5 Steps for Online Success

Remote instruction requires different skills. Here are 5 tips for success this semester.

By Michael Noltemeyer, Lecturer in the Core Curriculum

You’re a good student. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be reading this right now. You wouldn’t be at LMU in the first place. You’re here because you’ve spent years developing study skills that work for you.

But some of those skills just won’t work as well this semester. That’s because remote instruction is different in several important ways. And that’s why we’ve compiled the top five tips to help you adapt what you’ve always done so you can keep on being the good student you’ve always been.

1. Reconsider Your Habits

For better or worse, you’re going to have a lot more freedom this semester. You can be proactive and use that freedom to get ahead and try new things. Or you can let that freedom slip through your fingers and fall behind. Either way, you will have to make important choices this semester about how and where to spend your time and effort. So before you decide, it’s good to take a step back to think about what you’re working on and why. Here are some questions to consider:

• Studies. What are you studying? Why? Do you like it? If not, what sounds more appealing? What would it take to redirect your studies?
• Career Goals. What kind of career sounds most appealing? What are you doing to learn more about it or prepare yourself for it?
• Study Methods. How are you studying? Do you think your methods are as effective and efficient as they could be? Do you know about sketch notes, Cornell notes, and the Pomodoro technique, among others?
• Self-Care. What are you doing to take care of yourself? Are you exercising? Eating well? Sleeping enough? Are there new exercise routines or nutritional regimens or sleeping schedules you’ve been wanting to try? Are you allowing yourself enough breaks to rest and recharge?
• Social Support. What are you doing to maintain connections to family, friends, and the university community? What support do you need? What have you done to ask for it? What support can you offer to others?

With apologies to Spiderman: hand in hand with the freedom to choose comes the responsibility to choose wisely. Once you have identified your own goals and priorities, you might try logging your time and comparing the things you’re actually doing to the things you said you wanted to do. It’s a worthwhile exercise because most people are surprised by the results. Turning off the next Netflix episode or YouTube video is easier if you have a goal in mind to motivate you. And if that goal doesn’t actually motivate you, maybe it’s time to reconsider the goal itself?

Research suggests you can form a new habit in 30 days. That means in just one month’s time, you can be well on your way to a whole new you. And if you have a bad habit you want to get rid of? Focus instead on forming a positive habit to replace it.

2. Create a “Classroom” 

As you’ve probably experienced over the last few months, it’s really hard to be stuck in the same place day in and day out. We’re so used to carving up our days with activities in different places that the places themselves help us to focus on the task at hand. That’s why it’s so important to think about where you will be doing your coursework this semester. Here are some ideas for creating a physical space that will help you get into the right mental space for learning:

• Quiet. Is there a quiet space available where you can be uninterrupted? If you normally share space, you may have to coordinate schedules with the people you live with.
• Separate. If you’ll be working from your bedroom, can you set up a desk or partition an area that you’ll use only for schoolwork?
• Routine. If you have to work from your bed, can you create a routine or find other physical cues to help yourself shift into school mode? For example, perhaps you can make your bed and change into a “Zoom shirt” before starting your work for the day?

3. Manage Your Time 

When we’re busy, we often lament how much we could do if only we had long blocks of uninterrupted time with nowhere to go and nothing else to do. Now that we’ve gotten those long blocks of time, many of us have found that productivity is still challenging. The key is managing your schedule. It’s easy to lose track of time when every day looks the same, so it’s more important than ever that you plan ahead to get to everything that matters. When in your schedule will you fit in the following things?

• Course. You should expect to spend nine to twelve hours a week on each course you take. It’s unlikely you’ll forget about a live Zoom session, but when can you schedule the rest of those hours?
• Sleep. It matters. You can’t do your best work if you’re not getting enough sleep—at least seven hours a night, according to researchers. You will have a lot of control over your schedule this semester. Can you get yourself into a regular sleep schedule? 
• Exercise. Your mind and body are connected. They both work better when you give them both a regular workout. 
• Social Support.In quarantine, it’s easy to feel isolated. That means you should make time in your schedule to connect with others in whatever fashion you can.
• Hobbies. What do you like to do for fun? Make time for those activities, too!

Even if you intend to get all of these things done, research shows that you’re much more likely to do them if you block out specific days and times in your schedule for each. You might try using your Outlook or Google Calendar.

4. Maintain Connections

The university is more than just classes. It’s a community—and it remains a community even when our classes are remote. But it’s up to you to let others know what you need. Your professors want to help, but they won’t know what help you need, or even that you need it, unless you speak up. Here are some important ways to maintain connections to the LMU community this semester:

• Email. You have to check it. At least once a day, maybe more. During remote instruction, it’s the only way your professors have to get hold of you. Otherwise you might as well be on Mars.
• Office Hours. Even in regular semesters, too many students are reluctant to come to office hours. But there is no downside, only upside. You’ll learn more. You’ll get to know your professors and maybe your classmates. And your professor will get to know you. Letter of recommendation, anyone?
• Meetings. It’s totally fine to ask your professor for a meeting. It’s also totally fine to say that you can’t meet at a particular time. In either case, be prepared to offer a few alternative time slots.
• Extracurriculars. Many student groups and organizations are still meeting online. At least one of them can likely support your pursuit of the goals you identified above. And you may be able to support others as well.  Check out the Virtual Student EXPerience for information on what is happening at LMU with clubs and organizations this semester.

5. Ask for Help

Psychologist Brené Brown (yep, the one on Netflix) argues that admitting vulnerability is a sign of strength, not weakness. It can be hard to admit you need help—but if you don’t ask for help this semester, you almost certainly won’t get it. That's one of the most important differences in remote instruction. And that’s why it’s so important to know where to go when you need help. Click through the rest of the student online learning hub to see information about advising and academic planning, tutoring and academic support, physical health, mental health, employment, career services, and more.