One of the perks of advanced technology in the 21st century is how academics have evolved in the past years. One no longer has to sit through jam-packed classrooms and deal with rigid timetables. However, this doesn’t come without its cons; hence, knowing how to study online is as important as embracing the flexibility of online learning.
Online learning is great until you must deal with procrastination and struggle with a short attention span. With everything happening on the internet, it’s easy to be distracted while studying online.
To succeed with online learning either as a student or professional looking to upskill, it’s important to understand the nitty-gritty of studying online without being carried away by one TikTok notification.
If you want to master how to study online, you are in the right place. This article will shed light on how to study online and tips you need to know as you embark on online education.
Also Read: How To Become A Digital Nomad With No Experience
How To Study Online
Many people love online learning for many reasons which include flexibility. If you are a busy professional, online learning allows you to upskill at your own pace while still working full-time.
However, while a lot of people are excelling at the new method of learning, some are struggling badly with it. If you fall in the latter category, here is a step-by-step guide on how to study online and make the most of your time and data.
Make Up Your Mind
Let’s face it! Some of us haven’t come to the acceptance that technology is replacing the old method of learning. Some would still prefer the old method of going to classrooms to interact with other learners.
We get it! But let’s face the hard truth, technology is here to stay. And just like every industry has evolved, the educational field has evolved too.
Hence, the earlier you have a reality check, the sooner it is to accept that online learning is a thing and you’re going to succeed in it just like you would if you were in the classroom.
Have A Dedicated Study Area
You’re likely going to face a challenge if you treat online learning like you’re scrolling Instagram or any social media platform.
To have the most of online learning, you must create a study area in the corner of your room. Move into this area anytime you want to study. See it as your classroom and the online instructor as your lecturer.
This way, you have curbed part one of the distraction and in some ways removed fatigue and laziness from the equation.
Create A Routine
Think of this as your school timetable. If you were to attend physical classes you are most likely to have a time-table. So why not treat your online education as a physical class?
Creating a routine is guaranteed to help you study better and efficiently. You can decide the best time to study according to your schedule. But what’s important is to create a routine that fuels your energy and stick to it.
Stay Motivated
The reasons some people have uncompleted courses on different online learning platforms like Udemy and Coursera are their short attention span and lack of motivation.
Well, some people are me and you. It’s easy to lose motivation while learning online because of the flexibility and in some cases, they’re self-paced.
When you know you can reset the deadline as many times as people, you can easily lose motivation and eventually not finish the course.
To ensure you don’t lose the enthusiasm for your online education, always keep track of the reason you started in the first place.
Tie your learning accomplishment to your personal goals, For instance, if your personal goal is to gain new certifications by the end of the quarter. Remember that the achievement of that goal will only be accomplished if you complete your online learning.
Participate Actively
Most of the online courses have a community where you can connect with other learners to share insights on the topics.
Participate actively in these forums; Ask and answer questions. Share what you have learned in the course and add your perspective to each of the topics.
By so doing, you won’t feel less motivated or left out.
Create Study Groups
Maybe you’re not comfortable with the forums on the course platforms. But you can create a personalized study group with your friends and colleagues who are taking the same course as you.
This study group shares the same purpose as the one in the course platform. However, this one is more personalized and close to home.
It’s more relaxed, friendly and with people you can easily jump on a call with to ask questions for clarity.
Take Breaks
That the course is self-paced does not mean you should binge study. You can take breaks according to the duration of the study platform or create a break time that works for you.
Whichever one works for you, the bottom line here is to take breaks as much as possible to give your brain the time to assimilate what you have studied.
Treat Yourself
No matter how much flexibility online learning is, it can still be very overwhelming with information overload. To truly embrace studying online, remember to give yourself a treat each time you have completed a course.
The treat doesn’t have to be something being or fancy. Just a movie break or a pack of snacks would suffice.
On the whole, studying online no matter how fancy it is, it’s still an adventure for some people who are yet to master how to study online for maximum efficiency.
Remind yourself that just like every habit, you will need time to truly develop the habit of studying online and gradually embrace it.
Benefits Of Online Learning
Online learning has tremendous benefits if done correctly. Here are some of the benefits of online learning we are loving:
Flexibility
Put a finger down if you don’t like the flexibility that comes with online learning. Knowing that you don’t have to deal with the hassle of commuting to and from school, sitting through cubicles of classrooms, and dealing with annoying lecturers are the underrated blessings of online learning.
With online learning, you’re the boss and can do as you like while still meeting deadlines.
Ability To Multi-Task
If you’re juggling many things at a time, the choice of online learning is something you will never regret.
With online learning, you can be a full-time parent and still bag that degree with ease. Still, with the opportunity of online learning present, you can be working full-time and still upskill when and where necessary.
Self-paced
This is the most important of them all. The fact that online learning is fast-paced is the icing on the cake of online education.
Although some are not, however, the multiple options of having a self-paced education make online learning fun and inviting.
You can choose to finish your course in one sitting and also choose to finish it in more than two sessions. Whatever rocks your boat, online learning is ever present to tag along.
Resources For Online Learning
What makes online learning what it is, is that the resources are peculiar materials to the nature of it.
For it to be called online education, it means that the resources are accessible online by anyone and anywhere in the world.
You don’t have to visit the school library for resources or go to the bookstores to access them.
If you’re wondering what online education resources are, we took the pain of bringing them to you in this article in the next paragraphs.
E-books
E-books are books that are electronically transmitted. They are soft copies of materials that are accessible on the internet. They come in the form of published books, templates, or toolkits.
These books can be downloaded as a PDF, word document, or as a shareable link over mobile data or a Wi-Fi connection.
Live Sessions
As the name implies, these sessions are taken live where the students can ask questions directly to the instructor.
On live sessions, students have the opportunity to connect with the instructor ask questions, and connect with other learners in real-time.
Live sessions are best suited for questions and answers, experiments, and building relationships with the learners and the instructor.
Recorded Sessions
Unlike live sessions where learners connect with the instructors in real time, recorded sessions are the opposite.
Recorded sessions are past sessions where the learners get to replay what has already been taught.
It’s best for reference purposes and seeking clarity in confused areas.
Discussion Forums
This works best for interactive sessions with instructors and learners. Some courses have their discussion forums on the platforms while others have them on different platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp groups.
No matter where it’s being hosted, the aim is to bring learners together to share insight on what they learned in the course.
Audio
Another resource for online learning is audio. An example of an audio resource for learning is a podcast.
What makes podcasts different from other resources is that you can listen anywhere any time just like you would stream music. It can play in the background while you focus on other things.
But here is the con, to make the most of podcasts, you should use them as a complimentary resource to support other forms of resources.
Conclusion
In this article, we shared some of the tips on how to study online to help you have the most experience as an online learner. A few of the benefits of studying online to help you stay motivated. And some of the resources for online learning so you don’t have to scroll aimlessly on the internet.