I do love lists. Just came across this excellent article from Best Online Universities, featuring 101 tips collected from an e-learning expert survey. I’ve grabbed and summarized, in my opinion, the most useful tips.
You find a link to the original article as well as links to the interviewed experts.
Time Management Tips for e-Learners
- The flexible schedule of e-learning, online means it’s easy to procrastinate. To avoid this, make lists, deadlines and make a schedule.
- Treat e-learning, like you would a regular classroom class. Stick to the schedule.
Study Tips for e-Learners
- Studies have shown that you typically retain about 70% of what you read online, compared to print. Concentrate a little bit extra when reading online and take notes. Or use computer tools to take notes and make highlights.
- Set aside a designated time to check emails and social media and stick to it. Close these distractions down to fully concentrate on your studies.
- Learn in chunks. Use bookmark options if available, to be able to go back and continue.
- Test yourself. Go back and review and make sure you got it.
Tips for Online Student Engagement
- Collaborate! Be an active participant in the courses, chat with class-mates, participate in forums etc.
- Don’t be afraid to reach out to instructors for a one-to-one if necessary.
Useful Apps and Websites for e-Learners
- Use tools like Snagit to grab screenshots for easy access to key points.
- Blendspace (was mentioned in another section, but it looks like a very interesting tool)
General Tips for New e-Learners
- Try to apply new concepts and ideas directly to practial scenarios to retain the ideas better.
- Explain or teach others about what you just learned.
Best Practice Tips for e-Learning Educators
- Create a home/starting point for your online course so the students always know where to go
- Join communities of like-minded educators to get input and motivation. Facebook groups comes to mind.
- Focus on the content, not the device
- Set up a Facebook group for students
Tech Tips for e-Learning Educators
- e-Learning design is closely related to presentation design. Learn how to design great presentations, and use this when creating the courses.
- Don’t try to use all the tools/tech/apps under the sun. Focus on a couple and use them well.
I hope you found these tips helpful.
Original article can be found here
Download a PDF of the original article here
A list of expert contributors with contact details
