Online learning skills: Seven tips for success


Roper (2007) undertook a study to determine what study skills were required to be successful at online learning. The participants of the study earned their degree by taking more than 80% of their course online. There were 59/93 responses to the survey.

The practical steps to maximise success were:

1. Develop a time management strategy, where students scheduled their own patterns and times that were committed for study. Ensuring that distractions from scheduled times were minimised.

2. Make the most of online discussions. This practice included commenting on others posts with meaningful responses or questions. Respondents indicated this assisted with the development of relationships that sometimes developed into emails or connection outside the course platform. Roper (2007) also indicated that instructors were important for encouraging online discussions. Instructors who provided clear guidelines and posed why or how questions were found to encourage richer online discussion.

3. Building on the content in the employment situation or having the opportunity to discuss it online assisted with ensuring the content was retained.

4. Asking questions enabled the instructor or other students to go deeper into the content of the topic and was integral to learning.

5. Motivation. Students commented they remained motivated by knowing their goal. Others liked to find a buddy to study with and that helped them stay on track.

6. Students indicated they enjoyed or appreciated instructor questions. Students found that instructors who challenged them with questions was a technique that enhanced their learning.

7. making connections with fellow students was deemed to enrich and assist with learning.

Undergraduate students often are required to keep in contact with Faculty during professional experience by using online discussion forums. These forums are useful for discussing clinical knowledge; skills; attitudes and behaviours with peers and lecturers. additionally, clinical supervisors may enrol in formal or informal online courses about clinical supervision or topics relevant to their specialty. Continuing professional development using online learning and teaching is becoming more commonplace and these tips a useful for consideration if/when you choose an online course.

If you have any tips of your own you are willing to share about how to be successful at online learning, you are welcome to post them here.

 

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