4 Ways to Carve Out Study Time for Online Courses

By Allie Mitchell on December 22, 2016

Students, nowadays, hardly sit in the classroom anymore. The world of online courses changed that. The idea that you can simply sit on your computer and basically be in class would no doubt attract many college students. The only time you actually have to get up is when you have to take tests or quizzes.

Online classes have their downsides of course. When it comes to online classes you need to be able to have a way to remember your assignments. That is quite possibly the number one downfall of students who take online courses — they simply forget that things are due or that the window to take a test is closing soon. Setting reminders for yourself would always be a good thing to do, even if you aren’t taking online classes. Online courses do pose a challenge for students, though. They tend to have students thinking that it is like taking the easy way out of taking regular classes.

In reality, online courses can actually be much harder and require a little bit more attention. You don’t have someone teaching you face to face every other day and ALL of the work is truly on you. There may not be much buffer in your grade when it comes to online classes and usually courses that can be done from home usually require a good bit of writing.

When you are taking regular classes and online courses the real question is “how do you make time to study for that online course?” Some students may feel like they don’t need to, that the class is an easy A, whereas others may not see it like that. Other students may feel like the regular classes are taking up so much of their time that studying for online courses takes a back seat. Or there is the case that just like normal classes you may have things like a job or other obligations that lead you away from doing what you need to do to make a good grade.

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How do you carve out time to study for online courses? Here are a few tips to help make studying/finding time to study a little bit easier.

1. Designate specific days for studying: Set aside days that you will be on your computer and focused. You want to give the class your full attention and nothing less, just as you would for a regular class. Set goals for specific days as well. Make sure you know all the deadlines and timeline your assignments as such. You don’t have to do things all in one sitting but make sure you set aside time in whatever day you choose to be able to check off that you achieved your goal that day and did not slack off.

2. Email the professor: Do you need help with something? Or do you have something you don’t understand? Just like in a normal classroom setting the teacher is there to help you. You may not physically be able to see them, but they are just an email away to answer any questions. If you are close to the campus of where you are studying, it wouldn’t hurt to take a trip to the professor’s office just to clarify anything or just to have a face-to-face meeting. Most people tend to lean more towards face-to-face since written forms of communication tend to be misconstrued sometimes.

3. Look ahead: Most of the time in online classes, assignments may be already posted. Some may be open already for you to do, some may be closed until the available date, or all the assignments may be open. Regardless of whatever the situations is, look into what is going on so you have an idea of where you are headed. If you see that you have three assignments due in the next week, make sure that you carve out time to study for those things so that the deadline doesn’t sneak up on you.

4. Quiet: Always study and take your tests in a quiet environment. Just like how in a regular class complete quiet is required when taking a test, why not try it out for your online class? When you are taking a test or quiz, make sure to shut off all electronic devices. Knowing that you are on your own computer in your own space can distract even the most disciplined person, so make it easier on yourself and let the electronics go for just a small length of time. Airplane mode works just as well as shutting off your phone completely.

Online courses are not exactly easier because you are basically on your own, but if you really want to succeed you will try your hardest to achieve your goals even if it is while on your own computer in your pajamas.

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