Help! I’m suddenly an online student!
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There’s been quite an info-lanche of “how to” posts. So I’ll make this quick:
It’s important to find a physical place in your home just for schoolwork. In other words, if you stream Netflix on your laptop while you’re lying on the couch etc…don’t expect to do effective schoolwork in the same physical space. Find a “school spot” and do school stuff when you are there.
Close all your tabs while you’re working on school materials. This is important, because if you’re like me….you have the attention span of a gnat and are easily distracted. Close those tabs.
Hide your phone. See No. 2 above.
It’s totally okay to work in spurts.
Different due dates among hundreds of Canvas notifications can give one anxiety. Grab a planner and actually mark down when things are due and for which course. Online courses can get away from you, so you need to be well-organized and plan ahead.
If all of the notifications are just too much, these suggestions are from Canvas about ways to change them: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QP_DgT2QD0tOyf6zlwvYTHuOze73Bq6GI1Znazkskdk/edit?usp=sharing
Set specific times during the week to work on specific courses. In the old normal, our lives were ruled by schedules. Many of these schedules no longer exist…but that doesn’t mean you can’t set one of your own. Structure is your friend as an online student.
Canvas is great for storing materials but not that great for communicating. Don’t be afraid to suggest to your instructor that the course set up a GroupMe group chat, or a Discord server or something similar.
If you have questions, reach out to your instructor. If you just want to say hello, reach out to your instructor. We are all adjusting as well, and we miss seeing your faces. Connection these days is key!!