Overcoming the Challenges of Learning Online in Light of COVID-19
In light of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, schools have had to shift their entire curriculum online. Although learning online may have some advantages, it's a change that most students aren't prepared for.
In this article, we're going to address some challenges you may be facing and we'll give advice on how to overcome them.
Study with a Group
As you’ve probably noticed, learning online can be a pretty lonely experience. You might be missing your study group but there are still ways to collaborate with them. You can use Zoom or Google Hangouts to host online study sessions easily. It’s hard to stay motivated by yourself so having friends to motivate you is always a plus.
Distractions
Trying to study without being distracted is a difficult task as is. Now, with self-isolation, you’re bound to the confines of your home. This is especially difficult for those who only study outside of their house. If you are one to get easily sidetracked by notifications, we have a few workarounds.
First, never study with your phone in your room so keep it as far away as possible from you. Researchers at the University of Texas found that the mere presence of your phone reduces your brainpower. We would suggest the apps Self Control and Cold Turkey to limit your distractions and to avoid procrastination. If procrastination is an issue for you, check out our article on how to PREcrastinate!
Motivation
Because home is supposed to be a comfortable space, it makes studying especially difficult. Sometimes, you have to be proactive in setting time aside to study instead of waiting for motivation to strike (which it rarely does).
Block off time to just study and try to even segment that time by subject. All work and no play will bog you down so make sure to take a break here and there. Something short and active like meditation or a good stretch. If it works for you, use a Pomodoro Timer to help out with breaks.
Technology
Working online means that you have to rely on the speed of your computer. Getting a new computer or upgrading your internet speed is an obvious fix but that’s time-consuming and very expensive. A quick fix is to make sure you’re using a good browser.
We don’t recommend using Internet Explorer or Safari as they’re slow and many sites are not optimized for those browsers. If you’re looking for speed, we recommend Google Chrome or Firefox. Google Chrome is usually the most optimized for websites but Firefox is a good pick because your information is more secure.
It’s definitely quite the adjustment moving to online learning but we’re here to help! As of now, you can sign up for our new service, ‘Study Buddy,’ which is FREE until the end of the semester.
This will give you access to over 20,000 video lessons, practice questions, and example problems. You’ll also be able to ask homework questions to our expert-level profs. If you want a more course-tailored experience, all our final exam prep is 50% off and you can also sign up for a free 15 minute lesson with our online tutors. Stay safe out there and we wish you the best of luck!
This content was adapted from here
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