You are thinking about entering university- you are excited but also nervous. There is no doubt that the pandemic had an affect on students and how they learnt. In this blog I will be sharing with you what you can expect from online learning and how it is different from previous years based on my personal experience but also of that of others.
I will be going though:
1. What to expect-Is online learning worth it?
You have the ability to shape how you learn
Because classes were mostly online this year you would expect the quality of teaching to have been affected. While this is not entirely true for all universities, certain aspects like:
Participating
Meeting new students
Use of computers and labs
have been negatively affected or have been more difficult to access online. Other services such as library, borrowing of books and study spaces have also become limited to maintain social distancing.
It is no doubt that you should study a course that is of interest to you, interesting enough that you can study it for at least 3 years even during a pandemic. Will it be worth it? A shortcut to answer this question is to see how involved you are with that subject in your everyday life and what you wish to get out of university. Are you looking to get good grades? Start a business? The answer can be in your conversations, books you frequently read, events you go to and what you spend your free time on.
2. How to make the most of online learning
It is surprisingly easy to get distracted during online classes. Prolonged distraction can be detrimental to your focus and memory long term. One of the best ways is to reduce daily distractions during classes is to limit social media, and noisy/uncomfortable environments.
"When multitasking they understand less and have difficulty recalling what they have learned and applying it in new contexts.” -Schmidt, Science daily
I want to highlight 3 main ways to take advantage of online learning:
Get in touch with as many students as you can: struggling with a class or finding a study buddy? It is more effective and easier to get support from your fellow peers when learning online. I managed to get in contact with a top student in my accounting class who kindly responded and helped me out. I was able to get top marks after a few learning sessions together!
Go beyond your university module: not only is the world becoming more competitive, but going beyond what your university has planned can build your critical thinking, and may be more important and interesting than you realise. You can:
Become a student ambassador and get paid to do tasks. E.g photoshoots, talks, content creation
Take part in Insight days, spring weeks, internships and microplacements
Volunteer
Get a qualification or professional certificate online. E.g coaching, digital skills, design
Start your own business (some universities offer funding, mentoring and a space to do this)
3. Be consistent with your notes and revision: as a rule of thumb, if you find a trace of dust on your university folder (if you even have one) then you clearly have some work to do. Organising as well as updating your notes both online and written work will become crucial. Find how you learn best- pomodoro technique, feynman technique, spaced repetition or using active recall. Experiment with these techniques and have a dedicated study space when trying to learn.
3. What is better off or worse off with online learning?
There are certain advantages and disadvantages to online learning that you must be aware of.
How you can be better off:
In theory, you save more money by not travelling or eating out. This leaves more time for you to relax or continue/start a hobby
You can join or go back to lessons with the click of a button.
You can work anywhere, anytime
You are able to connect with more students
How you can be worse off:
You may find yourself having screen fatigue or easily distracted
Remembering will become harder than forgetting
You don't get a chance to fully meet your peers. or lecturers/staff
Asking questions and getting in touch with lecturers becomes more difficult
Unable to go on trips/events
I hope you have found this helpful. Please get in touch with me if you have any further questions or anything else you would like to discuss. I would love to hear your feedback.
Comments