2020 Apr 7
Whether you’re a university student or you are taking up an online course during this time at home, the struggle to attend an online class (especially 8AM classes) is real. We understand. However, since our lives are currently on hold due to the Coronavirus outbreak, using the abundance of time that you have these days to get ahead of your studies can give you a massive advantage, when completing your degree programs or courses. We spoke to a Visiting Lecturer at APIIT, UCL, ACBT and the Co-founder of Nifty Looms, D. Thamosha Tharindi and rounded up some do’s and don’ts that you could follow in order to help make your learning process much smoother.
BE PREPARED FOR YOUR CLASS BEFOREHAND
Since this isn’t a physical class, you can’t sneak into the lecture 15 minutes late and ask your friend to recap everything the lecturer spoke about in the first 15 minutes. Strive to be an early bird. You can ask your trusty morning alarm, your amma, to help wake you up in the morning, in order to make sure that you won’t oversleep. Keep all your devices like your laptop or iPad charged beforehand, log in to the system at least 5 minutes early and be ready to take on the discussion for the day. Try your best not to log into the call late and distract your lecturer and the other students who are already logged in.
SUPPORT YOUR LECTURER
When there are many students in the class, your lecturer might advise you to switch off your microphones to minimise external distractions or switch off your video to minimise technical difficulties. Some of your lecturers, who are not very tech-savvy, might also struggle using the online interfaces to conduct your classes. Do follow instructions given by your Miss or Sir and be patient with them and offer them a helping hand, if they are struggling with the online platforms. After all, they’re putting in so much time and effort into conducting the classes, to offer you as much help as they can to complete your courses.
BE PATIENT WITH BAD CONNECTIONS
Even though we are living in the digital age, amidst so many technological advancements, we do still experience lagging, system crashes and most of all, network connection problems. Bad network connections can be frustrating, especially since Lankan service providers do not provide unlimited data packages, but try your best to be patient and keep trying to log in to the class, despite all the trouble the system might give you.
CHOOSE A PROPER ENVIRONMENT TO TUNE INTO YOUR CLASS
A proper environment that will help you focus is important! Avoid choosing your bed to log into your online class, as you’ll be half asleep the entire time. Also make sure to choose a room in the house that is on the quieter end of the spectrum, so that there are minimum background noise and disturbances during your class. Make sure to inform your amma and thaththa and especially your nangila and mallila that you will be occupied during the specific time that the class will be conducted, to make sure that you, the rest of your class members and your lecturer won’t be disturbed in the middle of the lecture.
COMPLETE YOUR DUE TASKS
This one’s a no brainer, if you are given weekly tasks or assignments to complete at a specific date and time, make sure you complete it and submit it beforehand. Refrain from panicking to complete your work and submitting it during the very last minute and blaming it on technical issues afterwards (we know how sneaky we can be!).
MINIMISE USAGE OF OTHER DEVICES WHILE THE CLASS IS ONGOING
We know how difficult it is to keep your hands off your phone when your yaaluwo set eka is making TikTok videos and sharing quarantine memes, but the content that they share won’t magically disappear during the 2-3 hours of your class! So try your best to give your undivided attention during these few hours and prioritise on what will benefit you most, in the long term.
SPEAK UP!
Last but not least, don’t be afraid to speak up, clear your doubts, questions and queries regarding the lesson with your lecturer during class time. Also, try your best to interact with your lecturer while the class is going on, so that your lecturer is aware that you are tuned in and that you are paying attention.
If you guys know of any tips and tricks that help you focus during your online classes or if we missed any other do’s and don’ts to follow while attending an online class, do let us know in the comments! If you want to take up some free online courses, check this article out for some great suggestions. Even though online classes might be annoying sometimes, try not to get discouraged from expanding your knowledge bank, because knowledge truly is power.
Information derived from Visiting Lecturer – APIIT, UCL, ACBT, Co Founder – Nifty Looms, D. Thamosha Tharindi.
