TRANSCRIPT: Online Courses: Staying Motivated & Disciplined
Speakers: Mike Coste & Angelica McMillian
How To Stay Motivated & Disciplined In An Online Course
ANGELICA MCMILLAN: Hi. I'm Angelica McMillan, and I have been teaching world mythology and Spanish online for several years. More importantly, I've also been an online student and understand the experience from both sides. Today we are going to talk about the importance of consistency, motivation, and online learning.
Let me first introduce you to my co-presenter, Mike Coste.
MIKE COSTE: Thanks, Angelica. I now serve as Dean of Instruction, but I've been teaching online for about the last 25 years at a number of institutions. And I've had the opportunity to talk with a lot of faculty and a lot of students about what works in online courses, and I look forward to sharing that with you in this video.
Online Learning Challenges
I want you to take a moment and think about this.
What are the biggest challenges you encounter when trying to stay motivated and discipline in an online class?
This reminds me of a saying from football coach Lou Holtz, "It's not the load that breaks you down. It's the way you carry it."
Establish A Schedule
ANGELICA: So you've had the opportunity to think about some challenges. And as we go through the rest of the session, it's important to keep those challenges in mind, because we're going to try and help you address some of those.
The first key to success is consistency. And one of the best ways to ensure consistency is to adhere to a schedule.
As you create your schedule, think of your many responsibilities. Don't just consider work and school either. Consider family, friends, and social activities. Write everything down. And when you're done, start building your schedule.
So for instance, you might decide that Mondays, you'll get up and complete school-related tasks from 10:15 to 12:15, but include specific tasks, such as writing a draft of your paper or reading 20 pages of a chapter. Then you might want to go to the gym for an hour, and then go to class in the late afternoon. Whatever your schedule looks like, don't forget to add time to travel from one place to the next, to eat, to rest, to sleep, and of course, to just be.
MIKE: In other words, allow for some flexibility. And no matter what happens, don't procrastinate. Motivation can fade when we get overwhelmed. Throughout this course, we will share examples of ways you can maximize your time, which will help avoid the trap of procrastination.
Sample Schedule
ANGELICA: From the time, I was in college, having a schedule absolutely saved me. As a professional, that continues to be true. But if there's one thing I've learned is to revisit the schedule regularly to make necessary changes.
For example, this semester, I realized that walking my dog late in the evening was not possible. Now, we walk in the mornings. And my routine works a lot better.
Plan For The Unexpected
MIKE: Even with the best schedule, things are going to happen that challenge your ability to meet that schedule. For example, let's look at this scenario. It's Monday and you're going to post the discussion that is due Wednesday because you have planned well and your schedule says that you should do this today. You get on your computer and discover that your Internet is not working. After several attempts of trying to access the Internet, you realize you can't. What do you do?
Take a few moments and write down two or three strategies that you might use to try and address this problem, and then we'll be back.
ANGELICA: So the unexpected happens a lot, and it's important to plan for it. Now, according to the schedule, it's Monday and your assignment isn't even due until 48 hours later. So what do you do? Well, one possibility is since you planned ahead, you can go to the library and access the Internet there. You can go to a coffee shop; you can go to a friend's house. The nice thing is that there's free Internet in a lot of different places; and since you planned ahead, you don't need to panic.
Get To Know Your Instructor
MIKE: Our next tip is to get to know your instructor.
The first thing you want to know is when your instructor is available and be mindful of time zones because sometimes online instructors could be in a completely different time zone. The next thing you want to do is think about how your instructor wants to be contacted. Some instructors prefer phone; others email; some may even use Zoom or even texting. You also want to know when your instructor is specifically available, when their office hours are for example, and sometimes they’ll tell you when their other classes are so that you know not to contact them during classes.
And finally, you want to get to know your instructor a little bit personally. Read or watch their video introduction. Let them know that you’re interested in them by posting a question related to their introduction and try to get to know them the way you might want to get to know your in-class instructor.
Connecting with your instructor early on, when things are not an emergency, helps you understand them better for when something out of nowhere does come up, and you've already built a relationship.
Here are some sample questions you might want to think about asking your instructor. What have former students done in your class to help them succeed?
ANGELICA: What resources are available that will help me do well in your class?
MIKE: Is it ever possible to meet you on campus?
ANGELICA: Are you ever available on Zoom or Skype?
MIKE: Reading your instructor's introduction will provide you with a lot of clues as to what kinds of questions you can ask them. So read that carefully. Now take a couple of minutes and think about a class that you've taken, or class that you're taking now, and questions you might want to ask your instructor.
Syllabus & Course Materials
ANGELICA: consider is knowing your syllabus and course material well. The syllabus is important, because it communicates class and college expectations. So it's a good idea to use your syllabus as a checklist to build your weekly schedule.
In fact, you should know your course syllabus as well as how to use your computer or your cell phone. In other words, from the start of the semester, you should understand exactly what is expected of you in the class. If something is confusing, use the previous tip and reach out to the instructor for clarification early on.
Make Connections
MIKE: The next strategy is to make connections with other students in your class. They can be a really good resource, and the discussion board is a great way to do that. When people post introductions, be sure and ask questions of other students as well. You can establish commonalities and get to know maybe who might be willing to participate in discussions and might be able to help you out maybe when the instructor is not available to answer questions.
Remember, getting to know students in an online class takes more effort than an in-person class. The loss of being in the same room as your classmates really changes the connection process.
I find that, a lot of times, students can explain to each other the material better than I can, because you all are learning together and you know what the questions and issues are. So get to know your fellow students. Engage them throughout the course through the discussion.
Also, you might want to see if other students in your area might want to meet at a coffee shop to study or form study groups via Google Hangout or something like that. And if you can do that successfully, I think the best classes are the ones where the students get together and really work together.
Set Manageable Goals
ANGELICA: Sometimes when setting goals, we make a goal so large and encompassing that it is overwhelming. For example, I have to write an entire report.
It's best if you think to yourself, today I'm going to write the introduction. And of course, go back to your class schedule and make sure that you are incorporating those smaller tasks into your weekly schedule.
By doing that, you'll get the same results. You'll still end up writing that big paper, but it's a lot more manageable and you don't feel quite as stressed. Many goals throughout the week can also help you feel accomplished and mark them off as complete.
Reward Yourself
MIKE: The next strategy is to establish a reward system.
Setting goals is great and it feels good to meet those goals, but do a little extra for yourself so that when you meet those goals you can really celebrate. Smaller goals, you do something small. Larger goals, you might do something larger, go out to dinner or watch a movie or something like that.
You have a busy schedule and you're probably taking an online course because it's hard to find time to do a lot of things, but make a little bit of time for yourself so that when you accomplish these goals you can celebrate. Me? What I like to do is I like to get a Snickers bar.
I just go shopping and I've done something good, I reward myself with a nice Snickers bar, something that makes me feel good. And it's tasty.
What Would You Do?
ANGELICA: Life is busy. And when you have a particularly busy week, it is stressful. What happens when you have a really busy week, and then, on top of that, the unexpected happens? Consider the following scenario.
It's Saturday and you're looking ahead at the upcoming week. You have to post to the discussion board in your online class and complete a midterm by next Sunday evening. You also have to plan a birthday party for your best friend. Next thing you know, your boss says she's short-handed and will need you to cover an employee shift the same day of the birthday party.
MIKE: Now, take a few minutes to think about these questions.
How would you prioritize or order these tasks?
What can you do to make sure this all gets done and that you do well in the midterm?
How could good planning make the week less stressful? And don't forget to use your schedule to stay motivated and disciplined.
Expect The Unexpected
ANGELICA: Was it easy or difficult? Did you come up with some good ideas?
I know that for me, it helps to remember that I don't have to do everything at once. I can break big tasks up into smaller blocks.
Also, I always remember that I have a support group. I have friends and colleagues that I can call on for help. So if it was my friend's birthday party, I know that I would call up a few other friends and ask them to help me plan.
What would you do, Mike?
MIKE: You know, I would remember also that I had friends in the class. And I would communicate with my instructor, who hopefully I've been communicating with all semester, and just tell them what's going on and see if they have any suggestions or strategies that I can use to use my time more efficiently.
I'd also talk to my fellow students and see if there are ways maybe we could get together and look at studying things, so I can manage my time well. Also, I would remember me--do a little exercising, make sure I get sleep, because in the end, if you're too stressed out and you're not sleeping, you're not working out, it's going to make you a lot less efficient and it's going to end up wasting time in the long run.
ANGELICA: Right. And keep things in perspective. Most of these tasks are week-long tasks. So at the end of the week, you're going to make it.
You're going to be just fine. Perspective is everything. You want to make sure that you stay disciplined and motivated throughout the entire process, using all of the skills that we have talked about so far.
Addressing Challenge
ANGELICA: So remember at the beginning we asked you to think about some of the challenges that you might experience? Why don't you take a moment now, think about some of the tips we've given you, and then consider how our tips might help you address the challenges that you first wrote down.
Stay The Course
MIKE: And remember Murphy's Law. It seems that whenever we need things to go exactly right, something happens. So just know that that's a part of life.
ANGELICA: So you have your computer, your Internet, class notes, tips from the instructor – but now you also have tips from us that will help you, we hope, become a better, more successful online student.