Online learning has become commonplace over the past year or so, but it’s long been a great way to boost your knowledge without the need to visit a specific place of learning. You have a more flexible learning environment online, which means anyone can learn this way.
eLearning also mean you can learn from the top experts in your industry from anywhere in the world. They can teach courses from anywhere and you can study with them from the comfort of your own home, or a hotel in Bali.
There are some differences between learning online and learning offline, so whether this is your first time or you just want to improve your studies, here are some tips to help you do better.
Take Time for Yourself
Self-care is an essential part of being successful in any area, including studying. This doesn’t necessarily mean taking a spa break, but you do need to look after yourself. For example:
Take breaks: It’s easy to get caught up in the lessons so set an alarm to remind you to get up and walk around, drink water, or take a minute to chat with a friend.
Look after your body: Healthy habits are important. Your brain needs you to spend time outdoors, nourish your body, drink plenty of water, and get enough sleep.
Stand up for yourself: Do you need an accommodation? Don’t be afraid to ask for flexibility in the class. If you need more time or permission to arrive 10 minutes late, due to something else in your life, talk to the teacher about it.
Looking after yourself is self-care and it can go a long way toward ensuring you are healthy and ready to focus in class.
Manage Your Time Properly
While online learning is flexible, it also puts the ball in your court. If you’re not disciplined, you’ll find that you miss your courses.
Take the time to create a proper schedule and schedule in your time for learning. You don’t necessarily need to spend 4 hours at a time studying, but even 15 minutes that has been scheduled for reading a lesson or watching a lecture can keep you moving steadily ahead in your class.
You should also reduce the number of distractions in your vicinity when studying. Go into a separate room and close the door, leave television and music off, and don’t get distracted by social media or email.
Set alarms for deadlines so you don’t miss them. In fact, it’s a good idea to have a few warnings on your calendar to ensure you finish the work ahead of time.
Plan for Community and Socializing
Even though elearning is online, there are real people on the other end of the courses. Go ahead and communicate with them and your learning experience will be enriched. You can do this interacting with students in the virtual classroom, if they offer forums or message boards. This is a great place to connect with other students, discuss the lessons, and answer questions your instructor has asked.
If your class doesn’t already have a social networking group, you can do this yourself on WhatsApp or Facebook. It’s a fun way to interact with your classmates and gives you a chance to get to know one another on a less formal basis. You can even set up a separate group just as a study group, if you prefer. You may want to do video chats for this, or simply talk in the group as you work through the problems.
Just because the courses are virtual doesn’t mean you should miss out on interaction.
Be Prepared
To get the most out of the class, make sure you are prepared. Ensure you have the right programs installed, check your mic, video, etc. depending on what you need for the class. You should also have any passwords or links you might need ahead of time.
It may also be useful to keep track of all relevant information on a notepad, real or virtual. This should include information for reaching your instructor if needed.
Finally, make sure you save your work so you don’t lose anything. It’s best to set up automatic saving when working on an essay or project.
You’re ready to start learning and by following these steps, you’re set to have a very successful experience. Check out HeyBrain for some amazing courses on a wide range of topics to learn more about online courses. And, if you’re a teacher, why not make a name for yourself on our platform?