Online Learning Tips: Ace Your Online Classes with These Tips!
The pandemic saw school management shift from physical education to online teaching. Since then, many students have acclimatized to eLearning. If you wonder if it’s possible to ace your exams through online learning, through the online learning tips discussed in detail here, it is 100% attainable.
However, you can’t do it without following the seven online study tips outlined in this guide. In the research conducted by Kari Almendengen and four other established scholars on the impact of online teaching on Norway tertiary students, 95% of the 20/21 set revealed a significant drop in inspiration to study online.
Even though 44% of the students were not strangers to online learning, the impact of the sudden shift affected their studies. The school environment is a breeding ground for interaction and competition, two primary ingredients for making the leaders of tomorrow. Online students will feel deserted and depressed when studying without real-time academic activities.
Some will be distracted by games, family, friends, or work. In the absence of the academic environment, which served as a distraction blocker, many online learners’ grades would plummet badly. This article compiles some of the best practices used by first-class students when forced to study at home.
7 Online Learning Success Tips
The independence that comes with studying in an online learning environment can either make or mar you. You can easily stray to other activities during classes. All it takes to be distracted is one Snapchat notification from a friend having an excellent time on Miami Beach. To stay motivated, you need to have a growth mindset and adjust your learning process or system to proceed in your online program.
Ace your exams with these seven successful tips for online learning.
Set Clear Goals and Follow the course guide
We all know that bookworm who never exceeds average marks. It shows that reading, when done without clear goals and guidance, can lead to fair results, at best, and poor outcomes, at worst.
When you enroll in any online study program, you will most likely be given course materials containing the goals, to-do lists, and objectives of the course, including the tasks you should be able to perform when you are done. Like everything in life, not preparing for your exams is a slippery route to failure. You need to set your goals and understand the expected outcomes at the end of the course.
Over studying gives you an edge over other students when you first cover the basics, but it can be a distraction if you are overly concerned about the aspects not within your course outline.
When preparing for a semester of a new online course, ensure you know the topics you need to cover before exams. Set daily targets regarding the issues you want to finish in a specific time. When you complete a reading session, ensure you attain the online learning objectives stipulated by the lecturer before opening a new topic.
Set up your dedicated study space at home
Humans are territorial beings. Clear borders and territories often influence our sense of purpose and identity, especially as online students. Having an academic space in your home will serve as a mental anchor when you tend to forget about your academics.
Also, setting up an academic space lets your siblings and families know when you don’t want to be distracted. They would most likely not interfere when they see you in that zone; they would most likely not interfere.
The basic things you would need to create a designated study space are a desk, chair, study lamp, computer, and books. Have a spot where you keep all your physical study tools.
Many online courses may require you to download pdf files and video tutorials. You should create a particular Google drive file where you can store these files. Google cloud storage is pretty safe, but you may want to study outside your comfort zone in a place without wifi. Keeping your essential files in cold storage like a flash drive or memory card makes your life easier.
Spend time consciously (aka be time conscious)
Unless you tried rescuing Spider-man like the popular anime character Kakashi, you should not be late to your online lectures or miss your online study sessions. The major disadvantage of studying online is that time stops ticking (just kidding).
Students learning online with no time management skills have difficulty attending classes and sticking to their study schedules. If you get distracted easily, eliminate distractions by putting your phone on ‘do not disturb’ during classes.
Let your family members know when you will be busy so they don’t come knocking during classes. Being conversant with your timetable helps you plan your day around your schedule.
You can get the academic calendar from the institution’s website. Be familiar with the timetable to avoid showing up on holidays and miss classes.
The best trick is to keep up with the class convo groups so that you can be current. If you don’t attend classes regularly, you will miss out on assignment due dates. And an appointment missed is a mark lost. Don’t be a victim. It’s easy to ace your course when you pile up marks assignment by assignment.
Connect with your instructors and classmates
The connection has transcended physical boundaries, thanks to the internet. Many of your academic challenges become half-solved when you reach out to your colleagues or lecturers for help.
You would lose out on more knowledge if you study alone because no man is an island of knowledge. Online discussion boards are helpful because you will get different perspectives about a subject matter, making the course content stick more.
When a student struggles to grasp a concept in a traditional classroom setting, it’s easy for the lecturer to detect that the student is lost and help them find their way back. But when you are in an online classroom, it’s pretty hard for the lecturer to know when you are lost. Hence they need you to voice out politely when you are confused.
If you want a hitch-free class session, it’s best to study the materials the lecturer is about to discuss before the next class. That way, you will understand better and write your questions beforehand. Different types of online courses require varying strategies. There are asynchronous and synchronous online course formats.
The asynchronous online learning format gives you the freedom to watch lectures at any time of the week. It’s flexible and suitable for people who work and study.
The synchronous online learning requires students to log in through designated usernames and passwords to attend live classes at scheduled times. The institution may allow online students to access the videos afterward.
If any concept has been boggling you during your study session, don’t be afraid to ask questions from your instructor and classmates.
Beyond questions, contribute so you can solidify the things you already know. Sometimes, the information you have is wrong. Being corrected before exams is a saving grace, so you should not be afraid of being wrong. You would not enroll in the online program if you knew it all. Learn gracefully and stay hungry for more.
Develop Your Learning Style
The difference between online learners that pass and those that fail is that the successful ones have personalized online learning styles. Even though they all have access to the same teachers, library, resources, and time – few enjoy success more than other students. Try not to be a crammer as you develop your online learning style.
Of course, some courses will require you to cram heavy formulas and processes. But if you understand the fundamentals behind a complex procedure and how it was derived, you won’t have to fill it. When you cram, you use short-term memory, which is not a good thing in the long run. Study to understand and practice different questions on the same topic.
Ensure you realize the real-life applications of every lab concept. Understand how legal case studies work in a real court. Watch films and documentaries about your field. Let that knowledge become a part of you.
As we stated earlier, a study group is essential and does not forsake the gathering of serious-minded students. Iron sharpens iron (technically, other metal types can, too. lol).
It’s best to prepare for your exams as though someone will call you to teach the topics. An online group discussion can also help you in that regard. Group members can be assigned different subjects to teach. Depending on the course you are studying, you can use chart outlines, concept maps, study guides, flashcards, and chapter maps to organize information during your reading sessions.
Staying healthy can help you assimilate better
Sometimes, students practice unhealthy strategies to ace their exams. Their body reacts negatively, and they get sick before or during exams.
Students’ lousy study habits include consuming lots of energy drinks to stay awake, cramming during an all-nighter like a night owl (as opposed to a morning person), and eating junk foods. It would help if you avoided these study habits for your health.
Include study breaks in your study timetable
When you realize that you’ve been staring at a page for half an hour and don’t seem to grasp the concept, you’re high time to stop reading and take a study break. Your mind needs proper rest to help it concentrate on your studies.
You can re-energize by walking outside, meditating, napping, or playing games. Browsing through social media is not the best way to refocus. Most social media sites like Instagram and TikTok are designed to keep you on their platforms by distracting you and releasing dopamine, an additive hormone.
Stay away from social media when you plan to return to your books after resting. A study timetable without breaks is a non-realistic one. There’s no point in deceiving yourself. Stay motivated.
Get a stable internet connection
One major downside of online learning in third-world countries is that many students don’t have stable internet connections.
Sometimes, lecturers don’t have stable wifi either. You need a stable internet connection if you want a successful online learning experience. An asynchronous online program is the best for people with bad networks in their region because they can always get the study materials and tutorial videos when their internet access is stable.
How many hours a day should you study for online classes?
The duration of time devoted per course depends on the technical requirements of the online course.
For a one-credit course, three hours of study are required every week. You would also need to set apart an extra one hour to review materials in the same class per week.
A course titled GEG 203 has three credits; you would have to devote 3 x 3 =9 hours of study time out of your weekly schedule plus one hour of review time, making it 10 hours per week.
As a full-time student of any online course, you should be able to devote at least 36 hours a week to study time. Per semester, you may be assigned 12 credits courses or more. You will also need to save about four hours per week to review. Chasing an online degree is similar to working full-time, as most jobs require 40 hours per week.
Final Thoughts
I realized if we treated school like a high-paying job, we would ace our exams and get better at the skill called learning. While studying, having a growth mentality means prepping before online class, paying quality attention, treating your significant assignments like exams, completing homework assignments on time, and reading to know instead of cramming.
Fraternize with great colleagues who are serious-minded if you intend to grow fast. You don’t need to eat junk. If you hone your time management skills, you will be able to cook healthy foods without sacrificing your college degree programs. I hope you learned a lot from the helpful online tips discussed in this guide.
