I haven't seen a thread yet regarding how people involved in DL actually study. For instance, I wake up at around 9:00 AM, make a cup of coffee and a couple of pieces of toast, sit down at my couch and hit the books until about 12:00PM 4 days a week. I used to listen to music, but now prefer silence. Once in a while when I get behind I study on one of my days off. Since I work a swing shift studying in the morning seems to work best with me. What about you guys? (disclaimer) I realize this may be a complete waste of time for some as a topic, but I'm curious.
Weekday: Get home from work: 7:30-8PM. Walk the dog, relax, start doing dinner prep, check finances in Quicken: 7:30PM Fiance gets home from work: 8PM Cook and eat dinner, watch TV, read books, surf internet, play with dog, etc.: 8-10PM Study (maybe): 10-10:30PM Saturday: 10AM-8PM Study (mostly at computer or dining room table).
Generally evenings... kids go to bed 7:30'ish.. so I study from 8:00pm onward... sometimes to 3 am... Thankfully the summer is over and I have the fall semester to look forward to
I personally don't really feel there is a difference in the "way" a DL person studies, as compared to the study habits of a traditional student. Both study when they can, in the best manner possible given their own situation. I would say the difference lies more in the delivery of the actual courseware content (online vs. a classroom). But I wouldn't really characterize the study habits as being different. Cheers.
For me, there is something valuable in the advise to do at least a little every day. I do best when I can create some momentum. Focus, block out distractions, concentrate. Occasionally, I tell my family that "I'm going to the library" and I disappear for the day (12 hours). I accomplish an enormous amount on those days but, unfortunately, they don't come that often. Mostly, I chip away, a little bit every day. Sometimes it's just a few notes in a workbook. Nurse the ember. Keep it glowing. Take a step forward. Also, deadlines are my friend. If someone else doesn't set them then I set them myself. Keep working Jack
Speaking for myself, it's all about effective time management. I work full-time and during the day, I will get some reading done and begin working on assignments during my lunch breaks. When I come home, I unwind, cook dinner, designate some "me time" and from that point forward, I'm in the books...sometimes as late as 11 p.m. I also get up relatively early and begin my day the same way. How a person studies will differ from person to person, amount of course load, etc. I take 4 classes every 12 weeks so my course load is a bit heavy simply based on the accelerated pace alone. Also, and quite naturally, the deadlines for assignment completion come quicker than not so it's imperative I stay on top of it all. Everyone is different, but I think once a person finds what way works for them, everything else will fall in place. It just takes dedication and self-commitment.
Procrastination has traditionally been my middle name. Don't put off till tomorrow what you can put off till the day after. I need to change as I prepare to embark on DL for the first time. I'm really interested in getting the views of all who juggle a busy responsible job with married life and then, DL. All the best, Dave C.
There are some good points here. For online courses, I think it's important to go in with a specific objective each time -- rather than going in to mouse around and dabble. As a faculty member, I also need to remember to "leave footprints." If I go in and read contributions, I need to comment or add to at least a few threads so the students know that I'm there, that I'm interested, and that I'm available.
My courses are DL hybrids in the sense that I take two classes each semester in two week modules on campus; the rest of the semester I'm on my own to organize my assignments, etc. I get more reading done if I stay late at the office 1 or 2 nights a week or read at a coffee shop. I agree with Jack about giving yourself deadlines. I have a healthy amount of anxiety about getting the work done that resolves nicely when I have some sort of deadline and reasonable study plan.
Actually I have a really hard time studying anytime my wife is in the house, which is why I do it when she is at work.
When I'm well into gear, my day could go like: Start at around 11 till 14:30 Start again at around 17:30 till 21 or 22:00 But that's the best of days. More often it's like: Start at 12:30 till 14:00 Start again at 18:30 till 21:00 Of course it's not so much the amount of hours but the quality, and keeping a steady pace. At first I tried doing this 7 days a week now that I'm still not working but after much trial and error I have discovered I definitively NEED a whole day (usually take Saturdays) off completely from studying. It pays off the following week. Method (you'll see why I'm a slow student): I'm not much into memorizing anything. Usually I just go through each chapter of the book slowly, taking notes almost continuously (it helps me concentrate and retain stuff), basically summarizing every single paragraph, section or subsection. After a first pass through all of the relevant chapters in the book I end up with a summarized version made up of my own notes. Now I go through these slowly, maybe doing another mini-summary of key words and concepts in really small writting so that I end up with maybe one or two pages of material which is usually what I take with me on my exam trips to London to review one last time before the exam. Of course, with subjects like accounting and algebra I also try to do as many exercises as possible.
Will Makeit Thats exactly how I studied for my A+, Network+ and Microsoft Exams. It works really well especially when learning a lot of new and complex information. I also used to make myself flash cards with 3x5 cards and have my wife continually quiz me...while driving, doing laundry or whatever. Thats what it took for me in computer science to do well. I hope I never have to study that hard again.
A friend of mine when I was an undergraduate had a system with cards. Every evening, she'd sit down and transcribe her lecture notes onto numbered cards -- with a question or topic title on one side of the card, and details on the other. Then as the semester progressed she'd go through the cards, and sort into a pile of material she understood well and a pile that she still needed to work on. Periodically, she'd recombine the entire stack and repeat the sorting. And she'd occasionally make up additional cards as she learned or came across ways to present something more clearly. So she always had a pile of cards with her with the topics that she needed to work on. I hated her for her effective study habits! We both started as biochemistry majors, but I switched to engineering because I couldn't handle the volume of facts. (I came back to biology decades later when I got bored with the engineering.)
I'm taking several distance learning classes, usually 3 at a time. I find studying at night very peaceful, after 11pm is when i sit down with my laptop, notes and whatever reading i need. Then i set one day in the week when i do all the assignments due. Usually i like to stay ahead of the game, submitting my assignments before the due date. I stay orgazied by having a "stickie" on my laptop for when each assignment is due for the week. Must admit online classes are more demanding that regular classes and require a lot f discpline. I've made nothing but "A's" but it takes discpline and commitment. Your classmates too are your best source of info and you teacher comes second. All the best!
