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Studying online has been around for a while now. People take online continuing education classes, certification programs, a bachelors and a master’s program too. This fall, because of COVID-19, more students than usual have started to study online. Some of them have started their college careers remotely, others have to adjust to a new system. I’ve done both. I attended Fairfield University for a BA in English and Art and studied remotely for the MA Applied Linguistics distance learner program at University of Nottingham (UK). Distance learning meant studying on your own time and being 100% responsible for yourself. While I loved the flexibility it gave me, it’s definitely not for everyone. It takes a very different set of skills and approach than the traditional classroom but some of the steps I took are definitely steps that helped me get more out of my studies.
1. Set expectations from the beginning.
When it comes to studying remotely, you won’t have the luxury of dropping in during office hours. In fact, in COVID-era 2020, it’s possible your professor could be working from home with adjusted hours or at times be otherwise unavailable due to (virtual) conferences or personal time off. It’s important that when you start the class, you and your professor are on the same page regarding schedules and contact details. If they don’t tell you themselves, find out if and when there will be times when they might be unavailable. You may need to work around this for questions or concerns with assignments. Let your professor know if you too plan to be away anytime during the course. Confirm deadlines and what the average response time will be, something that should work for both of you.
2. Don’t wait for professors to call on you.
It doesn’t matter that you’re a paying student. It’s up to you to show up. Plus, your professors will not only have other classes and students (obviously) but they are likely pursuing other projects like active research, authoring scholarly publications and working with other researchers. Throw in the remote aspect of the class and you’re on your own. If you want to make the most of your experience and build professional relationships in your area of interest, then be proactive about connecting with your assigned professors. Ask questions, discuss the reading material, and keep them updated on your progress.
3. Communicate, politely.
As I mentioned before, it’s highly likely that your professors are involved in various projects and working with several other students, possibly over multiple time zones. Whenever you have a question or even a concern that requires your professor’s attention, do your best to give them some time to write back. But if it’s been several days and you haven’t heard back, feel free to send a polite reminder with the original email included in the body of the text. With all the virtual back and forth, it’s not uncommon sometimes for things to get buried in the inbox. And there’s always the off chance that your message went into their spam folder.
4. Be as clear and concise as possible.
There’s nothing more frustrating than having to email someone back asking for clarification or not getting the answers you need because you forgot to include a question. It wastes time and delays results. Separate different parts of your email into paragraphs and pay attention to your wording. Meaning can often get mixed up in writing without you there to provide context, so clarity is important. Use bullet points or numbers if you have multiple questions, be thorough, and check your email before hitting send. Being organized and efficient with email makes everything more readable, easier to refer back to, and assures that on your end, you’ve done everything necessary to make your professor’s job easier which will no doubt be appreciated.
5. Network!
Yes, you read that correctly. In addition to getting all your reading done, you really should put in some effort in networking. When you’re studying online, it can be a very isolating experience. Reach out to other professors or teaching assistants whose work you may be interested in and seek out other students in the same class or program.
Your school or professor may help somewhat if they hold virtual group classes or if you get assigned to an online study group. But it may be up to you to build and maintain connections. There are usually groups you can join on the school’s platform, the university Facebook page or you can start a group of your own and invite others. Besides the social aspect, this is useful for many reasons. Other students might be able to help you if you can’t reach your professor or school administrator, you can get feedback on things, and discuss the coursework. And of course, you can (and should try to) just network for the sake of meeting people. You never know. The virtual hangouts could eventually turn in to offline, socially distanced ones. Masks on.
Mariam Sultan 