There is no single trick for how to thrive in online classes. Rather, you can use a variety of strategies to keep yourself on track and hold yourself accountable for getting the work done. Try the following tips for taking online classes as a college student.
Not everyone has the luxury of a home office, but you should have a dedicated workspace for attending classes, studying and doing your coursework. It’s ideal to set up your workspace in an area of your home that isn’t a common area. If you must use a common area, such as the living room, try to orient your desk so that you can face the wall or a window instead of other occupants.
Before the semester starts It can be an unpleasant surprise to discover that you’re missing the necessary technologies partway through the semester. Check in advance to determine whether a particular class requires certain software, such as graphic design software. In addition, you’ll need a reasonably fast computer to watch video lectures, and you’ll need a reliable high-speed internet connection.
Potential distractions abound for online students, from social media to Netflix to internet rabbit holes. Of course, there are also plenty of offline distractions, like friends texting you and household members interrupting you. Your online learning strategy arsenal needs to include strategies for avoiding distractions.
Identify your top distractions and then plan for avoiding them during school time and study sessions. For example:
- Use noise-canceling headphones
- Listen to music that won’t distract you
- Use an app that can block certain website notifications
- Turn your phone off
- Hide the TV remote or your favorite novel in another room to avoid temptation
Organization is one of the most crucial tips for online classes. You may need a day planner or scheduling app to keep track of due dates.
At the beginning of each semester, check out your syllabi and add exam dates and major assignment due dates to your schedule, as well as your class schedule (if you need to attend online classes at set times). At the beginning of each week, indicate exactly when you’ll watch video lectures, participate in class discussion boards and complete assignments. You should also block off time for studying each week.
Some college students may struggle to hold themselves accountable for watching lectures, participating in discussion boards and completing coursework on time. This can be particularly challenging for online students.
If this describes you, consider finding an accountability partner. This could be a fellow online student in one of your classes. Check in with your partner every week and update each other on your progress.
Watching recorded or live class lectures and completing homework assignments doesn’t comprise the entirety of the college experience. Students also learn by interacting with each other — by sharing their perspectives, experiences and worldviews, and of course, by asking questions. It’s important to actively participate in each class discussion forum.
As an online student, you may find yourself staring blankly at the computer screen from time to time. You might read a long passage and then wonder, “Wait, what exactly did I just read?” Spending long hours in front of a screen can sometimes make one’s mind wander a bit.
It’s important to stay as mentally engaged as possible to enhance the learning process. Try these tricks to study in a more active fashion:
- After reading a passage or watching part of a video, pause and condense what you were taught in your own words
- Reflect on the material and try to relate it to a real-life example
- Write down questions as they occur to you
- Pretend to teach the material to someone else (yes, speak out loud)
- Even better, actually teach the material to someone else
Studying for hours at a time won’t do you any favors. Your attention will likely wander, and you may not remember much of the material. Instead, take scheduled breaks as follows:
- Focus on the task at hand for 25 minutes (set a timer or use a timer app)
- Take a five-minute break
- Focus on your work for another 25 minutes
- Repeat until you’ve completed four 25-minute sessions with five-minute breaks in between
- After four 25-minute sessions, take a 15-minute break
The college experience is meant to be interactive; learning doesn’t take place in a bubble. When you have questions about the course material, don’t hesitate to reach out to your professors via email. If you live close to campus, you might even go there in person and take advantage of office hours to meet with your professors.
Connecting with your professors is beneficial for two main reasons. First, they can help enhance your understanding of tricky subjects or offer recommendations for further reading. Second, you may need to ask one or more professors for letters of recommendation at some point. They’ll need to know who you are in order to write those letters.
Even if you live hundreds of miles away from your college, you should be able to access some learning resources online. For example, your school may offer academic support resources like online tutoring, self-paced tutorials for skills development and career-related resources. In addition, the library may offer a robust digital catalog.
