by Jessenia
Rivera
It’s no secret that a sudden shift to online instruction may leave many
students feeling overwhelmed about their academic success.
Learning from home has its challenges, but here are some tips and
strategies recommended by USF Instructional Technology faculty members
James Hatten, PhD, and Sanghoon Park, PhD, to help you successfully
navigate the transition to online learning.
Set Yourself Up for Success from the Beginning
1. Establish a productive learning environment
Working on assignments from a slouched position and streaming Netflix at
the same time is not ideal if you aim to be productive. Dr. Hatten, who
specializes in online teaching and learning, recommends that students
choose an area in their homes that’s free from common distractions.
“The couch is probably not the best place to be at,” Dr. Hatten says.
“Get up and go to a place in your house that you can make your
workplace.”
2. Set a schedule for completing and reviewing assignments
Working on three courses at the same time can cause for an individual to
experience a high level of stress, but this can be avoided if you
allocate specific times to work on each class. One example Dr. Hatten
shared is working on one class between the hours of 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
This schedule allows students to create a type of structure often seen
with traditional, in-person classes.
“My belief is that most people end up either procrastinating or getting
too involved that they won’t shut (their computers) off,” Dr. Hatten
says. “So have a set time of some sort.”
Along with the time you set aside to complete assignments, it’s also
suggested to have a set time to look over the tasks for every one of
your classes so that you can set up an agenda for each week. In doing
this, you won’t mistakenly forget to turn something in.
3. Seek virtual interactions with your peers
Studying with a group of peers in the library or simply receiving
on-the-spot clarifications from classmates is obviously not possible
during this time. However, forming virtual interactions through
platforms such as GroupMe or Microsoft Teams is a feasible action you
could take in order to maintain that sense of collaboration and
community.
4. Use the ‘chunking’ strategy to section out tasks
The term “chunking” refers to taking a large task or a large amount of
information and dividing it into smaller units. Instead of staring at a
computer screen for three hours at a time, Dr. Hatten suggests that
students “chunk” their time by following a specific pattern.
“Work on one class, figure out a task and then reward yourself at the
end,” Dr. Hatten says. “So, what I mean by that is: Get up, get some
coffee, get a snack, go for a run or just get away for a half hour. Then
come back and do the next chunk.”
Find Ways to Stay Motivated
While there are various steps you can take to create a routine and
maintain productivity, every now and then a lack of motivation may set
in and you could find it difficult to accomplish the task at hand. Dr.
Park, whose research is focused on developing motivational interventions
for online learners, explains why exactly students may experience this.
“Online courses basically mean that you are learning separate from
others,” he says. “The feeling that you're isolated from your peers and
even your instructors—that physical and emotional distance, causes many
motivational issues.”
Dr. Park encourages individuals to firstly recognize when their
motivation is low and then determine the reason why. Below are a few
strategies he advises students to use.
5. Try to increase your interest in the work
There may be times where you go over an assignment or task that seems
rather tedious. Instead of waving it off as the days go by, think about
how you can turn the assignment or task into an engaging one. Using this
strategy means using your imagination to creatively modify the work
you’ll turn in.
6. Make the work you're doing online more personally significant
You may experience a lack of motivation when you feel unconnected to an
assignment or task being given. Dr. Park encourages students who are
confronted by this feeling to think critically about how that assignment
could be useful in helping them in the future.
“You have to find a way to connect the task to what you’re interested in
already,” Dr. Park said. “If you’re in the graduate level, you may want
to consider using those completed assignments or tasks for the
conference presentations.”
7. Imagine yourself on a path toward mastering the subject
This kind of talk is executed when you think out loud about the goals
you’re trying to accomplish. The conversation with yourself can usually
begin like this: What will I achieve by completing this assignment?
Dr. Park shares an example on how answering this question can produce a
continuous response that starts with the credit you earn for the
assignment, then the grade your receive from taking the course and
finally ending with landing the dream job you’ll have after graduation.
“Thinking like this is what leads you to say: This is not something I
must do, this is something I need to do to achieve my goals,” Dr. Park
says.
Keep a Positive Frame of Mind
8. Problem-Solve on Your Own
As you adjust to working online, it’s important to remember that most
questions can be answered when you read instructions carefully and when
you go over each module properly. Though professors are prepared to
answer your questions, instead of sending multiple emails throughout the
day for each problem you’re facing, it may be more productive to first
try to resolve the issue yourself through a Google search.
9. Focus on Your Self-Care
It’s completely understandable if you need to step away from the
computer for a few hours or if you need to take a day to sleep-in.
Taking the time to recover is necessary and you shouldn’t feel bad about
it.
10. Have Compassion for Others
Remember that individuals everywhere are going through many of the same
experiences you are right now. Have patience towards those who might not
know how to set up a video chat or who may be taking a longer time to
adjust to this "new normal." |