Distance learning requires rethinking your study approach in college classes.
With the increase in online classes, it has become increasingly necessary for students to learn study in distance-education courses. The isolation some students feel from not being in a physical classroom setting can be disconcerting, but with a proper study plan and a modified approach to traditional classroom study methods, most students can adapt and be successful in distance learning courses. Part of the key to success is simply learning to think differently about how you learn when taking college courses.
Instructions
1. Create a schedule of when you will study. You have to make a commitment to each one of your classes that you will stick to each week or daily. Creating a schedule is not that difficult when you divide all your coursework up over the entire semester. Most semesters last 15 to 16 weeks. See how many pages of reading you have to do, along with all of your other assignments, and create a schedule that allots a specific number of pages to read in each book each day. For instance, if one of your assigned books is 300 pages and you have 15 weeks to complete it, you need to complete 20 pages per week, or right at three pages per day.
2. Take notes on everything that you read. In fact, keep a separate spiral notebook for each course and write down notes on most of what you read. This will take additional time. It will also slow down your reading and force you to read more carefully. Write down the page number or a range of page numbers on which you find your material. This will give you a quick reference guide later on.
3. Collaborate with other students via email, instant messaging, Skype or even social networking websites like Facebook. This is one way to get that classroom feeling without actually being in the classroom. Groups of students can all create an online study group and bounce ideas off of each other. Some students are better test takers than others and may be able to provide tips, while other students can bring their own skills and knowledge to the study group.
4. Supplement your reading with online multimedia content that can provide you with an audio and visual representation of your reading. If your instructor provides this material, use it. Otherwise you may have to search the Internet to find material that corresponds to what you are covering in class. Universities like MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) maintain open courseware websites that provide lectures and lessons from some of the top professors in the world. An online consortium of schools offers various courses in multiple disciplines free of charge (see Resources).
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