Tips for Succeeding in Remote Classes
As students at Boston University and around the country adjust to learning remotely amid the coronavirus pandemic, your CGS faculty members weighed in with their top pieces of advice for succeeding in remote classes.
Find structure.
Professor Tom Underwood advised students to structure their days just as they would on campus. “Structure is very helpful. Planning out your day and keeping calm, relaxing, and allowing your mind still to learn so that you don’t focus all the time on the current crisis,” he said. “We are going to get through this by working together and staying calm.”
Having this structure will make the transition to remote classes easier and will give students time to relax or spend time with your family or friends while you’re at home.
Get moving between classes.
Staying active is key, according to Professor Kathryn Lamontagne. “I know you’re sitting at the laptop a lot, get up in between those classes! You got ten minutes in between, go stretch your legs, go for a little walk, do whatever you can to keep those muscles going,” she advised.
While it can be tempting to spend days on the couch, getting in daily activity, whether it’s through a walk or jog, an online workout video, or a stretch between classes, is key.
Stay an active learner.
“Keep in mind that online learning still requires active learning on your part, which means taking notes and rewatching a video if you have access to it,” says Dr. Lynn O’Brien Hallstein.
Passively sitting through classes won’t help you to excel during this time. Remind yourself to engage as you would during in-person classes by volunteering in discussions, taking written notes, or attending Zoom office hours. Your participation is as critical now as ever to your success.
Have your readings within easy reach.
“My #1 tip for you is if you have access to a printer at home, print out all of your readings and course handouts in advance. Have those with you during class time, because studies have shown students retain information better when they read it on the printing page and when they can highlight and annotate,” says Dr. Karen Guendel. “Plus, if you don’t have to switch back and forth between screens, you’ll have a much smoother experience in online learning. If you don’t have a printer, I recommend opening all your documents so that you have them ready in case you need them in class.”
Even when you’re at home, it is essential to feel like you are in the classroom. Dr. Guendel recommends printing out your readings and annotating them before you start classes. This will help you connect better with the text and keep you from staring at a computer screen all day long. If you don’t have a printer, or want to be more environmentally conscious, keep all your readings open on your desktop for easy access.
Hold yourself and others accountable.
The most important thing to remember right now is that you’re not in adjusting to this new reality. Professor Stephanie Byttebier has several recommendations to ease the transition. “Consider creating a study group where you have to meet people at a set time every week in order to do a set amount of studying. Consider downloading an accountability app. Consider creating a Google doc with a couple of friends where you explicitly articulate your goals for the day and provide feedback at the end of the day to see if you made the goal. You should not be the only person checking in on yourself to see if you’ve done all the things you are supposed to do,” she says.
While it can be easy to feel disconnected away from campus, it’s critical to keep yourself connected to others! To keep yourself accountable for your academic work, use the Internet to stay connected with friends via study groups or Google docs. Make a list of tasks you need to accomplish every week and check-in to see how your friends are doing with their task list. Now more than ever before, utilize the Internet and make it useful for you.
Finally, don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. Your professors, academic advisors, and CGS Student Services are all here to support you, so don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions!
— By Kirthana Iyer