So, you’re a student, and
you’re learning online because of the COVID pandemic. You might wonder, then, how to become a
successful online student. I’ve got four steps to help you be more successful,
plus a Bonus Easy-to-Eat Study Snack (the best kind)!
“A little scheduling saves a lot of fan cleaning”
(modified from here)
Schedule. The
first step is to write a schedule with your deadlines and when you’ll do your
work for class. The schedule needs to
include time to prepare materials, watch the videos, review key points, and complete
the evaluation.
“I buy books and
sometimes I even read them”
Preview. You’ve printed or downloaded the slides, you
have your book or reading materials in front of you, now what? Now, you use a highlighter and or pencil and
spend 15-60 minutes going through the material.
The highlighter is for marking the 5-10 major themes and any vocab. The pencil is for writing questions you hope
are answered in the video. For a class
with homework due Sunday at 11:59 PM, I might do the preview on Thursday or Friday.
I usually do the readings at the preview step and this may take some
considerable time.
“Online learning means
pajamas all day”
Watch. It’s time to watch the videos and no one
knows if you’re still in your pajamas! For
a class with homework due on Sunday at 11:59 PM, I might set aside time on Saturday
for watching the videos (twice as many minutes as there are minutes of video)
Use
transcripts/closed captioning. You can open up transcripts/close captioning
(if you have them) if the video is especially technical. Then, if the instructor says something not on
the notes that you don’t understand, you can read what on earth they are
talking about!
Vary the speed.
You can change the speed at which you listen to the video. If you have an
easier class or a slower speaker, 1.25 X or 1.5 X might be a good speed.
Understand. Watch
and take notes. Do stop and rewind to
watch sections or whole videos if you don’t understand the material. Sometimes you can even download the lectures
as MP4s and listen to help you learn the material.
This is also the time to do the readings, if you haven’t
already.
“The more I practice, the luckier I get” (modified from J.J. Lerner)
Review.
Although it’s tempting to skip this step, reviewing consolidates your
learning. You can re-read any reading summaries
you’ve written and you can go over your lecture notes.
“Do your best, forget
the rest” (Grant McGee)
Evaluation. Now it’s time to take your evaluation, which
might be an online quiz, lab, video, project, or essay. You’ve prepared, you’ve watched the material,
you’ve reviewed, so you’re going to do well. Good luck!
Whew! That’s done! You’ve worked hard and it’s time
for an:
Easy-To-Eat Study Snack
Here’s a sensational recipe
using items you might already have in your pantry. The recipe is based on the one from here by Simmons (2020).
2 T peanut butter,
unsweetened
2 T chocolate chips
2 T quick oats
2 T dried coconut
1 T honey
Measure out into a bowl and
mix with a fork until well blended. Roll
into four balls. Roll in extra coconut
or chocolate chips, if you like. Skip the ingredients you don’t like.
This recipe makes four
energy balls, which is enough for four people, as long as the other three are
eating something else!
References
1) Original quote by lynshultes. Here's the reference:
Shultes, L. (2019). A little risk management saves a
lot of fan cleaning. https://www.drupalgovcon.org/2018/program/sessions/little-risk-management-saves-lot-fan-cleaning
2) The first time the fourth quote appears in print
is in an anecdote by J.J. Lerner, as reported by Walter Winchell in 1949. Read more about it’s history here from
Garson O'Toole in the Quote Tracker blog https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/07/14/luck/
Here's Garson's reference:
O'Toole, G. (n.d.). The harder I practice, the luckier I get. Quote Investigator. https://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/07/14/luck/
3) The fifth quote is attributed to Grant McGee, who
wrote it in a poem “Out in the World,” in Houston’s Daily Post, published on January 15, 1915. Thanks to Barry Popik for tracking it down
and discussing it here.
McGee, G. (1915, January 15). Out in the World. Daily Post (Houston).
4) The recipe is modified from the Chef Savvy blog,
by Chef Kelly Simmons. Here's the reference:
Simmons, K. (2020). 5 Ingredient Peanut Butter
Energy Bites. https://chefsavvy.com/5-ingredient-peanut-butter-energy-bites/
This blogpost was written for the benefit of students at Washtenaw Community College and the community as part of my sabbatical activities for winter 2020. I am solely responsible for the content and hold the copyright for the work. Feel free to use the information in this blog; just credit me with a link back to my blog! -Emily Thompson, Ph.D.
This blogpost was written for the benefit of students at Washtenaw Community College and the community as part of my sabbatical activities for winter 2020. I am solely responsible for the content and hold the copyright for the work. Feel free to use the information in this blog; just credit me with a link back to my blog! -Emily Thompson, Ph.D.
