You feel like you’re progressing. Additionally, scheduling time specifically dedicated to studying will help you build and stay on a routine.
3. Communicate regularly for group projects.
Whether it is via Zoom, email, phone call, instant message, shared documents, or another form of communication altogether, groups must prioritize communication if they are to avoid confusion. Find a system that works for everyone in the group, and follow up frequently.
4. Divide up group work early.
Along those lines, it’s also important for groups to divide up different tasks in an appropriate way so that everyone is responsible for their fair share, and so that everyone understands exactly what they’re responsible for completing. Make sure that when you’re doing group projects, you look far ahead so that you can divide the work up and coordinate your efforts. That way, if something isn’t due for a few weeks, everyone can use their available time to chip away at their tasks when they are able to.”
5. Touch base with your lecturers often.
Just as it’s important for you to communicate with your groupmates and your classmates, it’s important that you also communicate with your lecturers. Make the effort to touch base with them, whether you have questions about an assignment or just want to let them know where you’re struggling.
6. Participate as much as possible.
Participation is crucial to success. In addition to showing your lecturers that you’re engaged, active participation shows that you’re learning, and that you’re willing to put in the effort that’s required to be successful. While education is often perceived by some as a passive process, participation turns it into an active process.
Simply put, the more you participate as a student, the more you’ll get out of your experience.
7. Be flexible.
Online learning requires flexibility, for yourself as well as others in your course—including your lecturers. By simply demonstrating empathy, being active in your course material, talking to your classmates and lecturers, it’s possible to recreate the community that you had on campus and make this transition as smooth as possible.
Putting In The Work
While online learning may not have been your first choice, embracing the advice outlined above can help you get the most out of your courses. Above all, maintaining clear and open lines of communication with your lecturers and classmates, and staying engaged in the course material will go far in ensuring success during this challenging time.