Study skills for online learning

If you’ve embarked on the online study journey or are planning on it, you’ll know or expect that it might be a bit more challenging than the normal study route, simply because you’re in charge of your own schedule. There are many challenges that could arise from studying online, we’ve outlined a few tips or skills to work on that will ensure the best results for your future self and your career.

Personalise it

Since you don’t have to attend lectures when studying online and there are no rigid structures in place, you have the luxury of personalising your schedule to suit your needs. You can plan your study times around when you’re most productive in the day, or night. If you’re working and studying, this is especially handy.

Things to note that are not that flexible include live lecture videos, online discussions that occur at designated times and dates and deadlines set for assignments. Those details are usually cast in stone, so it’s important to include them in your schedule first and then you can plan your time around that.

Be disciplined

Creating your own study timetable and not having to adhere to strict lecture times is great, but this can also lead to missing important details here and there if you’re not disciplined. If you’ve done your planning and you’re organised, all that’s left to do is to stick to what you’ve planned for yourself. If you’re not working already or you’ve taken a sabbatical, make the work day your study time, treat it like  a full-time job and you’re bound to see the results.

To make being disciplined a little easier for you, time management and being organised is important. Working on these skills will only help your future self!

Lecturer/student forums

Most online courses or degrees have forums where you can chat or discuss everything from assignments to general topics in your study field with other students or even lecturers. This would be a similar experience to going to tutorials or chatting to your lecturer after a class, so it’s a good idea to keep tabs on what’s happening in these forums.

If you have missed a live lecture because of work or life commitments, you’ll be able to catch up on this by reviewing the recorded lecture or chatting to people on these forums

Studying online can be tough but it can also be a great experience, especially if you’re organised and manage yours and other’s expectations. Tailor your degree to suit your needs and stay on top of forum discussions and you’ll be well on your way to completing your degree!

To be kept up to date with more helpful articles to motivate and guide you subscribe today.