Learning Online

I’m deeply invested in you having a successful semester, in my class and beyond. Here are my top recommendations for addressing the challenges of learning online:

• Get clear about your goals
• Make a schedule
• Be an active learner
• Practice self care
• Give yourself your best shot

Get clear about your goals

In our syllabi and course planning, your instructors have created all sorts of plans and goals for the semester. But our goals may very well not be yours. (Shocking, I know.)

For each of your classes this semester, write out 1-2 goals you have in taking the class. In some cases, your goal may simply be “Pass this class.” You don’t need to lie to yourself about that or dress it up. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Getting clear about your goals will help your prioritize coursework and stay motivated this semester. Add reminders on your calendar to revisit your goals each month during the semester to make sure you’re on track and to prompt yourself to recognize when you’re knocking those goals outta the park.

Make a schedule

Online and in person, a kind of surprising amount of your success in college comes down to having a plan. Make a weekly plan to identify your commitments, including things that

• must take place at at a specific date and time (for example, synchronous class time, work, appointments)
• happen every day, but likely have some flex about when (for example, meals, bedtime)
• need to happen regularly, but not daily (for example, household chores)

You don’t really know what time you have to work with until you identify these things. Once you’ve done that, you can see what time remains for you to block out for:

• coursework and studying
• socializing/entertainment/free time
• self care
• and whatever else needs to be on your schedule

When blocking out time for coursework, pay special attention to due dates and projects that span multiple weeks of the semester.

In addition to a weekly overview, I personally benefit a lot from a daily to-do list. It helps me break things down into actual tasks (vs lofty or abstract goals) and feels good to check things off.

It’s worth noting that having a plan doesn’t mean being inflexible. Things change or come up and your plan can flex with that; in fact, it’s helpful because it makes it clear what you skipped and need to make up, as well as what time you have to do that in.

As an additional resource, see this guide from UPenn on questions to ask yourself when you feel like you’re behind schedule or otherwise need to reprioritize your schedule.

If you want to read more about productivity systems, I recommend:

• Mindful productivity framework by Clo of This Too Shall Grow
• Coraline’s low-friction task management system – this is the system I’ve used for the last 2+ years

Be an active learner

Lucky for us, this is a class deeply rooted in doing things. So, while there’s more reading to do when the class is delivered online, there’s also a lot of putting that knowledge to use. When activities or quizzes are incorporated into the reading, do those as they arise; it’s far better to do them along with the reading than trying to cram all the reading first.

Other tips to get the most out of any readings:

• Use the Q-C-Q Worksheet to make reading more active and engaging.
• After you complete a reading or a section of course material, challenge yourself to summarize what you’ve read in your own words. While this may feel like “extra work,” it’s a tried and true way to prove to yourself that you got something out of the reading and will expose any confusion you have.

This Study smarter, not harder guide from UNC Chapel Hill includes a wealth of good hints and recommendations, too.

Practice self care

Take breaks! Take breaks! Take breaks!

Seriously: Take breaks. If you’ve followed even half of the suggestions I shared above, you’ve set yourself up to handle your semester as a well-structured marathon, not a sprint of cramming things in at the last minute. So, take breaks.

Taking breaks means you get up and move around (most of you are not working in ergonomic conditions and your bodies, especially your neck and shoulder muscles, will thank you) and give yourself an opportunity to return to your work with fresh eyes.

Self care is more than breaks, of course. There’s other obvious stuff, like hydrating, eating properly and having a consistent sleep schedule. I know some of this stuff is the first to slide when you’re juggling a busy semester, but it’s also the stuff that helps you bring your best brain to class and your activities. Additionally, you know best what makes for the happiest, healthiest version of yourself, and I encourage you to make time for that in your semester, too.

Give yourself your best shot

In my experience, when things go awry, sometimes it’s 💯 for reasons outside my control…other times, there’s a clear thing that stands out in my mind as an “If I’d only…”

Here are some that you can attempt to avoid that dreadful, regretful feeling in this course:

• Read instructions ASAP. Most folks know the feeling of reading instructions the night before something is due and only then realizing there’s some point of confusion and they’re unlikely to get an answer before the deadline. It’s a crap feeling, so help yourself out and read instructions as soon as an assignment or project is shared.
• Read all material provided – make sure you haven’t prematurely closed a window or tab when there’s more content underneath a quiz or graphic.
• Break larger projects down into tasks you can achieve in smaller chunks of time. Legit, ask yourself, “Can I get this done in two hours?” (or less time) and, if the answer is no, break the task down into smaller tasks.
  • If you’re struggling with this for any of the projects in this course, I’m happy to help.
• Be real about the distractions when you’re studying or working. Some are unavoidable – if you’re sharing living space with others, for example – and some of our own doing (watching Netflix/YouTube while reading). I don’t expect students to give that up entirely (I’m listening to music while writing this, tbh), but, when you’re struggling or finding something challenging, take a step back and see what distractions you can eliminate to give yourself the best opportunity to understand the material or accomplish the task.
  • If this is something you struggle with a lot, you’re not alone, and there’s a variety of tools and strategies to try to help you out:
    • Some apps are preventative; LeechBlock, for example, is a browser extension that will block access to your distraction sites for a set window of time (for example, blocking YouTube for 45 mins)
    • Some apps reward you for completing periods of focus time, like Forest
    • Others provide timers to help you cycle between focused time and breaks; you can learn more about this by searching for the “Pomodoro technique” and experiment with a web-based timer like this (though versions also exist as browser extensions and mobile apps).

If you let me know what specifically you’re struggling with, I’m happy to provide suggestions and let you know some of what’s helped me with my focus and productivity.