Online courses might be something new for a lot of students on Emporia State’s campus. With all of the changes going on and the questions of how or where you are taking them, ESU wanted to provide some tips and tricks for staying proactive with your classes. Making sure you are prepared and know what you need to do to stay ahead and actively participating in online classes.
- Hold Yourself Accountable
- Starting the semester with a course being taken in the classroom to the sudden and abrupt change to remote learning might be difficult for some. Students might have an easier time learning in a classroom environment rather than in an online course. Checking in with yourself regularly is something that is going to be beneficial. Not checking in as in asking yourself how you are doing, but rather look at your courses and see what you are needing to do. If you struggle with accountability, try to find a classmate that you can talk to about course assignments and what you both can help each other to accomplish.
- Learning Environment
- Learning information and being taught can become a struggle if you are in an environment that might not be suitable for learning. Doing your assignments in bed or on the couch is not a positive solution to have a good learning environment. Working in bed can affect your sleeping patterns, as well as your body’s physical shape and comfort. Sitting at a desk or table without any distractions is your ideal learning environment. Go outside and find a nice spot to sit and do work while also getting fresh air and some rays.
- Actively Be Engaged
- Engaging in the discussion for online courses and actively participating as well is what will help you more than anything! Allowing yourself to seek a better understanding within the discussion will benefit you and also your professor, letting them know that you understand what’s going on. Be more thorough in discussion posts to help yourself and others engage and learn with each other. And especially don’t be afraid to reach out or speak up if you feel as if you are falling behind. Waiting until the assignment is almost due or the middle of the night before to ask questions is not going to benefit you. Seek answers ahead of time and allow yourself time to complete your work.
- Utilize Your Resources
- A lot of the resources on Emporia State’s campus have adjusted their hours and created virtual tutoring or assistance for students that are needing help. You may feel like you are alone in some cases when it comes to online classes. However, you have plenty of turns to go to if needed! Professors and instructors should be encouraging you to work with your peers to accomplish certain tasks.
- Treat Classes like They’re a Job
- While sometimes it may seem like online work could be easy, you don’t want to sell yourself shorter than what you need. Professors are supplying you with the same content they would be if you were to be in a classroom setting. Creating a plan on how much you want to study, what assignments you want to accomplish, or what lectures you want to watch within a day is something that could benefit you more than you think. Creating the routine of remote learning is what could set you up for success during this time of confusion.
- Stay Healthy
- You are working your brain hard with your courses, and you should have time to relax the same as well. Allotting yourself a minimum of 7 hours of sleep per night, eating right, and overall self-care that you can provide yourself. Stress can break down a body’s immune system and keeping yourself healthy, mentally and physically, is very important when it comes to learning habits and overall well-being.
- Checkout
- Whenever you are going into a virtual lecture or even a recorded lecture, you may be more inclined to check out from what’s in front of you. With your computer screen being your only access to online content, it may be difficult to resist the inclination to answer that vibration. Stay present with what is going on, it is easy to lost track of time when you are scrolling through your social media. Those five minutes you are checked out could be the five minutes of information regarding that huge project that is due next week... that you haven’t started yet.
- Take Breaks
- Staring at a computer screen can start to make your head hurt and lose interest more quickly after doing it for a long period of time. Every hour or so allow yourself to take a few minutes to take a break, stretch it out or even go for a short walk. Those few minutes you allow your brain to relax and get motivated again could make classwork and lectures much easier to follow!
Dakota Taylor
Social Media Student Assistant
Web & Digital Strategies
Social Media Student Assistant
Web & Digital Strategies
