Going to school online might not be how you imagined your first semester of college. I’m used to teaching with a large online component, but this format is an extreme version of my practice. 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 first and one other of following short pieces about tips to succeed in distance learning:
- From City Tech: “Tips for Success” on The OpenLab for Students
- and one of these (try to pick one that hasn’t gotten as much attention in the comments!):
- 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” Â
- From University of Waterloo “Online Discussions: Tips for Students”Â
- From University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign “”Seven Tips for Success When Taking Online Courses“
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 different readings. Write another paragraph in your comment to include a reflection about one of the following (again, try to answer something that isn’t repeated often in the responses already):
- Who do you think is the audience for any of these articles?
- Whose point of view are these articles written from?
- What is the purpose of any of these articles?
- What is the tone of any of these articles?
- What stands out as effective in how any of the sources communicated the tips they shared?
- What stands out as ineffective in how any of the sources communicated the tips they shared
- What is something that they all have in common that we would expect any article on how to succeed in distance learning to have?
This comment will be longer, more like 250-300 words.
Be sure to add your comment by Monday morning, 8/30, so that there’s time for everyone to read the conversation by our class meeting on Tuesday, 8/31, 12:00-1:40pm.
Taking notes is one of the things that I found to be quite useful. Not only is taking notes essential for understanding the course, but it also keeps you cognitively focused so that your mind does not drift somewhere else. It’s also crucial to take pauses and reward yourself so that you have more energy and motivation to study. Do the things that bring you joy and relaxation. source From Guttman Community College, CUNY: “Tips for a Successful Transition to Distance Learning” on “Distance Learning Resources for Students”. The audience for this article is the students and also employees that might be working online.
Throughout reading the articles 3 things really stuck to me. one of them was the fact that you have to accept that online learning is stressful. online learning is stressful but accepting it feels much better. Putting on headphones also is helpful because it helps my mind focus on what’s on my ears other than daydreaming. Another tip that can help me is taking physical notes. physical notes help me focus so that I can write it on paper. Some tips that I can share is to wake up earlier. When you wake up earlier you are able to concentrate on what the professor is teaching and you can write notes thoroughly and effectively. Having water or something beside you when your in class is really helpful because you don’t waste time to go to the fridge and miss a part of class. In all of the texts that I read I did not feel like the tips offended me in any way. Sources:From North Hennepin Community College “Tips for Online Learning Success”,From Guttman Community College, CUNY: “Tips for a Successful Transition to Distance Learning” on “Distance Learning Resources for Students”.
for these articles, there are many people who need to know this information. People like teachers students, and parents. These three groups are all trying to achieve one goal; and its to ensure that virtual learning is the best possible experience for the student. With them reading the article, the professor can encourage students to wear headphones, take notes, etc. this could help the students experience much better. Another thing that I would like to mention is the point of view of this article. the point of view is coming from a professor or teacher that found out that these methods ensure a better performance in the students work. They are writing this in hopes to reach others to help them in online learning.
Do you think it’s useful to only hear from professors or teachers about online learning? Who else’s perspective would have been useful–or would you have found more helpful?
I think its useful to hear from both sides since they both experience the same thing but its just that the material is harder. I feel like the students perspective would be much better since im a student, and the author knows what i’m going through.
There were many tips that were helpful and stood out the most.One of the tips that I found really helpful is making schedule.I came to realize that making your schedule for the week or even for a day is really helpful because you will actually get things done.Through out this whole year I really struggled with time management,I always got things done late and it was very overwhelming.Another tip that I found helpful is avoiding distraction around you specifically your phone . Being on your phone distracts you while you doing something, while having your phone next to you during lectures will make you distracted especially with online learning.For example If I go on my phone to check a notification or something just in general I would be on my phone for the next 3 hours.So its really helpful to just keep your phone away while doing your school work.
The audience for these articles is mostly students and maybe teachers.
The first tip I found useful was “Take a break.” This tip can be found in the first two sources. Sitting in front of a screen for hours at a time can be tiring and it’s always good to step away and relax. Another useful tip was “Over organize to focus” which is included in the second source. Constant reminders can help me stay on top of my assignments and ensure that I don’t fall behind. A tip that is very important to me is to avoid distractions. It’s easy to get distracted at home so I will have to try extra hard to stay focused on my work.
I think the audience of these articles are students, specifically those who are learning online. Online learning can be difficult and stressful so if students read this articles they can find different ways to adapt. These could be written from the view of another student or a professor. Other students know what it’s like to learn online so they could be sharing some things that helped them through it. Additionally, professors are teaching online but they also hear the opinions of their students so these could be some tips they think would be helpful.
I LOVE the suggestion to take a break. I always try to build in breaks in this class period to give a pause and a moment of rest. But also, when we’re taking breaks, the things we need to do are often on in the background. We might find that frustrating, but it can also mean that we’re working on things and coming back to them without really focusing on them. Maybe we can find a solution when we’re not trying so hard!
Online learning has helped me in numerous ways. Before then I had trouble with work and time management, and now I am able to balance everything. Online learning has also given me the advantage to work in the comfort of my home. When first starting online learning, I was actually pretty chill about it. Months later, I was starting to lose interest, not in the work, but doing everything remote. I keep the “you got to work with what you got” mindset. Right now I’m just over it. Although I am being safe, there is a thing of having too much time in your comfort zone.