Getting the most out of online tutorials

The global pandemic has seen a huge rise in the number of people studying online. Those attending colleges and universities who expected to enjoy face-to-face seminars and tutorials have been forced to stay in their homes or dorm rooms and take classes remotely. Meanwhile, there has been a massive increase in take-up for online degree courses as ordinary people use lockdown time to further their education, or look to improve their chances in an uncertain employment market.

Online learning has many advantages. It opens up education to those who are not full-time students but who need to fit coursework in around a regular job or family responsibilities. However, sometimes the pressures of higher education can be exaggerated when courses are conducted over the internet, and among these is the feeling of not getting enough time with your tutors.

Help and support

Dedicated online programs have long been aware of these issues and have resources in place to manage them. Anyone studying to be a family nurse practitioner on Wilkes University FNP will be connected with a student success advisor to provide guidance, counseling and support. Nevertheless, there are steps you can take to get the most out of your time spent with your tutor, particularly when studying online.

Be ready on time

Find a space where you won’t be disturbed and you have a reliable Wi-Fi connection. Try to be ready at least 10 minutes before your tutorial is due to start, and use this time to test your microphone, your camera and your internet while checking for any bugs in your video-conferencing software. With distance learning, you’ve only got a limited amount of time with your tutor, so you want to make sure that you can be seen and heard clearly, and not waste precious minutes troubleshooting.

Email your work in advance

If you need to discuss an essay or other work with your tutor, make sure that they’ve got all the relevant material from you in advance, preferably the day before. This can be emailed over or, better still, shared on the cloud, where you can both make notes and corrections in real time. Sending it in advance gives your tutor time to read it, assess where you need help, and source any additional material they think may benefit you. They can also think about how best to explain any concepts you might be struggling with.

Manage your expectations

Go into your meeting with a clear sense of what you hope to get out of it. Identify and prioritize your goals, and address the most important ones first. You have a limited amount of time, so make sure that any essential points are covered first.

It’s also crucial to have a realistic idea of how long it will take to cover each point. If you rush through, you won’t get full value from your tutorial. Don’t be afraid to say if your tutor is going too fast and you need to go back over something. Covering one subject thoroughly so that you understand it is better than skimming over four or five.

Online tutorials can work extremely well if you are well prepared. Know what you want and do the necessary groundwork so that you can get the most out of your screen time.

–