How to Focus on Remote Classes?
Online education has been rapidly developing as a learning alternative due to the covid-19 pandemic. From online public schooling for kids to remote college and university classes, cyberlearning has become an integral part of academic life. While there’s hope that the covid-19 vaccine will work, let’s face it – online classes will be there with us for a long time. In this article, we will talk about how to boost your focus and take notes in your online classes to retain as much information as possible.
Cut off All Distractions
Many college and university students believe they can easily multitask. Well, in many situations, that is possible. However, it’s best to make sure to focus on your studies exclusively. One of the best ways to focus on your remote courses is to limit your distractions. If you’re having college lectures in Zoom, ensure to use full-screen mode. All the other windows should be closed unless it’s something relevant to your class materials. It also recommended setting the “do not disturb” mode on your phone or taking it away from your room. If you don’t see/hear all those Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and other notifications, every other remote study session will be more productive.
Just Imagine That You’re Having In-Person Courses
While various online conferencing apps have made it easier to study virtually, most remote courses are still hosted non-synchronically. Your tutor may post a slide show or lecture video every other week, and you may be required to submit essays, reports, book reviews, and other types of papers on a regular basis. What is more, you may be required to perform many other tasks, which means forgetting about this or that class can be quite easy.
Since college and university students do not have regular face-to-face meetings anymore, many of them tend to fall into the same trap – they get behind on their academic work. In order to stay on track, ensure to treat every other online session like face-to-face classes.
Even if your college fellows do not meet at a particular time regularly, make sure to set a time on your calendar to know when exactly you have to “go to” college. Spend your day just like you would if you were going to have in-person classes.
Set the alarm to wake up at the same time every day, have a healthy breakfast, take a shower, have a quick morning workout, and “go to” class. No matter how obvious it may seem, this simple technique will make a big difference in your productivity and motivation.
Ask for Help
Some part of your assignment differs from what your professor has told you during online lectures? You’re assigned to write an essay but you’re stuck at some stage of making it? There’s nothing wrong with finding yourself in need of professional help with this or that assignment, especially when you have to deal with virtual classes. That’s when you can approach some private essay writing service and entrust them with your project. While a competent and skilled writer works on your assignment, you have an opportunity to focus on your lectures, test preps, and so on.
Handwrite Your Notes
It’s no doubt, you don’t like that idea. After all, what is your laptop for? However, the reality is that the most recent studies show that there’s a solid correlation between your memory and handwriting notes. If you take a pen and a piece of paper, you’re going to have a completely different experience than when you type your notes using the keyboard. As a result, you will keep in mind what you wrote and have more freedom when it comes to taking notes creatively. You can draw pictures, figures, or use any other method that will become a better alternative to standard bullet points in MS Word.
Find Virtual Study Buddies
If you like the idea of studying in a group, consider starting a web study group. The reality is that there is no strong connection between you and your class fellows at the moment. So why not form an online study group to get the same benefits of studying that you would during in-person study sessions? You just have to get a bit more creative. Ask your classmates if they like the idea of studying together online. And once you have virtual partners, ensure to choose the most comfortable way to study virtually. Set the time, the place, and ensure to stick to the schedule. If you do so, you will get all the benefits of the virtual study group. What is more important, you will always have someone to keep you accountable.
If finding a reliable study buddy is a tough task, try using Focusmate. The app gives you an opportunity to find a virtual study partner who is willing to have video study sessions.
Combat Procrastination
The transition from in-person to virtual classes has given rise to procrastination. Without regular in-person college meetings to keep students accountable and engaged, you can find yourself leaving your assignments to the last possible second. This is possible only if you have to deal with one task at a time. However, it can turn into a disaster when you try to juggle several projects at a time, especially when all you have is tonight.
In order to avoid this kind of pain, make sure to create your own schedule to be able to get the job done on time. Include all the tasks that you’re required to accomplish, set due dates, and specify all important details that you need to cope with the assignment or learn the material.
If you ensure to spread the scope of work throughout the semester, you will have manageable tasks on the list that will help you master the academic program with ease.
There are many simple yet effective techniques to focus on virtual classes that have already become a new reality. However, it’s no doubt, students are getting through the rough times to do their best in colleges and universities. While you should exert every effort to progress in class, do not hesitate to take a step back and ‘reload’ once you see clear signs of burnout.