This might not be how you imagined your first semester of college. I’m used to teaching with a large online component, but not fully online. What can we learn together to improve our chances for success in this fully online distance education model? At the same time, what do we notice about advice for online coursework?
Read the following short pieces about tips to succeed in distance learning:
- From City Tech: “Tips for Success” on The OpenLab for Students.
- From Guttman Community College, CUNY: “Tips for a Successful Transition to Distance Learning” on “Distance Learning Resources for Students”
- From North Hennepin Community College “Tips for Online Learning Success”
- From University of Waterloo “Online Discussions: Tips for Students”
One goal I have for class collaboration is to crowdsource ideas and solutions from the whole class rather than each working in isolation. Write a comment below that addresses the following so we can crowdsource our own list of tips:
- What two or three tips did you find most helpful? Put them in your own words, and mention which source or sources included those tips.
- What tips do you have to share that were not included in any of these resources?
- If you felt any tips were unhelpful, wrong, hurtful, etc, feel free to share that as well, and to explain if you can.
- Is there another source you would recommend we read? If so, please include a link to it in your comment and tell us what’s great about it.
Then think about the 4 different readings. Write another paragraph to your comment to include a reflection about the following:
- Who do you think wrote these tips?
- Who do you think is the audience for each list of tips?
- What stands out as effective or ineffective in how any of the 4 sources communicated the tips they shared?
- Who would you want to share our list with?
- What should our list look like?
This comment will be longer, more like 250-300 words.
Be sure to add your comment by Monday morning, 8/31, so that there’s time for everyone to continue the conversation by responding to a few classmates before our next week of class begins on Wednesday, 9/2.
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The first tip I found really helpful was to set a schedule. This could be found in both “Tips for success” and “Tips for online learning success”, From North Hennepin Community College. This is great since I’m usually not so organized. That’s one thing I definitely need to change as I transition into college as an Architect major student. Finding a good work space is also a helpful tip as a person needs personal space to receive education and study with extreme concentration. The final tip I found most helpful was to participate. In order for a teacher and your classmates to get to know you, one main thing you need to do is participate. Also it allows your professor to know you understand the material being taught to you. A tip I didn’t see mentioned but is highly important is to come prepared to class. If a person is fully prepared before class, there are less distractions and the class can proceed smoothly.
I believe these tips were written by college students themselves, not only from an online student perspective but as a student in general. These tips apply to all students whether you are assisting class in person or online. These students may have learned from their mistakes through their own experiences and may have taken that and translated it into tips for new college students. The audience is most definitely newcomers into college. As a freshman myself, I found these tips helpful. Personally, what stands out as effective on how these tips were communicated and shared was that they were separated into a list. Each tip was explained thoroughly and it allowed me to think deep about each one. Our list should reflect the lists in each source as they seem to apply to any class/ major.
The tips I found the most helpful were found in the first source, “Tips For Success” because it states how you should make a schedule and take breaks and I find that very important because if you don’t make a schedule, It can lead to all your work being very disorganized and could lead to a very sloppy college experience. You should definitely take breaks because I find it when I don’t take breaks that I would try to rush and finish assignments and I wouldn’t do very good on them which is why i would much rather take a break and do it properly rather than rushing through it and finishing the assignment in a poor manor. One tip I would like to recommend that was not included in the readings is to always stay in contact with your professors and let them know if any issue has came up. Here is another source I would recommend you to read:
https://online.illinois.edu/articles/online-learning/item/2015/09/16/7-tips-for-online-success
I think the professors and advisors wrote these tips because they are the ones who are the most experienced in online learning and the people who can guide us through this online learning. The audience is the students because we are the ones who are taking the online courses and who need these helpful tips. The audience can also be professors who are new to online learning and might need assistance. Tips that stand out effective are all of the tips because they all help you in one way or another. We should share our list with anyone who is taking online courses and it should look like a list filled with very helpful tips that can guide us through online learning.
While reading the article “Tips for Success”, I’ve come across two tips that I think are most helpful. One of those tips is to avoid distractions. I think this is most helpful because while at home learning, it could be much harder to fight the temptation of going on our phones and scrolling through social media. Another tip is to communicate with your professor. While learning at home another disadvantage is not being able to just walk into your professor’s office/classroom and ask them a question, now there’s you have to wait until they reply to your email to get your questions answered. Some tips that weren’t shared in the article that i think would be beneficial is to get energy before online class. Staring at a screen for hours personally makes me sleepy so I would have to make a cup of coffee. I personally haven’t come upon any tips that came off as wrong, hurtful, etc.
I think students and teachers are the ones who wrote these tips. I believe these tips were directed towards students who have to get used to attending their classes virtually and the teachers who aren’t as good with technology but now have to use it to teach their class. Out of all the tips that were listed in the three sources(second link doesn’t work), one of the tips that seemed most effective was to accept that this new change of how lessons will be taught will be overwhelming. I’d want to share this list with professors and students who may have trouble adjusting to the new change.
One tip that I found helpful is to take notes from “Tips for Success”. This tip is helpful because it says that we still have to take note in online classes as if we were in traditional classes. It’s meaningful because you can always get back to your notes and check if you forget something important. I always forget things from the classes, notes will help me a lot. As students, we need to always be aware of what the professors are giving to us in the classes and taking notes are one of the best ways to keep that information for when we need it. Another tip that it’s really helpful for me in “Tips for Online Learning Success” From North Hennepin Community College is to be polite and respectful. These means to be mature in the classes. Respect professors and fellow students will make the classes go smoothly. This will stop any problems, and nobody would not be distracted from the class. I think one tip that should be on the list is to eat well before taking classes in the morning, with hunger you cannot think clearly and you would not be productive in class.
I agree with Kevin, Alvin and Sinia. About whom wrote these tips because I think they were advisers, teachers and students. What I mean is that the advisors may have created surveys for teachers and students who have taught and taken online classes before on what they recommend for online classes. The advisors were able to make their own advice, but I think the teachers and students have also contributed or perhaps the advisors have contributed themselves as a quick response for the online classes due to COVID-19. These tips are made for students who are taking or will be taking classes online. All 3 sources are effective in the way they communicate because they help you understand how to manage your online classes clearly. These tips will be helpful to anyone taking classes online or will, I think it should be shared with them.
While reading the article “Tips for Success” the major tip that stood out was to avoid distractions. Adding on to Sinia, the majority of kids these days have become addicted to social media. Especially since we were in quarantine for a few months, being on one’s phone for 24/7 could be an addiction for some. That is a huge disadvantage because it means no work gets done, and if it does then it is done with poor effort. Another tip I came across while reading “Tips for Online Learning Success” was to budget your time, it is always important to have a planner and be organized. Disorganization can results in missed deadlines and will
definitely affect your class grade. Adding on, when work is done last minute, it doesn’t reflect the best you could’ve done. That’s why always planning ahead of time , setting a schedule for yourself and most importantly sticking to it is a go to! All the tips I read I found to be super helpful.
In my opinion, I believe students and advisors wrote these tips in order to help us transition from in class learning to online learning. Most of us are not used to online classes, so these tips were written to help us all succeed! It is very difficult not having a professor or peers around you to help engage in learning, however these tips narrow it down.
Some tips that I found helpful was to avoid being distracted. Like it mentioned in “Tips For Success”, putting other devices in silent mode works best when you study. I find that I’m always being distracted in the most clichĂ© way possible like checking my phone for every notification or having my family annoying me(mostly my two chaotic and loud brothers). Another tip that I found to be the most crucial is to make a schedule. Having a schedule keeps you organized and prepared for everything that is going to occur during your day. This can be a stress reliever, instead of panicking and racing to do everything on time, you can take it easy. A tip that I believe should be on the list is to take care of yourself, everyone should be watching out for their own health and provide themselves with their proper needs like sleeping or eating. If not, it could very well affect your performance and studies.
From my point of view, I believe that these tips were written by other college students who had their fair share of experiences in college. They provide with what they know to let the others(mostly freshmen) on the situation and how they should handle it. Personally I feel that “making a schedule” or in my own words, “Time Management” is the most effective because given my own tendency to slack off time and time again, I generally lose track of time and be behind on my schedules(not saying everyone is like me). But all tips were helpful for all students not just newcomers, and they should be shared with everyone.
All the tips from the four readings are very helpful but they are only three that really resonated with me. The first tip is from “Tips for Success” and it basically says to create a schedule. Various of my fellow classmate already mention this tip but I going to talk a little bit more about. When creating a schedule you should include 2-3 hours to study, this will help you understand the class more and allow you to catch up in class. Another tip from “Tips for Success” that I really like was to take breaks. Many people take this for granted, studying for a long time period will only fatigue your brain and will not allow you to study properly. A better option is of course taking a break every now and then to keep your brain working effectively. The last most helpful tip for me was to accept that your first classes are going to overwhelming or stressful, from the reading “Tips for Online Learning Success”. At first, all is overwhelming, you need to accept that feeling and realize that with time you will find things easier and less stressful.
In my opinion theses, tips were written by a combination of both students and teachers. The reason for this is that sure, some students could have been through all these problems and created these tips to help others. However, teachers could also have created theses tip for their students who had troubles. As for who is the audience, I think is us, newcomers. But essentially anyone could adapt and use these tips for whatever purpose.
The first tip I think is very helpful is contacting the professor which can be found in “Tips for Success”. Staying in touch with the professor is a great way to make sure that the student understands what is going on in class, stays on track and can help the student build a good relationship between student and professor. Another tip I found helpful was time management which can be found in “Tips for Online Learning Success”. Time management is very important when it comes to school, work, etc. By knowing how to prioritize and by planning ahead of time, things such as activities and assignments that may seem stressful can actually be easily dealt with. Sometimes, people can end up trying to handle everything all at once which can cause their stress to increase instead.
I believe that these tips were written by a combination of students, and professors. These tips are very important when it comes to going to school, or working full time. I believe that these tips are mainly about prioritizing what is necessary. I think the audience is the students, seeing how students have to adapt to the virtual environment instead of being in a physical environment now due to what is going on with the coronavirus. Using these tips are very helpful when someone is physically going to school or work, but now with everything having to be online, students should really take these tips seriously to help them stay on track with their school life. All three sources are effective because these tips have been used by a lot of people in order for them to have structure, stability and consistency in their lives. Our list should be shared with other school communities because these tips can help other students especially those who are doing their schoolwork online. The list should look like a guide in order to help others who are looking for more resources on how to adapt well into online learning environments.
Some tips I find most helpful are communicating with your professor, connecting with others and budget my time. Which are all shown in sources “ Tips for success” and “Tips for online success”. Communicating with your professor is good and important when you have a problem or question, now that we are learning remotely things can be difficult. Connecting with other classmates is good for making new friends and connections. Budgeting your time is something important for school, making a schedule to have better time management so you stay on top of your work is very helpful.
It seems students and teachers wrote these tips because these tips are something that’s helpful for all. The audience for these tips are students mainly freshmen that are new to the college system. What stands out as effective on how the sources communicated the tips is the description on the tips were clear and simple nothing was confusing. I would want to share these tips with my friends and cousins that are starting college this year too. Our list should look similar to the sources but show more of what you could/should do in certain scenarios.
The first tip that I found to be the most helpful in “Tips for Success” on The OpenLab for Students is to make a schedule because to be more efficient I would like to plan out what I should be doing in my time to do well in my studies. It’s a good benefit to improve as much as I can for my classes. I can take my time to understand what I may not understand and go through it in a manner that is most helpful. Another tip I found helpful was to stay in contact with my professor and classmates if I have any questions I know that I can always come to them to have a clearer explanation to what I need to do if I need the help. My classmates and I can improve among each other.
I think that teachers and students who have experience in online school wrote these tips because to help out students that are starting online schooling and since the pandemic is putting everyone into online schooling these tips are helpful for other students who have never been in online schooling basically. It reassures us because if we are having trouble we can always contact others set up a plan and more. We are able to do many things in online and with these tips it lets us know we are able to do so.
Thanks, everyone, for contributing to our shared effort to highlight important tips for success in online courses. Here’s a summary of what everyone identified as the most important:
Be organized
Set a schedule and budget your time, including study time, class time, etc
Use a planner
Take breaks
Find a work space
Avoid distractions (esp when working from home) including social media, using silent mode
Participate in online classes to shape the conversation, let yr professor know you’re doing the work, & stay interested
Find a way to energize before online classes
Take care of your health
Get enough sleep
Eat well
Accept that this mode of learning may be overwhelming
Take notes
Be polite and respectful and mature
Stay in contact with yr professors
Connect with classmates
I found the second link, the one from Guttman Community College (sorry I entered it incorrectly originally–it’s working now!), the most appealing visually. Would anyone else want to use that as a model? If we wanted to share these tips to help our community, should we share them right away, or take the time to stylize the way we represent the information?