How to Study for Your Online Classes
As an online student, you get used to fitting coursework or study sessions in between everything else. But when the end of the term is nearing, a study strategy can have big payoffs for your degree plan.
Use these six tips to create a new plan to tackle online courses and exams.
1. Make a Plan
Starting day one of the semester, get in the habit of making a study plan based on your course syllabi in Moodle.
Noting due dates on your calendar gives you a framework to figure out where you need to focus your efforts.
Online Health Services Administration alumnus Bailey Meaux used multiple calendars to stay on top of due dates.
“Much of succeeding in online courses is balancing studies with personal lives since we don’t have a clean-cut schedule,” he says. “Calendars let me lay out coursework week by week on my phone, laptop, and my desk. This might take work but having visual guides of when to work helps drastically.”
Speaking of planning, if your instructor indicates you’ll need to use ProctorU, get familiar with the platform in advance. ProctorU requires you to book your exam time in advance and charges more for late appointments.
2. Create the Right Environment
If possible, choose a space other members of the household know is strictly for studying. Clear out the clutter, post your syllabus and study calendar, and get to work.
3. Make the Most of Your Time
As a student, your time is a precious resource. If your week feels strained, visualize how you’re spending your time to maximize this limited commodity.
Block out time for work, family, and other commitments so you can see where you have time to study.
Once you’re in your “study zone” make sure that time is productive by limiting distractions. A great tool to encourage self-discipline and focus is the Pomodoro timer. The timer is part of a working or studying technique of working 25 minutes before taking a short, 5-minute break. Once you’ve achieved four, 25-minute sets, take a long, 10-minute break.
Jami Rush, former director of UL Lafayette’s Learning Center, says the technique helped maximize her time during her doctorate.
“Anyone can focus on a task for 25 minutes. Whether it’s reading for 25 minutes or writing for 25 minutes, studying or making your flashcards. Whatever it is,” she says. “For four rounds of 25 minutes, a little less than two hours, there’s so much accomplished because you’re not distracted. It’s a wonderful technique.”
4. Study for Your Learning Style
Everyone has a distinct learning style. Some learn better by listening, others by reading, others by doing. For many, learning happens through a blend of these approaches.
Our Online Student Orientation prompts students to determine their learning style. The quiz can pinpoint your learning styles to provide custom study tips.
For instance, visual learners may need to use flashcards or avoid distractions during study times. Tactile learners may need to rock in a chair while studying or group flashcards to visualize connections between ideas.
5. Plan a Virtual Study Session
Your classmates have knowledge. This is a resource — use it!
Connect with other students through Moodle forums to either meet in person or online. Through UL Lafayette, all students have access to Microsoft office products using their ULID.
Review course materials, get feedback on papers or projects, and form valuable connections with future UL Lafayette alumni.
Remember: If you run into trouble during the semester, you have a team behind you.
Contact your instructor if you have a course related issue. Your advisor is here to serve as a guide and advocate. If you need help figuring out who to contact, reach out at online@louisiana.edu.
