Effective Ways to Learn Remotely from Home
Can you honestly say that learning remotely from home and learning in college or university offline is the same? Though professors say “nothing will change for you,” it is hardly so.
Studying from home is much more challenging, despite the fact that from the very beginning it feels like a blessing — you economize some commuting time, you don’t need to think about what to wear, you can do some home errands while listening to a lecture, etc. It sounds like bliss, but it can very fast turn into a blizzard if you don’t follow some practical tips. Here, we will discuss some difficulties students face when learning remotely from home and share our take on how to overcome such difficulties. It is up to you whether to follow our strategy or not, but why not try?
Relax and Don’t Overthink It
Yes, it sounds like rather strange advice after we said that this process is full of difficulties. But, if you feel stressed all the time, you won’t be able to proceed with your studies adequately. Remember, that the entire world has to get used to the new principles of life, new rules, and it is normal not to be as efficient as you have been before. It is normal that some tasks take more time now — once you accept it, it will be much easier for you to deal with them. If you feel overwhelmed, it may be a good idea to delegate some of your assignments (but not all of them!). You can hire a tutor, or you can order some papers from a reliable and professional essay writing service such as SmartWritingService or similar. Sometimes, to beat stress and procrastination, you only need to share responsibilities at least a bit.
Create Groups Online and Work In Collaboration
If you don’t want to order papers or hire a tutor to help you out with your studies, it may be a good idea to collaborate with other students who are in the same situation as you are. Those can be your peers from different classes or just random students online looking for assistance and support. Communication is a crucial part of education, and sitting at home, we miss a lot in that field. You can still share notes, deal with difficult assignments together, do group projects, etc.
Remote Education Is Still Education
Unfortunately, distance education is much more difficult for a student than a full-time education. It is difficult to maintain motivation in isolation when you are not in contact with your usual study group and the atmosphere of the university. Moreover, classes from home create a false sense of “simplicity” of what is happening, especially if you try to attend them directly from the “lying” position.
This means that any student needs to make more efforts to achieve the effectiveness of the educational process, how to overcome the cozy home atmosphere.
First, we advise you to follow the daily routine typical of regular full-time education. Secondly, we do not advise (excuse us) to study remotely in home clothes: on the one hand, the teacher and classmates see you, and on the other hand, compliance with the standard rituals of full-time education forces the body to “tune in” to the essence of the process, ignoring the form. Also, do not do lying down — sit at the table. Thirdly, you should not interrupt your studies by watching TV series, films or playing any kind of computer game.
It is necessary to take the material being listened to more seriously. Good discipline is the key to successful distance learning even more than successful face-to-face training. This is confirmed by many studies, which means discipline must be observed.
Give Yourself More Time for Video Materials
In fact, going back to discipline, it is necessary to keep a record of material (especially lectures), even if you do not do it in your regular, everyday studies. The traditional perception of video material is closely related to the perception of a TV series or film, which generally requires no effort to perceive and understand. After all, the fact that the formulas are written not on a presentation (or in chalk on a blackboard), but on a video, does not make them clearer.
Moreover, listening to the recorded lecture will not help to understand it better, how the revision of the film helps, but the summary will help. Take notes right during the lecture or seminar. Ask any incomprehensible question immediately in the chat, and only then with your voice. This is especially important because there is the next difficulty.
Remember that the Professor Does Not Feel the Audience
Many of our university professors do not have any distance learning experience. They are unable to maintain the class well enough in terms of keeping student’s attention in place. They cannot see the reaction with their eyes, which means it is difficult for them to understand that their material is not understood.
You need to see yourself as a part of the educational process and help the professor as much as you can — ask questions, look at the camera, etc. We are all in this together, so let’s help each other. You may even find that the motivation to support your professor will help you with being more attentive to material.
In this aspect, the notorious quality of the educational process literally depends on you as a student. Ask questions by mail after a lecture or seminar. Without feedback, the process will fall apart.
The best way not to go mad sitting at home all the time is to track the progress of your days and try to make them memorable. It is important to understand how your productivity changes and why. If you are not a big fan of writing a diary, search for a specific app — there are dozens online.
Studying remotely is a challenging process, but if you know about the most common challenges in advance, it will be easier for you to establish a needed routine faster and more efficiently.