Are you thrilled that you just enrolled in your first online course? You probably are, but you may also feel a little stressed out because you don’t know what the process implies. You have many questions regarding online studying because you don’t know if you need the same level of commitment you need with traditional learning.
Taking online classes may be convenient for you but in order to get the most of it, you have to make sure that you know how to successfully complete the course. Here are some tips and tricks that will help you stay motivated.
You need to stay motivated
Learning implies fully commitment and online studying is not different. If you want to succeed, you need to stay engaged and motivated. Here is how:
- Always stay positive
- You should take some time for yourself to relax and regain energy
- Reward yourself when you meet important educational goals
- Boost your energy with healthy snacks while learning
- Accept that some days are less productive than others
- Remember why you’ve decided to enrol in an online course
- Use pictures and inspirational quotes to decorate your study space
- Decide what study routine works best for you
Create a study plan
If you want to get great results, you should create an effective study plan. Here are some guidelines on how to build it:
- Plan ahead. Do not start working on an assignment the day before its due date. You should know all your assignments in time and make a plan to complete them. If you work on them gradually you will better manage your time and you will not over-stress yourself.
- Create a calendar system. The best way to succeed when learning online is to structure your content and to use a calendar to remember the important dates like deadlines for submitting an assignment, or the date of an exam. Save the calendar on your phone and set it to notify you in time.
- Build a to-do list. At the start of each month, you should create a to-do list with tasks you have to complete by the end of the month. This way you set your priorities and you stay on track with studying.
- Decide time limits. Before starting to study a certain subject, you should set how much time it will take you to complete the task. You should try to stick to the time limit you set, it will help you develop self-discipline in time. When you feel you no longer can concentrate on learning you should take a short break, it will allow you to have a fresh start and not waste your time.
- Stick with your schedule. Once you establish your study plan, you should make sure you respect it. Procrastination is your worst enemy, you have to do your best to stay organised and to not fall behind your online class. If you’re having difficulties in completing an assignment, you should contact your online instructor and ask them for support, they can offer guidance.
Do not be afraid to ask for help
Sometimes it’s constructive to look for answers by yourself but there are also moments when it’s advisable to ask a professional to help you. The best strategy when you get stuck with a subject or task is to ask an expert for guidance, they have extended knowledge in the domain and they can help you. If you don’t ask for help when necessary you may not be able to submit your assignments in time. If your online course instructor cannot offer you support when needed you can find online professional tutors who can help you. The last thing you want is to fall behind and experience low self-esteem because you cannot complete your tasks in time.
You should build a relationship with your online tutor and avoid misunderstanding by asking for their help every time you’re experiencing difficulties. If you ask your online instructor for guidance when you do not understand a subject they can evaluate your knowledge and make recommendations on how to study from that point on, and what pieces of content require your attention.
Don’t forget that online classes have an open nature so you shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions, you can even collaborate with your classmates because you can help each other.
Decide what your learning goals and objectives are
The best strategy to stay on track with your online courses is to do your best to accomplish your goals in the set time. You should establish some learning goals and objectives for every subject because they will serve you as a road map during the process. When the online instructor sends you the course support you should carefully read its requirements and create notes that are related to your objectives. Review them from time to time to see what goals you have accomplished and focus on the remaining ones.
It’s advisable to start with the most difficult objectives and tasks because they require most of your time and you will have to work hard to complete them.
You need reliable internet access
The key to success is to stay connected with your teacher and classmates permanently. As you already know, technology glitches happen regularly but the last thing you want is your computer crashing in the middle of the night, while you are working on your assignments. To avoid mishaps you should backup your work by using cloud storage and save your documents repeatedly. You should use Google Documents or Dropbox to store your documents and work because they allow you to access the files from any device connected to the internet.
You should also have saved your instructor’s contact details because you may not know them by heart and if you lose their email address, you’ll have difficulties in contacting them or sending them the assignment before the due date. Keep their contact details in your email and cell phone in case of emergency. If you have reliable internet access, you will not have difficulties learning online.