Due to the new-found severity of the coronavirus, all SUNY schools across New York have been encouraged to utilize distance learning after spring break. Basically this means the rest of the second semester will strictly be online classes, at least for our school, University at Buffalo. The school gave us an option to stay on campus or go back home. Either way, we have to take online classes. I have noticed a lot of people around me raised concerns with the new implementation of distance learning. Here are some ways that can help you become an efficient online learner!
Treat online classes like real-life classes. I suggest printing out a weekly calendar each week or use a calendar to set a certain time during the day for you to complete certain tasks from each online class. This way you can cater to your schoolwork to your schedule. Say you would rather get all of your schoolwork done early, then you would make time for it in the morning. But maybe mornings are not the best for you, therefore you can get your schoolwork done in a later part of the day. We are creatures of habit and I believe setting up a certain schedule each week will really help students get into the groove of their school work and make them excel.
Secondly, find out which study space is best for you! It is important to pick a spot that you feel happy and comfortable with, while also limiting you from any distractions. This can be a desk in your room or house, a local coffee shop, or the library! The options are truly endless. You can even choose to do work or study with a friend, that way you can hold each other accountable for your work.
Lastly, figure out how you learn best. If you notice that you tend to absorb more information in the morning than at night, do your work in the morning (and vise versa)! If you are more of a visual learner, maybe print out diagrams and lecture slides to highlight and take notes on them. On the other hand, if you are more of a learner through listening, maybe record the lecture on your phone through voice memos. This way if you missed something during the lesson, you can look back through your recording to find it. Since our classes will be online, I recommend putting the device you are using on do not disturb to limit any distractions. It may scare some people knowing they will be taking classes on their computer, knowing their computer alone can be a significant distraction.
Taking online classes may be a bit of an adjustment for some of us, but we will soon get adjusted to the routine of it! Just be patient, try to stay on top of everything, and stay positive. If you keep yourself on a schedule it will help you tremendously. The beauty of this situation is if something important pops up in your schedule, you can easily work around it and push back your schoolwork until after completing the task. I think out of every generation, our generation can assimilate extremely well to online classes. So do not worry, we got this! Go crush the rest of this semester.