Online Learning Tips for Students

Many schools and universities are currently working hard to enable online learning across all of their classes. Teachers are preparing lessons and working through the technology, readying themselves for a new and potentially daunting challenge.

Families and Students are also facing similar work from home challenges. Some are going to take it in their stride, others are incredibly anxious about the prospect of online learning. To assist them in preparing, please feel free to pass these best practices on to your teachers and lecturers to share with their students and their families.

Find a quiet place for online classes

Try to find a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted. Ensure you have good lighting and wear headphones to help you focus on the online session.

Share your virtual class schedule

Speaking of quiet areas, work out a schedule with your family or roommates for class time. Young children may be home from school, and many parents are working remotely from the house too. Limit distractions as much as possible by planning your class time with everyone at home.

You may be sharing internet bandwidth as well. Let your family or housemates know when you need to attend class online. Ask others to limit streaming apps and large downloads while you’re attending class. It’s a tough ask while we’re all working and studying from home — we know!

Test your system

When you’re invited to an online session, the email usually includes a link to test your computer, tablet, or phone to ensure the video conferencing solution will work. Don’t forget to check your device the day before class, so you’ll have time to address any technical issues. It’s helpful to ensure you can log on to sessions using a mobile data connection, in case your Internet service is slow or interrupted.

Also, most video conferencing systems have chat and Q&A options. Ask your teacher, lecturer or class leader ahead of time which option to use to submit questions and comments. Look for more information from your school or watch instructional videos like this one from Zoom.

Also, if you use any online accessibility tools for visual or hearing impairments, test that those work with your online class platform too. Ask your teacher to set up a test session if needed.

Paying attention to your lighting

To make sure your camera captures the best image, we advise lighting your face indirectly, from a front-facing angle. Use a relatively weak light source so you don’t end up looking washed out, and position it towards your face from the front. Avoid pointing the light source directly at your eyes. You can get a few tips here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMex-9FyljU

Complete assignments and download materials before class

Get familiar with the material and complete any assigned reading so you can follow along during the lesson and ask questions. Let your teacher know if you had any issues accessing materials.

Mute your mobile phone during class

Turn off your ringer and vibrate function to avoid the temptation to pick up your mobile phone. Remember to pause all text and app notifications to limit distractions. Better yet, turn your phone off unless you’re using it to attend class.

Mute the mic on your device

Mute your device microphone when not speaking during a video conferencing class. Muting the mic will limit the noise others will hear. Make sure you know how to mute your microphone before class begins.

Remember it’s a real class

Keep in mind this is a real class, and you will be graded. Pay attention to the lessons and do your assignments. Finally, deadlines are still deadlines. Complete your work on time and respect your fellow students’ and educators’ time during online classes.

The InSight Systems team is ready to help you

We hope your students put these online learning tips to effective use. The InSight Systems team is here to help if you need assistance setting up your distance learning technology. Contact us now by emailing sales@insightsystems.com.au or call us on 1300 369 45