Remote learning has come to stay. The COVID pandemic has paved even more way for remote learning than ever before. As advised by health bodies to practice social distancing, many schools and institutions have adopted this system in order to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
Remote learning is a form of education involving teachers and students separated by time and distance. It’s also known as distance education, e-learning or online learning. Although there are physical barriers, remote learning has its perks; it’s cost-effective, efficient and convenient.
From college students to elementary pupils, there’s a great number of people learning online at the moment. Remote learning is gradually gaining ground and becoming the future of online education.
Although remote learning offers lots of flexibility, self discipline and commitment are required for successful learning.
Without further ado, here are some tips for successful remote learning.
Check for email updates
Updates are a vital part of remote learning and in fact any form of formal education. Updates help you stay abreast of critical changes to your program of study. Ensure you have access to your school’s email on your phone and other devices.
Check your mails from time to time for important information. A functioning internet access is vital for regular email updates.
Set alarms and mark your calendar
Online learning is not easy as it seems. Laziness and procrastination are part of the human experience and can quickly be an impediment to your academic life. Remote learning requires even more self discipline and commitment than traditional learning.
The best way to keep yourself on track is via planning. Designate time for studying, reading, submitting assignments, participating in forums and leisure. Don’t forget to set reminders to complete tasks.
Establish a good learning space
It’s important you know the space and environment that works best for you. Determine what setting best boosts your productivity. You might find it easy to concentrate in a quiet environment or you might prefer a little background noise while studying. Choose what works best for you.
It’s best to sit upright at a desk or table as you might sleep off while studying in bed. Ensure your work space is clutter and distraction free. Good organizational skills promote successful online learning.
Set up a regular routine
Do you know why traditional learning works so well? It’s the presence of routines! Routines are very vital to learning. They help us understand time and time management for good habit forming.
Make use of tools like planner and Google Calendar to keep you updated on your lecture time, assignments and deadlines. Ensure you attend the virtual classes. It’s also very beneficial to study your course materials before joining the class to get better understanding of the topic.
Participate in online forums and discussion boards
Participating in discussion boards is a great way to add some zest to your remote learning experience. Discussion boards can be likened to class participation as everyone is allowed to air their views and opinions about subject topics.
This medium broadens your mind, enables you engage with fellow students and gives you an insight about the course materials.
Ask questions and engage instructors
Learning should involve interactive sessions where learners get to ask or answer questions from instructors. This fosters long-term retention of knowledge. A good instructor will welcome questions from students. At All Saints University, we encourage students to ask lots of questions because it’s one of the pillars of good medical practice.
In the words of Susan Young, “In medicine, prescription before diagnosis is malpractice. Asking the right questions will help you discover a person’s needs and concerns so that you can respond intelligently and appropriately.”
Seek help when needed
The online space shouldn’t cause you to totally disconnect yourself from your friends and instructor. Your instructor is there to help you. Ask for help when needed. For support, you can get in touch with your student services department. The library also offers continued access to free online textbooks and other learning materials through the library’s website.