What Is The Biggest Key To Success In Online Learning?

Learning online is a great new way to gain new knowledge and further your education. For students looking to start online learning, a new academic year will look very different. 

However, this is the case for a vast majority of students in a variety of different courses. But, online courses are something very different to what we are used to when it comes to learning. 

Online learning can be very important in furthering your career and education. However, you need to make sure that whatever course you do that the provider is accredited. Some online learning sites such as Udemy are not actually accredited, and although you can learn from them, they do not show employers that you have a specific skill set. 

It is well worth looking at Online Course Reviews for this reason.

So, what is the key to success when you are looking at online learning? 

Pros & Cons 

Traditional classrooms can still be a great place to learn, but often classrooms can be loud places, and you can end up getting overshadowed by your fellow students. Online learning does prevent this, but of course, being at home has its own downsides. 

So, what are the pros and cons? 

Pros

* Flexibility.

* No time wasted commuting.

* Ideal for busy people.

* Save money. 

Cons

* Need to self-regulate.

* Need to plan. 

* Self-evaluating.

* Scheduling studying.

* Less contact with lecturers.

* Loneliness/ isolation. 

Succeeding In Online Learning

So what are the ingredients to successful online learning? Well, while we would like to say that there is one key ingredient that makes you a successful online learner, there is no one thing that trumps them all. 

Online learning can be successful for you if you combine a series of things. 

You should take several steps to ensure that every course, lecture, and online class you take is as effective as it possibly can be. Do not worry, most of us already have these skills, the challenge is just applying them. 

So, to be successful with online learning, do the following things: 

Craft A Good Routine

Having a good routine is imperative, it is a cornerstone of online studying. Maintaining positive habits will help you to see the results of your hard work sooner. 

We can easily get complacent in our studies when courses are online, and we are studying from the comfort of our own homes. But you need to maintain focus if you want your efforts to be fruitful. 

Study As You Would In Person

Having a good routine means you should study as you would if you were studying in person. You need to treat online learning much like you would with an in-person class. You should approach classes with the same verve, passion and attitude that you would if you were attending a campus. 

You should hold yourself to the same standards. Ensure you are organized and ready to learn every time you start a class and enter a lecture. 

It can be enticing to study from bed, or play video games while the lecture is going on, but it is not conducive to do so. If you would not do it in a regular in-class lecture then do not do it while you are learning online. 

Discipline

This also means that you need to stay disciplined. While your home, halls, or wherever you like won’t look like a campus, you need to maintain the same mindset as if you were when you are learning independently. 

Your class and studying schedule need to match that which is outlined in your course, and you need to dedicate time to your studying outside of this. 

You need to set time and space aside in your day to properly study, and once you have crafted your own schedule you need to be disciplined enough to stick to this. Writing this down or even creating a study calendar can help you do this. 

Take Notes

Taking notes is something that you would do if you were in a physical class anyway. You should always take notes and make the time to write them up after. 

You may think of your online resources as pre-crafted study notes, but making your own notes will encourage you to engage better with the material, and you can put it into your own words, making it more memorable for you. 

If you have live video lectures then pay attention and make brief notes, and then revisit later to make notes properly and efficiently.