Success strategies
What can I do to succeed?
- Read course communications: Your course syllabus, announcements, and emails are extra important online, where instructors have fewer ways of communicating changes or reminders. Take time to read (not scan) them.
- Manage your time: Some courses will meet in real time online (for example, in BigBlueButton sessions), some won’t, and others will use a combination. Create a calendar with important dates, instructor office hours, and times you’ll “attend” live and recorded lectures for each course, to fairly distribute your attention.
- Actively participate: Your learning will benefit from active participation in courses. Ask questions in discussion boards, post resources you find helpful, and comment when classmates share work.
- Take it one step at a time: Research has shown that multitasking is generally not effective in learning. If this is your tendency, focus on one task at a time instead of dividing your attention among multiple things at once.
- Avoid procrastinating: Using applications to hand in work sometimes gets complicated. Try not to put things off until the last minute, because that minute might be spent solving technical issues!
- Make it personal: Connections can be harder to make without seeing people face-to-face. But be personable online by adding profile pictures, introducing yourself, and logging in regularly to share support with peers.
- Ask for help: Learning in alternate modes can be overwhelming when it’s new. Your instructors, teaching assistants, and technical support all expect you to have questions, and they want to help. Please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Adapted from Keep Learning by the University of British Columbia under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
My study space
Creating a dedicated study space can help you focus and improve your productivity, even if it’s just a corner of a room or spot at a kitchen table. It also separates when you should mentally be at school versus at home, an important distinction.
To set up your personal classroom:
- Pick a spot for studying and try to make coursework the main or only thing you do there. This could be a separate room or a specific part of a smaller space, such as a desk in a dorm room. Ideally, it’s quiet and distraction-free; if not, try headphones to block out noise.
- Create a setup that you can comfortably sit or stand at for a few hours.
- Silence unnecessary notifications on your devices to increase your focus when you’re in this space. If you’re not using it for coursework, consider turning your phone off.
- Use apps to make studying easier. To minimize procrastinating, install browser apps that block or limit time on websites you know distract you.
- Let friends, family members, or classmates know when you will be “going to class” in this space, to create accountability for yourself. If you share your home with other people, ask for their help in supporting a calm environment and giving you privacy during study times.
Adapted from Keep Learning by the University of British Columbia under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
