Golden Hawks Talk: Advice for Remote Learning

“Keep certain spaces for certain tasks. For example, try to not do work or attend lecture in bed. Keep your bed for sleeping, your desk for work, and a separate space to eat and relax.”

“Decorate your work area (not your bed) and try to make it a fun place where you can sit down and focus. I went out and bought a few plants, new pens, and lots of organizers to keep myself organized, and of course my favorite candle scent to keep me going on a cold day. Having a neat and comfortable desk to work at makes it a bit easier to climb out of bed and get to those 8:30 a.m. classes.”

“Put away any distractions. Tuning in to Zoom lectures can feel extremely boring at times but I've found if I go into a quiet room, away from my phone and the TV, it is a lot easier to focus.”

“Utilize the ‘power hour’. If I’m feeling particularly unmotivated, it forces me to put away all distractions and complete a task!”

“Attend office hours. Despite that meaning more screen time, I find it really helpful to work one-on-one with my prof and it actually helps me increase my interest in the specific course/weekly topic!”

“Reach out to peers in class to ask if they are interested in doing a Zoom study session before a test. I did not realize how much I missed bouncing my ideas back and forth with others and how much this helps to solidify information in my head. I was nervous to ask people, as I assumed no one would want more screen time, but once I did they were all very positive about it!”

“Connect with profs and TA's when you are having trouble or need clarification. Many profs are just as nervous about being online as we are, and are very accommodating and helpful. You just need to reach out! Plus, Zoom meetings are a little less scary than sitting in their office with them. Not only can they help you with course content and concepts, but they can be a good reference down the road and someone who you can go to when you need help!”

“Create and stick to a schedule so that your mind knows when to go into 'study' mode and when to go into 'relaxation' mode. It can be hard to stick to a schedule at home but I find if you can, it really helps to keep you stay productive.”

“Treat your asynchronous classes as if they were synchronous by scheduling in specific times each week to work on them. It can be very easy to procrastinate on or even forget about your asynchronous classes but blocking off time in your schedule to dedicate specifically to those classes can help you avoid falling behind.”

“Utilize a weekly planner to visually see what each day is going to look like. Mine has a to-do list on the side where I can write down my readings/assignments for the week, and space available each day to write in due dates, work and extra-curricular obligations and anything else that comes up!”

“Keep track of what is due when. It is tougher with many of my courses having a greater number of quizzes/homework/assessments. I have a calendar I keep beside my workspace outlining the due dates of everything so I don't forget to do them or fall behind.”

“Set a bedtime for yourself. I have a set time of the day where I stop doing work so I can get a good night's rest (usually 11 p.m.)”

“Schedule time in your day to get outside or even just outside your room. I have found activities such as cycling class, baking, and even cleaning the kitchen to be a suitable break, especially when I get overwhelmed. Fresh air never hurt anyone!”

“Get outside as much as you can and engage in some form of physical exercise, ideally with others if you have roommates or are living at home. This will allow you to take a break and burn off some stress, and reconnect to real human beings instead of virtual ones.”

“Try to get in as much off-screen-time as you can. When I take breaks, I do things like going for a walk, talking with my roommates or something productive like prepping my dinner or doing a load of laundry! I find this helps with the ‘screen exhaustion’.”

“Invest in some blue-light-blocking glasses. Having a couple back-to-back courses in a row, I noticed I was feeling a lot of eye strain, so I tended to be away from screens as much as possible (leading to procrastinating homework). I feel no strain anymore!”

“Take breaks throughout the day (at least an hour break after working/being in class for an hour or two) so you don't experience burnout.”

“Cook a meal, read for fun, skype a friend, bake some cookies, clean your room, join an extracurricular club! Being stuck at home with little social life, I tend to overwork myself with my studies as I feel I always need to be doing something. I've learned how important it is to take your mind off school but still be productive. Non-productive breaks are obviously important too (I love Netflix)!”