In the past few years, the popularity of online courses has increased significantly around the world. The COVID-19 outbreak has only played the role of the catalyst. Whether you want to pursue a certification course or want to complete a post-graduation degree course – you can now do it from the comfort of your home through online courses.
If you are currently enrolled in an online course or are planning to join one, you need to steer clear of these common mistakes:
- Not doing enough research on the course:
One of the biggest mistakes that online learners do is not doing enough research about the courses before joining them. Just knowing the curriculum of the course is not going to be enough. You need to check the accreditation of the institution that is offering the said online course.
Before enrolling in any such courses, you need to gather enough information about the training, the content, the teaching mechanism, the scope for research, its ratings, its reviews, and other crucial aspects by going through authentic sources. Also, consider your interests, the career opportunities in your chosen field, and the availability of funds before you choose a course.
- Not taking notes:
While online learning is a lot more convenient than attending traditional classrooms, distractions in online learning are more frequent. As you may realise, while you sit in front of your laptop or desktop, distractions can come in the form of messages, calls, notifications, or perhaps as human interruptions. To ensure you are able to retain all the lessons while dealing with these distractions, it is important to take notes.
As you write the notes down, you process the information and are able to retain a majority of the lessons without even realising it. Also, this measure lets you think more intensely and detect more doubts and questions. That way, you not only create something to refer to after the session but also get a better grip over the lesson.
- Hesitating in asking questions:
In the traditional classroom, a lot of students hesitate to ask questions as they find such a thing to be embarrassing. In the case of online learning, students get the option to interact with the tutor personally. So, if you still hesitate to ask questions regarding the lessons, you are missing the opportunity to clarify your doubts.
Students who come up with genuine questions generally have more interest in the subject and challenge themselves to learn better by developing critical thinking skills. If you don’t ask questions even in the online classes, you will have to rely on professional experts and ask them to “Do my engineering assignment” or other tasks as per your choice of subject.
- Not having enough focus on assignments and projects:
Exercises, assignments, and projects are also going to be there in the online learning courses, and they will play a crucial role in filling the gap between theoretical and practical understanding of the subject. So, if a student doesn’t focus on the assignments and projects, he/she is most likely to struggle to absorb what is being taught in the online classes.
Students should set up a proper time table to complete the assignments in a timely manner. Since you don’t usually interact with your classmates in this online environment as people do in traditional classrooms, you need to pay attention to your assigned tasks and work on them with complete concentration.
- Not taking dedicated breaks:
It is common knowledge that spending too much time staring at the laptop or mobile screens can lead to various health-related complications. Moreover, if you don’t take breaks in between the online classes, you may start to lose interest and focus. It is important to add dedicated breaks in your learning schedule and spend those breaks productively.
You can take a walk, do some stretching exercises, meditate, talk to family members, listen to music, or play quick board games to refresh your mind. Doing such things in the break can make you feel more energised for the next online class. This practice will help you develop better time management skills.
In conclusion,
Online learning may be a lot different than the traditional education format. However, your approach to learning needs to be the same. At least, that is what this article highlights.
Summary: As the popularity of the online learning courses increases, it is becoming more important for the students to get acquainted with this form of education. This article highlights 5 common mistakes that one should avoid while learning online.
Author Bio: Alle John is an IT manager in a multi-national IT firm and is also a visiting faculty at the University of Michigan. He also extends IT management assignment help through MyAssignmenthelp.com.