Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, students are forced to learn from home to ensure their safety. It’s a completely different environment tied to different circumstances compared to learning in school. Some students find it difficult to focus and become demotivated or uninterested, leading them to fall behind in their studies. Who could pay attention to your teacher, if your brother is in the same room, listening to music?
Knowing how to set up a good e-learning environment is not only relevant due to the Covid-19 pandemic, more institutions and schools are looking into online learning as a means of education. While some may prefer studying in a school environment, adapting to e-learning is the next best thing they can do to maintain their academic progress. Here are a few steps you can take to create a better learning environment at home.
Be in a calm and quiet room
If possible, try to attend your classes in a room alone. Just like how you get distracted if your classmates get up from their seat, you’re likely to be distracted by any movements or noise made by someone else in the room you’re sharing. Make sure that there’s no background noise like a video or music playing in the background. A comfortable room to learn in is also important, as you will not be able to focus if the room is too stuffy or too cold.
Have everything you need
Prepare everything you’ll need before class. Check your computer, earphones and microphone to make sure that they’re working properly. If it’s a new class, find out if you need any software or programs installed, like PDF readers. Stationery, reference books and a glass of water should always be within an arm’s reach to prevent you from scrambling in search of them. Most importantly, you should also make sure that you have enough space to do your work and won’t get overwhelmed.
Allow no interruptions
When learning online, you need to self-regulate to make sure that you’re not staring at your phone instead of what is being taught in class (we’re all guilty of this!). Put your phone away from your reach to remove the temptation to check it or set it to ‘busy’. If you use any messaging programs on your computer, turn those off when you’re in class. Interruptions from family members or roommates can also knock you off track when you need to focus, so let them know that they should talk to you later.
Get out of your chair once a while
Long hours of sitting down can be detrimental to your health in the long run, so take a short break when you can. Stand up and walk around in your room or do a few stretches or exercises for three to five minutes. This can help you feel a bit more refreshed and ready to learn again. Pay attention to your posture and body position while you are sitting too. Slouching over your keyboard for hours will put a strain on your body, potentially causing permanent damage.
Have a separate browser
Yes, it’s definitely easier to have one browser for everything, but it won’t be as productive. Having the other tabs like YouTube videos or social media pages on your screen can draw your attention away from class. If you specifically have one browser only for classes and work, you’ll spend less time sifting through the tabs you have open and will be able to focus better. Otherwise, there are also productivity tools like Freedom that will block distracting websites so that you can’t sneak in a video or two!
Your surroundings matter, and can affect your motivation levels in ways you may not notice. Some students find e-learning to be tedious, and resent the fact that they are forced to learn online. However, it’s possible that with the right set up, any student will still be able to focus and catch the crucial information that their teacher is disseminating.
