How do you succeed in online classes even with a busy schedule? This is a common question, especially for nursing students, and we're here to answer everything. Online courses offer the flexibility that allows you to fit education into your lifestyle, enabling busy student to stay committed to their dreams of higher education. However, your grades will pay the price when you work all while taking full-stack online classes. You may have thought of dropping work to focus on classes, but having the extra cash is crucial to your survival. So, what do you do? We have devised ways to help you learn how to succeed in online classes, even with a busy schedule. If you return to nursing school after a big break, these tips will also be useful.
When you register for an online distance education course, the school will expect you to possess the necessary technology to access course materials and attend the classes. You do not need to be a computer expert, but the school will want you to be comfortable with handling computers. Some other requirements that nursing school requires of you include.
You should be able to do the following without any struggle:
Ensure your personal computer has the following:
Hardware
Software
Most nursing schools use Blackboard, an online collaborative learning solution for web-enhanced and web-based courses. It allows students to receive and share course content, documents and multimedia. It also allows students to submit assignments and take assignments. Therefore, as a new student, you must learn how to navigate it.
These are just a few things you must have at your fingertips to succeed in any online course.
A discussion board is an online forum allowing students to share their responses and ideas raised by an instructor. This is a platform where you will discuss topics with other classmates.
Your instructor will post topics and ideas and engage with all the students over course materials. A lively discussion is one way to ensure all students actively engage with each other and make essential ideas flow.
Checking the discussion board all the time will ensure that you get all the important details about the class or topics being taught.
A good schedule will help you stay on track and keep up with your studies
As an online student, keeping up with your coursework can be challenging. Online study gives you the opportunity and flexibility of setting your own schedule. While this seems like a huge advantage, it can also present its own set of challenges. To come up with a good schedule, make sure you include the following:
The following is a general idea of what your structure should include and how it should be. Every student's needs vary, so what works for me may not work well for you. You may have to adjust the above recommendations to meet your unique situation.
For anyone taking an online course, especially non-traditional students, setting a goal for what you wish to achieve at the end of the course will help you stay on task. Setting goals means that you are clarifying. Many things will happen that could pull you away from your nursing education. For instance, a 2021 study found that the biggest obstacles for many non-traditional students in Utah are the cost of education and insufficient time to study. For this reason, it is essential to remember your main goal even when faced with any challenge.
A personal goal will help you manage your time well and work toward achieving your dreams. If you want to succeed in any online course, choosing a course you are passionate about will ensure that you stay disciplined and go through whatever challenge life throws you. If you have chosen nursing school, set your goal and beware of the challenges you might face.
Ensure you constantly remind yourself of the goal occasionally to boost your drive. If you cannot seem to figure out how to set a goal, the following steps can help:
Begin by thinking about the results you wish to achieve in the course of the program and ask yourself the following questions:
Answering these questions will help you decide which goals are important.
Now that you have decided what you want, follow the SMART criteria to set your goal.
Learning how to succeed in online classes also involves finding a good learning space. Trying to learn while your favourite show plays in the background is not productive. Ensure you find a productive learning environment encourages you to focus on the task. Setting clear boundaries for your work, studies and home commitments is important. When it is time to study, you should not be doing anything else. If you do not already have a dedicated working space, use the following tips to create one:
As mentioned, you should separate your personal space from your study area. For some, this means finding a different space outside your home. This space should be quiet, peaceful and free from distractions; a good example is the library.
If you prefer to work at home, creating separation is still possible. You already have different areas for cooking, dining, and sleeping. Now you only need to add one more for work. Even if you have a smaller space, try to find somewhere you can fit a desk and chair. Ensure this space has good lighting, and you can study without interruptions.
Finding tools that can organize your working area, time and tasks will increase your productivity and streamline your space to one you can easily work in. Some organizational tools you can use include a planner or calendar, spreadsheets, timers, note-taking tools, a to-do list, a virtual assistant, a filing system, etc.
Remember, a productive learning space will inspire you to work on your assignments and pay attention to what is being taught.
Managing your time well is essential, especially if you are a working student. Time management is about increasing your productivity, resting, and recharging. It will also help you deliver care and reduce stress and anxiety, mostly seen among nursing students. If you wish to avoid burnout and be successful in school, use the following steps to ensure you manage your time well.
Organize your work in the order of importance through the ABCD method as follows:
Prepare for classes and assignments the night before to ensure everything is clear. You will also increase your chances of success if you prepare for a self-care routine. Eating a nutritious meal in the morning, attending class early and having all the necessary supplies before the lecture begins will reduce stress and anxiety.
Checking off a few items on your to-do list will boost your productivity. So, start by working on the easy tasks first to increase your feelings of accomplishment. If there is an assignment you can tackle without much hassle, consider working on it first to reduce your workload. Then, with this energy boost and motivation, work on the more difficult tasks.
Challenges are a part of online learning. While you cannot plan for every challenge that comes your way, you may be able to anticipate some of them. If you face a roadblock and cannot complete your assignment, don't let that demoralize you; instead, implement the following strategies.
Implementing the following tips will help you manage your time well. Remember that poor time management in school will prevent you from attaining your goals and negatively affect your studies.
Like a traditional classroom, taking notes during online lectures is important to ensure you remember important details about what is being taught. It takes much work to attend a 2-hour online class and remember everything.
Taking notes will ensure you capture all the important information. The best way to take notes for online classes is by hand.
Even though it is considered old-fashioned, taking notes by hand will eliminate many unnecessary computer steps. For instance, clicking back and forth between typing a document and your class is unnecessary.
Additionally, there is no need to pause the lectures; you can listen to what is being taught while taking notes.
As you take notes for your online class, note down all course materials, including PowerPoint readings, video presentations, etc. If you cannot find the right words, consider using diagrams and pictures, especially if the class is about anatomy.
You could draw a picture of the body and give it short descriptions. Diagrams and pictures can help you master concepts in a way that is easy to understand when going over the notes later on.
Ensure you do not write everything down when taking notes for your online class. Doing this will hurt your ability to study effectively. You may also miss what the professor says when you pay much attention to writing instead of actively listening. Remember, too many notes could lead to information overload, thus limiting the amount of information you could remember later on.
Making your studies a top priority will help you succeed in online classes and keep you organized. When viewing it like a job, you will consciously choose to show up even when you don’t feel like it.
Get up each day and remind yourself of what truly matters. Wake up in the morning and set the goals you plan to achieve at the end of that day.
Ensure you also mark things off your checklist, as this will help you succeed in every assignment or project given to you.
Ensure you also attend classes looking decent. Because it is an online class, it does not mean you must dress indecently.
It is still a professional setting. If you must post a picture for other students to see your online class, ensure you look presentable before taking it.
There have been cases of students posting inappropriate photos of themselves, which is bad. Invest in comfortable and appropriate clothes such as sweatshirts, polo shirts and dresses to wear to class.
Besides the dress code, ensure you show up properly groomed. Remember that how you appear on the camera will leave a lasting impression on those watching. Your professor is also likely to respect you more when you attend classes looking decent.
Another tip you may need to implement when learning to succeed in online classes is joining study groups. Whether a first-time student or pursuing a BNS program, joining study groups can help you succeed in online classes. Because there is much to learn in class, a study group can help you review tons of information and prepare for assessments.
These study groups do not have to be conducted physically; you could create a virtual study group that allows you to study from anywhere. They also allow you to network with your fellow students. You could collaborate with your group members and share tips and secrets for online study success.
Taking care of yourself is important to succeed in online classes. T When you study, ensure you take breaks to recharge. Staring at a computer all day without breaks could lead to eyestrain, reduce productivity and prevent you from retaining information. According to Cornell University, taking breaks is an important way to refresh your brain, reduce stress, and increase productivity and focus. The following are great ideas for purposeful, energizing breaks:
Avoid social media during your breaks. Scrolling through social media is not considered a productive break. Remember, effective breaks will calm your anxiety and reduce stress so that you can refocus on the task.
Succeeding in online nursing classes as a busy student requires that you take certain measures that will ensure you attend lectures, review course materials and study for exams.
Going through technical requirements, checking discussion boards, and finding a productive learning space are some things you can do to succeed in online classes. Utilizing the above tips will help you succeed in online classes.
Do not let the lack of time make you fail your online classes. If you need help working on your assignments or even the entire nursing class tasks, we can help. At NurseMyGrade, our expert nursing writers will tutor you, mentor your spirit for nursing and write high-quality nursing papers, including capstone projects, research papers and lab reports. All you have to do is place an order and let us do the rest. Get 100% original, non-AI-generated, and well-referenced (5 years peer-reviewed nursing journals) papers.
NurseMyGrades is being relied upon by thousands of students worldwide to ace their nursing studies. We offer high quality sample papers that help students in their revision as well as helping them remain abreast of what is expected of them.
Get Help
