Like many students around the world, I too find myself in the position of being unable to return to campus because of the COVID-19 pandemic that has caused respiratory illness in almost every country, overrun hospitals, and made physical distancing (“social distancing”) the new normal. Colleges and universities everywhere are shutting down their campuses and moving classes online.
However, this isn’t the first time a pandemic has forced distance learning upon unprepared students. Infact in1665, the Great Plague of London forced Sir Isaac Newton and his classmates out of Trinity College for over a year. However unlike us, Newton used his time wisely and worked on to develop his early work on calculus, using prisms to develop his theories on optics, and making his famous gravity observations.
Although we may not be science wiz like Newton, but we can take control of your learning and keep up with your classes.
Here are 9 tips you can do to better deal with virtual classes.
TIP #1: Many instances around the world show students making fun of there teachers for them not being able to adjust to this new mode. Know that your instructor is nervous, too. We might be accustomed to spending time on the internet, learning new things but our professors are still beginners. For some, this might be there first time so just be patient and expect some hiccups. And more importantly, instead of stressing out, enjoy the journey.
TIP #2: Don't over expect. If we had seen this coming, we could have spend hours to get used to this. We could have trained instructors on the platform they’re using. Students could have been introduced to the basics of online learning beforehand. Then, they’d be able to focus on the actual learning once the course starts.
But the e-learning you’re offered may not be there yet. We’re all trying to adjust and adapt in a rapidly changing environment. We all have to give online quizzes and make those boring slides.Participate fully regardless. You’ll get much more out of the experience, and you’ll give instructors and other students in the course more to engage with too.
TIP #3: Plan forward. As rightly said, "Always stay one step ahead", so before starting working on online platform, maybe give it a try before hand. You don't want your interviews to be messed up merely because you didn't knew how to use technology right!? Consider it as walking around in the real world.
TIP #4: Get a good internet connection and don't panic when it gets disconnected. Internet speed is what defines the quality of virtual experience. Your speed will determine the quality of the video and audio and it’s worth being near a good connection rather than just taking your chances at a random coffee shop. Be it's wired or wifi make sure you have a stable network with good bandwidth. And don’t panic when something goes wrong—and believe me it will. Disconnected from the Internet during an online chat? Just log back in and drop a note in the forum apologizing for the glitch. And although not ideal, you could also use your smartphone as a backup. Most virtual classroom software vendors offer mobile apps.
TIP #5: Be aware of your surroundings. This refers to checking whether you are on mute or if your video is on. If you’re using the camera or audio from your computer check your surroundings. Avoid inappropriate posters all wall behind you. Tell family members that you’ll be in a live video class and they should be mindful of how they’re dressed and to stay out of the camera shot.
TIP #6: Keep in touch with technology. Being on mic is great for saying “hello” and contributing to the discussion. But background noise can be very distracting to other students. This is very important in Group Discussions. This happened with me once, I kept speaking for 5 mins to realise I was on mute hahaha. You don't want that to happen right! Just remember to unmute the microphone when you want to join the discussion.
TIP #7: Learn how to send a private message. This is very important. You don't want others to read those quirky texts. Not every question you want to ask needs to be shared with the entire group. Most learning platforms have a feature that lets you type a message that only the instructor can see. Or else, apps like whatsapp and discord are always there.
TIP #8: Minimize distractions. Close your chat windows, other Internet tabs, and online games while working on your online class work. Turn off notifications too to keep you from getting distracted by incoming messages.
TIP #9: Finally, participate! Ask a lot of questions too. “Learning is a two-way process,”. And with online learning, “more of it’s on you to learn the content than the instructor, so work to learn the content.” Ultimately, you can only get out of online learning what you put into it. “In the end, you’ve got to step up and be responsible for your own learning,” Kapp said. “As they say, no one can ‘learn’ you anything, you’ve got to learn yourself. The teacher is a guide, mentor and helper but ultimately, it’s your responsibility to learn.”
These are just some tips which I use daily and can help you also. But at the end of the day, it all depends on you. You yourself can come up with new ways to deal with new normal.
However, this isn’t the first time a pandemic has forced distance learning upon unprepared students. Infact in1665, the Great Plague of London forced Sir Isaac Newton and his classmates out of Trinity College for over a year. However unlike us, Newton used his time wisely and worked on to develop his early work on calculus, using prisms to develop his theories on optics, and making his famous gravity observations.
Although we may not be science wiz like Newton, but we can take control of your learning and keep up with your classes.
Here are 9 tips you can do to better deal with virtual classes.
TIP #1: Many instances around the world show students making fun of there teachers for them not being able to adjust to this new mode. Know that your instructor is nervous, too. We might be accustomed to spending time on the internet, learning new things but our professors are still beginners. For some, this might be there first time so just be patient and expect some hiccups. And more importantly, instead of stressing out, enjoy the journey.
TIP #2: Don't over expect. If we had seen this coming, we could have spend hours to get used to this. We could have trained instructors on the platform they’re using. Students could have been introduced to the basics of online learning beforehand. Then, they’d be able to focus on the actual learning once the course starts.
But the e-learning you’re offered may not be there yet. We’re all trying to adjust and adapt in a rapidly changing environment. We all have to give online quizzes and make those boring slides.Participate fully regardless. You’ll get much more out of the experience, and you’ll give instructors and other students in the course more to engage with too.
TIP #3: Plan forward. As rightly said, "Always stay one step ahead", so before starting working on online platform, maybe give it a try before hand. You don't want your interviews to be messed up merely because you didn't knew how to use technology right!? Consider it as walking around in the real world.
TIP #4: Get a good internet connection and don't panic when it gets disconnected. Internet speed is what defines the quality of virtual experience. Your speed will determine the quality of the video and audio and it’s worth being near a good connection rather than just taking your chances at a random coffee shop. Be it's wired or wifi make sure you have a stable network with good bandwidth. And don’t panic when something goes wrong—and believe me it will. Disconnected from the Internet during an online chat? Just log back in and drop a note in the forum apologizing for the glitch. And although not ideal, you could also use your smartphone as a backup. Most virtual classroom software vendors offer mobile apps.
TIP #5: Be aware of your surroundings. This refers to checking whether you are on mute or if your video is on. If you’re using the camera or audio from your computer check your surroundings. Avoid inappropriate posters all wall behind you. Tell family members that you’ll be in a live video class and they should be mindful of how they’re dressed and to stay out of the camera shot.
TIP #6: Keep in touch with technology. Being on mic is great for saying “hello” and contributing to the discussion. But background noise can be very distracting to other students. This is very important in Group Discussions. This happened with me once, I kept speaking for 5 mins to realise I was on mute hahaha. You don't want that to happen right! Just remember to unmute the microphone when you want to join the discussion.
TIP #7: Learn how to send a private message. This is very important. You don't want others to read those quirky texts. Not every question you want to ask needs to be shared with the entire group. Most learning platforms have a feature that lets you type a message that only the instructor can see. Or else, apps like whatsapp and discord are always there.
TIP #8: Minimize distractions. Close your chat windows, other Internet tabs, and online games while working on your online class work. Turn off notifications too to keep you from getting distracted by incoming messages.
TIP #9: Finally, participate! Ask a lot of questions too. “Learning is a two-way process,”. And with online learning, “more of it’s on you to learn the content than the instructor, so work to learn the content.” Ultimately, you can only get out of online learning what you put into it. “In the end, you’ve got to step up and be responsible for your own learning,” Kapp said. “As they say, no one can ‘learn’ you anything, you’ve got to learn yourself. The teacher is a guide, mentor and helper but ultimately, it’s your responsibility to learn.”
These are just some tips which I use daily and can help you also. But at the end of the day, it all depends on you. You yourself can come up with new ways to deal with new normal.
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