How to Stay on Track with Online Classes
There are many benefits to online education. But one of the downsides is a lack of personal interaction with the instructor and other students. Without a physical location to go to and individual reminders to keep you up-to-date, it's easy to lose track of deadlines and find yourself falling behind in your classwork.
What is an online student to do? Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to deal with the downsides of online education while enjoying all of its benefits.
Create an Online Study Group
Meeting new people in an online environment can be daunting. But forging a connection with your peers can help you in a variety of ways. If you sent up a study group, you can provide support, gain clarity on difficult lessons, and help to remind yourself and others about important deadlines and assignments.
Online students come from all over the United States. So meeting up for coffee in your town might not be possible. But coming together through a social media application or website is an easy and efficient way to learn together.
Keep a Tight Schedule
When you go to class and have an instructor in the classroom, it’s often easier to stay disciplined and keep focused. But when you’re in the comfort of your own home, there’s no physical presence to motivate you, it can be easy to let some things slide, decide not to worry about a project or assignment and before you know it, you’re rushing to beat the clock.
Set out a schedule for yourself to follow. Include all of your work, family, and social obligations in it and give yourself time to relax as well! It will help to keep you motivated if you have a set schedule to work with. This can help keep you on task for the allotted time and working hard to finish your assignments.
Set Goals for your Online Classes
When walking into a class you know generally what it’s supposed to be about. But if you knew everything in the class, you wouldn’t need to take it. Come up with a goal for the class and work on it, a little bit every opportunity you have.
For example, if you’re taking a class in cyber security and you see a procedure on the syllabus you’ve never heard of before, you could make it your goal to study it outside of class. Giving yourself an advantage when you do cover it and also helping to augment your general knowledge about the field.
Goal setting can also include goals such as a certain letter grade in a class or a furthered understanding of a topic. It’s also important to remember that reach class puts you closer and closer to ultimate goal; earning your degree. Never lose sight that each and every class is one more step toward this accomplishment.
Manage your Physical Learning Environment
Whether you’re learning from home, at an office, a coworking space, or even a coffee shop, set up your educational environment to be the most conducive to learning. Free yourself from distractions, have everything you need within arm’s reach, and sit down with a mind ready to learn. If you can make your learning environment a regular place you go to work and study, your brain will adjust to the idea that in this area, it’s time to get a workout.
If you’re ready to earn your degree and are considering online education, be sure to learn more about ECPI University’s online degree programs. Whether you want to study technology, health science, business, nursing, or criminal justice, there’s an online degree program to suit your needs. Contact ECPI University today to speak with an admissions representative to see if an online degree program is the right option for you.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
DISCLAIMER – ECPI University makes no claim, warranty, or guarantee as to actual employability or earning potential to current, past or future students or graduates of any educational program we offer. The ECPI University website is published for informational purposes only. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information contained on the ECPI.edu domain; however, no warranty of accuracy is made. No contractual rights, either expressed or implied, are created by its content.
For more information about ECPI University or any of our programs click here: http://www.ecpi.edu/ or http://ow.ly/Ca1ya.