Tips for Taking Online Classes

Tips for Taking Classes Online: 

We know that taking classes online may be new to some of you, so we wanted to compile some resources that may be useful as you prepare to take classes online for the remainder of the semester.  

Treat online classes like in person classes as much as possible:
Your time management skills are about to be put to the test. Online classes are great because they offer a lot of flexibility in terms of when you can study and sometimes when things are due. Often this also causes them to fall off of the priority list. We recommend scheduling the same amount of class time to complete your online classes that you would if they were in person classes. You may even want to schedule more time for these classes because the content can be more time consuming to understand when offered online. 

Utilize Tools and Resources to Help Yourself:
Now is the time to pull out all of your syllabi and make a master list of when things will be due. Set reminders in your calendar of upcoming tests and deadlines. Reach out and make connections with your classmates to hold each other accountable for your assignments. Create a weekly schedule to follow including your in class and out of class commitments. 

Create a space to study:
Clear out a corner of a room, find your favorite coffee shop, anywhere that you can go where you will be less distracted and you can focus on your classwork would be good. This will help you to reestablish a routine to make sure that you can continue to be as productive with your online classes as you were with in person classes. 

Do Some Self Reflection:
Think about when you are most productive, are you a morning person, night person or work best right after lunch? Anyway that this works for you, utilize that time for your classes and make sure that this time is blocked in your schedule. You want your most productive hours to be dedicated to what you want to be successful in. Think about what type of learner you are. Some people have a hard time reading on screens, some can listen to content quickly. Take some time in the next few days to think about how you learn best and make adjustments where possible to help align yourself to be successful.

Be Active:
Online classes will be set up in ways to encourage you to participate, but as with anything in life, the more you put into it the more you will get out of it. Read and comment on other students’ discussion posts, email your professor to ask questions, try to form group chats or online study sessions. You already know the students in your class, so you are at an advantage to make these more personal connections happen. Check your email multiple times per day. With more campus processes happening online it is more important than ever to make sure you are in the loop. The official communication tool of UMass Boston is the University email system, so make sure you have a routine around checking it. Still participate in your faculty office hours. Some professors will set up video office hours or phone office hours, utilize them. Make sure any questions you have about the content or methods of how you are learning are addressed. 

Be Aware of Academic Dishonesty Policies:
Academic dishonesty policies apply to all courses. Familiarize yourself with what is considered Academic dishonesty, especially in an online format. https://www.umb.edu/life_on_campus/policies/community/code/academic_honesty_violations