6 simple tips to help you make most of your online classes

High-speed internet connection? Check.

A laptop or PC with a webcam? Check.

A comfortable and quiet place to study? Check.

And of course, your morning cup of coffee? An essential!

So you’ve got everything you need to start studying online. Or at least, you think so. The truth is, most of us don’t have much experience with studying online.

There’s nothing wrong with that – there just wasn’t a need to.

Of course, with COVID-19 changing our lives, many of us are taking the dive into online learning for the first time ever.

A lot of us don’t know where to start – luckily, we’ve got a bit of experience delivering online classes.

To help you make the adjustment, we’ve put together a couple of pointers.

How Academia’s online learning system works

Online learning has come a long way in the last couple of years – perfect timing, given how many of us are now starting to attend online classes as a result of the coronavirus lockdown!

Today’s online learning systems are more than just recordings. For example, Academia’s online learning system is set up to replicate our face-to-face classes as much as possible.

Using virtual whiteboards, our instructors are able to make notes in real-time. And so are students, if they’re called upon to give an answer. It’s pretty much the same as a real-life whiteboard!

And we also ensure we maintain the same instructor-student ratio, even online, that you’d expect in the classroom.

Moreover, the system we use allows classes to easily split off into groups and subgroups, facilitating private group chats and collaboration.

6 things you NEED to succeed when studying online

1) Online learning is different from face-to-face classes

Our online classes are set up to be as close as possible to a face-to-face class.

Of course, you can’t deny that there are some differences.

Luckily, these differences don’t have to turn into big problems… but only if you know about them BEFORE you attend your first class.

Group work functions differently online compared to in-person. Luckily, we’ve put into place a range of different features to help make this as easy as possible.

For example, our English courses in Melbourne focus heavily on being able to practice speaking with other students.

To help with that, Academia has set up a lot of systems to help with collaboration. Instead of just watching an instructor, you’ll be able to use video chat rooms to talk to them and your fellow students.

That’s just one example of how online learning is different, and how we’ve created tailored systems to help you make the most out of it!

2) It’s YOUR job to stay focused

Classrooms are designed to minimise distraction. But of course, online learning doesn’t take place in a classroom.

Whether it’s your living room, bedroom or spare room, you’re going to be tempted by distractions. It’s up to you to ensure you stay focused.

Luckily, there are a couple of things you can do:

Choose a quiet room in the house away from others
Tell your family or housemates about your study hours
Remove distractions from the room
Ask a relative to check in on you periodically

One idea that we recommend implementing?

Installing a website blocker on your computer and setting it to block the most distracting websites during study periods and online classes.

3) It’s all about effective time management

Some people think that because you don’t have to head into the city, you can afford to turn off your alarm and ineffectively use your time in between classes.

We must vehemently disagree with this!

Just like face-to-face classes, part of your success is your mentality. If you go into class organised and ready to learn, you will be more focused.

When studying online, it’s important that you treat it just like an in-person class.

That means:

Setting an alarm and not wasting time in the morning
Eating breakfast and getting dressed
Ensuring all your equipment and tools are ready for the day ahead
Turning up to class on-time

All of this lets you mentally prepare for class and maintain a schedule you are already used to – even if you haven’t left the house!

4) Don’t be afraid to use extra resources

Academia’s online learning system doesn’t just allow you to attend classes – it also gives you the power to:

Access learning materials
Talk to instructors and other students
Seek assistance out-of-hours

Each of these features can help you keep up with your work and solve any problems you may have.

5) Learn basic online features

There are many different types of software that are being used to power online learning.

To make the transition easier, we suggest gaining a basic understanding beforehand.

Familiarise yourself with basic features, including:

Logging in using the online course portal
Muting your audio to avoid noise when you’re not speaking
Turning your video off and on
Sending a private message or chat

And if you have questions, don’t be afraid to ask!

6) Participate!

Just because you’re behind a computer screen, doesn’t mean that you can get away with not participating in class discussions or activities.

Academia’s online learning system is set up so that you can easily participate in activities with your fellow students.

To enhance your learning, we suggest engaging with your fellow students!

This extends beyond class time as well – we recommend also taking part in the online discussion boards that we include in our online learning system.

Not only will you be able to help your fellow students, but you’ll also learn something new along the way.

Study Academia’s online classes!

Just because we’re in lockdown doesn’t mean that learning has to stop.

Academia supports your education by making the move to online learning.

All of our theory classes are being held online using an upgraded version of our Learning Management System, allowing you to maintain your studies while also staying safe throughout the crisis.

But what about our practical classes?

Of course, social distancing rules mean we can’t run our workshops like normal.

Fortunately, they aren’t cancelled – rather, they’ve simply been pushed back to the end of course, at no extra cost to you.

And for the ones which must go ahead, we’ve tweaked our method so that we can maintain distance and reduce the number of people in a room at any given time.

Each of our fully-certified courses are still running: