There is no doubt that e-learning is a great way to increase your knowledge and skills in a unique and flexible digital environment with its own strengths and opportunities.
Whether you are attending online classes for the first time or looking for ways to strengthen your current learning habits and approaches, there are some key areas to consider to set yourself up for success and make the most of all that online courses and programmes have to offer.
In this article, we’ll share some tips and strategies to help you succeed in your e-learning and take it to a new level.
Tip 1. Don’t underestimate the importance of e-learning
If you tend to think that online classes require less work and are easier than traditional classes in the classroom, you are wrong. In reality, online courses are designed to be just as rigorous and demanding as traditional courses.
That’s why you need to be prepared for a minimum of several hours of work every day – and that’s a modest estimate. For some online courses, much more time will be required, especially during the final exam weeks and mid-term.
Tip 2. Create a comfortable learning environment
If you don’t want to be nervous about online learning, you need to make make sure you can see and hear your teachers and other students clearly. At the same time, it’s vitally important to feel relaxed and be on firm ground.
If you study from home, you need to make sure that the environment you are in is tidy and well-lit, and the temperature is neither too high nor too low. Nobody and nothing should distract you so that you can concentrate on processing new information.
However, you don’t have to make your new place to study online look like a regular classroom.
Tip 3. Set clear learning objectives
Setting clear learning objectives will help you see the benefits of the learning process and how it will help you develop and improve your skills.
Why am I attending these online lessons? How can I benefit from this knowledge? What qualifications will I get at the end of this course? Do I really need this skill to get my dream job? The answers to all these questions will help you make the most of what you study online.
Once you have established your learning objectives, all other aspects of your learning strategy will automatically fall into place.
Tip 4. Make use of the required hardware and software
Such requirements are usually specified somewhere in the course. You may not be able to complete written assignments, watch educational videos, listen to podcasts or participate in group video and audio calls if you do not have the right technology. Making sure you have the proper Internet connection, anti-spyware software and software programs installed is essential to your online learning success.
Tip 5. Record your online lessons if possible
Some teachers don’t record their online classes, and sometimes you may face technical problems, like incompatible software. That’s why it’s a good idea to find a way to record your online lessons whenever possible.
There are some evident benefits. If you are sick or unable to attend online classes for some other reason, you can watch the video later. Even if you never miss anything, you may want to replay some parts of the video to better understand the topic.
For this purpose, you need special software. For example, using AVS Video Editor you can not only record video files from your PC screen but also add text annotations and apply animation effects while recording. It’s also possible to edit and save video files in all popular formats (MP4, M4V, MOV, MKV, WEBM, AVI, DVD, VOB, MPG, WMV, 3GP, FLV, M2TS, TS, etc.) and adjust them for iOS and Android devices.
Tip 6. Listen to audio podcasts everywhere
Video courses and content work great when you try to learn new information online. However, audio perception is also important, and some people process auditory information even better than image information. That’s why it’s important to get new knowledge via podcasts and audio lessons.
On the Internet, there are plenty of web resources where you can find educational podcasts and listen to them online. At the same time, it’s a good idea to extract audio from videos and listen to it as a podcast while doing the household work or going for a walk.
If you need to extract audio from video files, you can try AVS Audio Editor. With this software tool, you are allowed to extract and edit audio from your video files and even record audio data from various inputs. For example, you can record the voice of your teacher during an online lesson and listen to it later to better understand the topic. Importantly, AVS Audio Editor can turn text into a voice with the Text-to-speech feature so you can create audiobooks from written materials and listen to them everywhere.
Tip 7. Regularly treat yourself to a break
If you study too hard, it may lead to unintended consequences, like a lapse of concentration, chronic fatigue or even depression. Don’t try to learn everything 24/7. Regular breaks will help you ingest information better and remember things much easier.
After studying online for a few hours, take a break for at least 15-20 minutes and do what you like. Go for a short walk, do some push-ups, read a book or listen to your favourite music. When you feel refreshed after the break, get back to your computer and keep grinding away at your studies.
If you prefer to relax with the help of music, we recommend trying AVS Media Player. This powerful multimedia tool makes it possible to listen to audio tracks in different formats (WAV, MP3, ALAC, FLAC, M4A, OGG, AAC, AMR, etc.) and create personal playlists according to your mood. It also allows you to play videos so you can watch your favourite films and video clips.
Conclusion
As you can see, e-learning is made easier with the right approach and dedication. If you are motivated and know what you want to archive, you can easily gain knowledge and acquire new skills via online classes and courses.
Software tools, like AVS4YOU, help you make some things easier when studying online and allow you to make constant progress. Use the benefits of modern technology and become a better learner.
Useful links
How to record voice on Windows 10
How to remove audio from video