Student’s Quick Guide to Improving Remote Learning Experience

With all the social distancing and quarantine protocols due to the coronavirus pandemic, many are suddenly forced to shift to the digital space to try and continue their daily routine. Remote learning in education, specifically online learning in today’s case, is one of the relatively new methods to come out of this. 

With school closures and limited-to-none face-to-face interactions, video call platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet have now become the new classrooms, online learning systems like Canvas and Blackboard are now the new bulletin boards and their discussion boards have now become the new way for stimulating class participation. Remote learning has indeed become the new norm for many students and teachers across the world today.

However, remote learning and in-person learning are definitely not the same thing. Poor internet connectivity issues, lack of proper devices, no personal space dedicated for studying, miscommunication of instructions, and not to mention the isolation or lack of interaction—these are just some of the common challenges students are facing during this uncertain time. With this, below are some simple yet effective ways that can help you cope and improve the quality of your remote learning experience

Establish and follow a routine

Gone are the days when you used to wake up early in the morning, get ready, and quickly head on to school to avoid being late. Nowadays, you’re most probably still in bed and in your pajamas during your classes! This apparent lack of structure that comes with remote learning can really be demotivating. It can be overwhelming having to balance both home and school life all in one single environment. Through establishing and following a routine, this can help you with developing a more productive day and generally, creating a sense of normalcy amidst today’s situation. This can be as simple as sleeping and waking up early, eating meals on time, and even changing out of your pajamas. 

Instead of following an open-ended list, an effective time management method is time blocking, this is where you block off periods of time in your day to accomplish specific activities. You can choose to do this on calendar apps such as Google Calendar or there are also apps available that are highly catered to time blocking. This can help you map out the goals you should focus on achieving throughout the day.

Create your own designated study area

Having your own designated space can also help contribute to your remote learning routine. Your study area doesn’t have to be overly decorated with lots of unnecessary items as these may only distract you from actually studying. It’s essential that you treat your space as your workplace where you can devote your time and energy to attending online lectures, reading modules, taking down notes, and answering homework. With this, make sure to keep your study items nearby for quick and easy access. Proper lighting is also important to prevent eye strains during all the time spent in front of your device’s screens and during late-night study sessions.

It’s understandable to leave your desk and finally head to rest after a long and tiring night of studying. However, keeping your study area and its surroundings clean and organized should also be in your priority list. It would definitely make your life easier as compared to seeing a lot of dust, clutter, or even leftover food in your study space.

Set up a virtual study group with your friends

It’s easy to feel disconnected with everything going on even if everyone’s technically connected via the internet. Forming an online study group with friends can be effective and beneficial to everyone depending on how it is conducted. Group studies require proper time management, instilling balance between study time and rest time. The group can also serve as an academic support system to help one another in understanding the lessons better, avoiding procrastination, and being accountable for one’s own study habits.

Online communication platform Discord can be a useful way of starting and managing your own virtual study group sessions. It works through either setting up a new server or joining an existing one, and then creating and organizing multiple channels across the server. There’s even a ready-made study group template available which allows members to stream lessons, chat through video, voice, or text, listen to music, and just study together. 

Adapting to remote learning in education in this new normal can be daunting, especially with the abruptness and lack of preparation at the start. If you don’t take control over your time, it could eventually take control over you. Take this time to learn more about managing your time well and how to further maximize your remote learning experience.