A common style of classes in college, along with in-person classes is asynchronous, or online classes. These classes are especially popular at community colleges, which begs the question: How can students thrive in an asynchronous environment?
Even for students with the best intentions, asynchronous = procrastination. If the class is recorded, it can be easy to think, “I’ll get to this later” and “later” never comes. Then, the end of the grading period approaches, and students have 15 hours worth of lectures to catch up on in two days.
With these challenges in mind, we have compiled a list of the best practices for learning remotely, like how to stay on top of lectures with an otherwise busy schedule:
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Communication Comes First
Being able to see teachers regularly in person usually means they can provide more reminders and detailed instructions about assignments. With remote learning, teachers are doing the best they can to provide online announcements about due dates and expectations. Even so, students can struggle to stay up-to-date on teacher communications, especially if they’re gathering information from different online portals and websites.
TIP: Students who spend an hour at the beginning of the week and 15-30 minutes every morning simply checking emails, class announcements, and all online portals before starting work for the day can end up being more productive. Getting a clear sense of responsibility and prioritizing accordingly makes a big difference.
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Create Your Own Structure
Creating routine and flexibility is key to feeling in control and productive with asynchronous learning systems. At Green Ivy, we encourage students to do a daily brain dump of all tasks on their mind (personal, extracurricular, and academic) and use a paper planner. A sample schedule that works for many of our students: one-morning work block from 10 am-12 pm, an hour break for lunch, and then follow up with an early afternoon work block from 1 pm- 3 pm. That way, students can save time in the afternoon (after 3 pm) and evening for creative pursuits, movement, and rest.
Note: paper planners tend to be more effective than digital substitutes. In the work-from-home context, paper planners have the added benefit of giving our eyes a much-needed break from screens!
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Take Breaks
It’s hard to stay focused at home. In order to decrease stress and boost productivity, students can try using the Pomodoro technique: 25 minutes of work (using web blockers and moving your phone to another room helps) followed by a 5-minute break. Breaks are a great time to stretch, grab a snack, refill on water, etc.
Tip: BEWARE OF PHONES AND NOTIFICATIONS! What was originally meant to be a quick text or news notification check can suddenly morph into a 30-minute YouTube binge. During 5-minute breaks, avoid tech-related distractions.
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Focus on Content
Overall workload is usually reduced considerably with asynchronous systems (not always, though!). The most important thing is to make sure concepts are understood. If students finish their assignments early, the remainder of the work blocks should be used to review challenging content on their own by consulting textbooks, watching online tutorials, and doing practice problems.
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Movement and Rest
Asynchronous learning allows more flexibility to prioritize physical and mental health throughout the day. We recommend moving before starting the work block if possible, and taking a quick walk during the lunch break before sitting down for the afternoon. In moments of restlessness or distraction, exercise can be energizing. Keeping a regular sleep schedule (i.e. reliable in-bed and wake-up times) will stimulate creativity and productivity throughout the day.
What strategies is your family using to stay active and focused? We’d love to hear what works best for you!
Look for our post on synchronous learning if your school implements live lessons and classwork assignments!