It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced all of us to make substantial changes to our daily lives. Businesses have, where possible, moved to remote work; K-12 schools have by necessity embraced distance learning; and many college students who had formerly been enrolled in on-campus courses now find themselves in unanticipated online learning
While online learning carries many positive benefits that make it the preferred choice for millions of students, it doesn’t come without its challenges—especially for students who are more familiar with in-person courses.
Below are seven tips from Jonathan Small, Associate Vice President of Online Learning at Regis College, that you can use to successfully adjust your study habits during the transition to fully online learning.
Tips for Taking Online Classes
1. Look ahead to understand your assignment due dates.
Typically, students who take online courses interact with the subject matter and their assignments through a learning management system (LMS). Online classes at Regis, for example, take place through Moodle; other popular tools include Blackboard and Canvas.
Whichever LMS your courses utilize, it’s crucial that you spend time familiarizing yourself with the interface and with your specific assignments. Look ahead at your scheduled assignments, and take particular note of your due dates so that you can better craft a realistic plan for completing all of your work.
“In an online class, things typically run in a modular format, where you might not have the normal structure of a face to face class,” says Small. “You often don’t have that physical reminder of being in the classroom that work is due. There’s a lot going on in an online class, and students need to organize their time.”