Tips for Successful Remote Learning
Written by Julia Teichroeb, VP Governance, ACCSA
My name is Julia Teichroeb, I am the VP of Governance on the student association, as well as a student tutor and Full-Time mom. Unlike most students at ACC, I chose to attend school remotely, and have been remote, full-time, since day one. For this reason, I thought it might be good to share some insight on how to be successful in learning in a remote environment.
As a full-time mom one of the most important things to me is to have balance between school and my personal life, this brings us to tip number one.
1. Have a set schedule to work on schoolwork and attend classes.
For students in Full-Time programs, ACC suggests setting up as much time to attend school, as you would for a fulltime job. What works best for me is to set up my timetable between 8:00am and 5:30pm Monday-Friday. Remember I have a child as well, so you may only need 8 hours a day. This allows me to ensure I have enough time to complete all my schoolwork as well as have my evenings and weekends free. Now, who doesn’t love the sound of that!
Working remotely and going to class remotely for 8-9 hours straight can be exhausting, bringing me to tip number two.
2. Schedule yourself learning breaks and take a break when you need it.
I think we have all been at the point where we have been working on a research project for hours, and everything we read goes in one ear, and out the other. This is your body telling you that you need a break. I find that a best practice is to schedule yourself breaks right into your schedule, at least 45 minutes a day. However, if your body is telling you to take a break, just take it. It is not going to do you any good to read articles over and over because you can’t remember what they were about.
During my first term, about one week prior to mid-terms I realized I had 3 major projects due and two midterms on the following Friday. There was no way for me to finish the projects and have time to study. This could have been avoided with the final tip I have.
3. Give yourself the time to get organized.
Most of us use a planner of some sort, we put all our classes and our due dates into our calendar at the beginning of the semester. However, going back and updating these is vital. It is important that you set the reminders correctly, so you don’t see a 25% assignment 18 hours before it is due or forget to study for an exam. Giving yourself 15 minutes at the beginning of every week to look through due dates and allocate time to do assignments will help you stay within your school hours and ensure a higher level of assignments are submitted.
I wish you best of luck in your online learning, and remember, if you can learn to manage your time and keep yourself motivated, online learning can be a fun and flexible way to attend college.