How to be successful at online learning: 8 strategies and tips for learning online

Block out 2–3 hours Monday through Friday for classwork.

It’s not realistic to think that you can just put it off to the weekend because you may hit a block or be tired from working all week.

Don’t check email. Don’t pick up your phone or text.

It’s so easy to spend an hour messaging or checking Instagram, so don’t even give yourself the opportunity to get distracted.

Tell yourself you will focus on it for 15 mins.

 During the 15 mins, you’re so focused on working for 15 mins that you won’t get distracted; and after 15 mins you’ve made sufficient progress to be ‘in the zone.’ 

... and pause/rewind during sections you don’t understand.

Because you don’t get to ask questions, it’s important that you train yourself to fully understand one section before moving on.

A lot of times the lectures/handouts don’t explain something well. 

It’s best to get a book to get a second explanation because there are no teachers or course assistants to ask.

It’s easy to think that you shouldn’t have missed the dumb mistake, but often your process for problem solving can be dramatically improved.