The lockdown is a challenging situation in which everyone is trying their best to find the silver lining. You know,all those pictures of your friends cooking new dishes, baking, painting, learning a new skill?Everybody hastheirownway of staying positively engaged during these tough times. If you’ve wanted to do the same by stepping into the world of e-learning, that’s brilliant! There’s no better time to learn a foreign language that’s always intrigued you or a skill like graphic designing that you’ve always wished you had.
If you’ve never taken up a course online and are wondering howto about making e-learning as effective as possible, here are some things you need to keep in mind.
Make space in your routine
You may want to learn a lot of new things during the lockdown, and you may have signed up for a few online courses too. But unless you sit down and figure out a way to fit e-learning into your daily routine, you’ll find it hard to meet your study goals.
Use the technique of‘habit stacking’to do this. It involves pairing the new habit you want to build with a current habit in your routine. For instance, ifyou aretaking an online marketing course, you can decide that ‘After I’m done withbreakfast, I will spend an hour studying the next module.’ This helps train your brain and it resists less when trying something new.
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Select the right platform
Here we can look at two possibilities – 1. You’re looking for an accredited course, 2. You want to learn a skill one-on-one (playing the guitar, makeup etc.) If you lean more towards the first category, platforms like Udemy, Unacademy, IGNOU, Shaw Academy etc. are some of the best options in India. Airtelsubscribers can even take a free course with Shaw Academy.
On the other hand, if you want to take one-on-one classes from someone to learn painting, playing instruments, cooking etc., then you need agood video conferencing platformlike Zoom or Google Meet. You should also look for e-books, podcasts, YouTube videos, etc. to supplement what you’re learning – whether it’s a new language or World Economics.
Use a stable network
Having a stable network is the most basic requirement for effective e-learning. Trying to study over an unpredictable mobile connection, or even Broadband that’s already being shared by everybody at your home, may not deliver the best experience.
To keep up with your instructor and the rest of the class, it’s important that you choose a network provider that offers super-fast download speed and video streaming, and avoids lagging, buffering and pixelated video. According toOpensignal’s Mobile Network Experience Report April 2020,Airtel is the leading network in both categories. Not just that, according to the report, it’s also the leading network in voice App experience and Latency experience. Using a stable network will help you ensure that you don’t miss out on anything in the class.
Have a wholesome diet and exercise
Staying up all night and having a lot of caffeine to finish an assignment is not healthy. In general, but especially during the current global pandemic, it’s important for you to nourish your body and mind with nutritious food. Be mindful of what you’re eating and when.
Try to have more plant-based foods like fruits and vegetables and include healthy fats like nuts, cheese, olive oil, etc. in your diet. Eating such food will not just keep your immune system strong but will also help you focus better in e-class. Remember to stay hydrated too! Similarly, it’s important to exercise a little or practice yoga which can help you concentrate better. Just 15 minutes of meditation can work wonders. Since you’ll be staring at a screen for longer durations, exercises like eye rolls (slowing rolling your eyes right – up – left – down) and palming (rubbing hands together and placing them over closed eyelids) can help alleviate the strain.
Finally, you should remember to have fun! E-learning should not be an added task you dread. It should be something you look forward to every day. Therefore, remember to pick a course that truly excites you and not something you think you should be doing. Happy learning!