New to online classes? 6 TIPS for you

It’s necessary to set goals for assignments, discuss current topics, stay up to date with readings and what’s happening around in order to have a clear understanding of the subject.  

Since the Corona outbreak, commuting to schools and colleges has become a challenge.

The unprecedented time has resulted in schools to shut down across the globe.

Globally, over 1.2 billion children are out of the classroom, in their homes right now.

Most educational institutes have accelerated the adoption of digital technology or online learning.

Online learning has become the new normal and has widely been accepted by both students and working professionals. 

Online material has resulted in students retaining 25 to 60% more material as compared to only 8 to 10% in a classroom.

You can learn at your own pace by re-reading, skipping, going back, and accelerating through concepts. 

Formative assessments have become so much easier with tools that make this fun and engaging for all learners.

These tools are a great help for students who are usually shy in nature and are unable to clear their doubts in front of the whole class.

For those of you who are new to digital classrooms, here are some tips to help:

The Do's

1. Be prepared 

Be as prepared with your topic in online session as you would be while entering the physical classroom.

Keeping a regular check on the e-mails, thoroughly going through the syllabus and having a hold on the study material is very necessary for one to understand what’s been taught in the online learning class.

2. Commit time to your course

The way institutions follow a proper day plan and time table for each subject to equally be emphasised on, you need to invest your time too.

You must commit dedicated time for the course you opt for along with a set time-table.

Even though you have the flexibility and comfort of attending classes from home, don’t let this comfort make you any lazy in attending classes.

You need to put in just as much effort in order to optimise knowledge.

3. Be responsive

It’s very important for one to always have curiosity in their heads, which results in raising doubts.

There will be times when you might get the wrong idea about what the other person said, so it’s very important to ask questions, be vocal with your doubts and be responsive to the questions being asked in the online session.

Keen participation will lead you to excel in the subject and have a better understanding of the topic.

The DONT's

4. Don’t procrastinate

Procrastinating can be considered as one of the deadly sins of online learning.

Making an effort will always be appreciated; procrastinating might lead you to be lagging behind in the race of online learning.

It’s always necessary to set goals for assignments, discuss current topics, stay up to date with readings and what’s happening around in order to have a clear understanding of the subject. 

5. Don’t be hesitant to reach out for help

Usually children feel hesitant while asking questions, resulting in assuming wrong information on certain things.

So it’s always important to raise your doubts, ask questions, seek for help in case you think you are facing difficulty on a certain topic and get things cleared in your heads.

6. Ignore additional online resources

Don’t get distracted by other online resources or websites while you are participating in your online class or lecture.

Block pop-ups and make sure you turn off notifications while you’re logged on and in class.

It’s easy to always be constantly surfing the internet, but you’ll want to pay attention and not stray from the content your professor or instructor is providing you.

Online learning is a fast-paced and dynamic way to accelerate your learning and will help you achieve your goals, both academically and personally.

To get the most out of online learning, make sure you develop new knowledge and skills in a way that you can retain, apply repeatedly, and adapt new contexts while learning.

Dharini Upadhyaya is co-founder and Co-CEO of Furtados School of Music. She can be contacted on ga@rediff.co.in.