Tips for Acing Your Child Care Online Courses

Use these simple tips to ace your child care online courses every time:

Make sure you’re up-to-speed in the tech department
Before starting your child care online courses, make sure you have the proper laptop and software to make the most of the course. Each class should list the tech requirements in the description, but if it’s not there, don’t be afraid to reach out and ask the instructor.

Study outside the home
Sure, the ability to sit on your couch in your PJs is a major perk of taking an online course versus showing up in person. However, despite how tempting relaxing in the comfort of your own home is, it’s actually a lot harder to focus. Head to the library or a nearby coffee shop, depending on the type of environment you prefer to work in.

Use your campus email
Just because you’re not physically attending classes doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stay connected with your college email. Often times, that’s how professors will reach you so set up your account and check it regularly.

Study at the same time every day
Top study habits are often linked to consistency. Studying in the same environment, at exactly the same time every day helps your brain settle into learning-mode faster. If you’re constantly mixing up your schedule, it’ll take your mind significantly longer to realize it’s time to study. By keeping up a routine, you’ll be more focused and retain more information.

Take breaks
There is absolutely no upside to powering through an assignment or study session. Research shows that frequent breaks increase brainpower and creativity. Constant mental stimulation actually results in our brains starting to mark the task at hand as unimportant. A quick 10-minute break once each hour will help you approach your next study stint with a fresh mind. Everyone is different so tweak the break time and time between breaks until you find a system that works best for you.

Connect with instructors
Just because you’re not seeing your professor face-to-face doesn’t mean you can’t form a connection with them. Connecting with the professors in your child care online courses will help you stay on top of assignments, maybe gain a little extra advice and information and could possible even help your grade in the end. But don’t wait until the last week of the course to reach out. Shoot him or her a quick email right when you start and keep in touch throughout the length of the course.

Just because it’s over, doesn’t mean it’s over
When the class ends, that doesn’t mean the information needs to stop flowing. If you’ve created a special bond with your instructor, stay in touch in the future. You never know how they’ll be able to help or what kind of networking power they hold.

Sources:

-“5 Tips to Succeed in an Online Course” U.S. News

-“Brief Diversions Vastly Improve Focus, Researchers Find” Science Daily

-“Doing Well in Your Online Studies” Plattsburg State University

-Photo courtesy of stockimages/freedigitalphotos.net