What are some effective tips for taking online classes?

Learning of any type is most effective when students prepare before the class, closely attend to the lesson and participate if there are opportunities to do so, and review their notes immediately after an online class, and again periodically during the course.

Prepare. If you know the topic of the lecture, there might be readings attached to it. If there aren’t, do a few minutes of research in the topic to at least give you a sense of what sorts of things you might like to learn about the topic. Or perhaps you know who the lecturer will be. Do some research and kind out what they’ve published or spoken about recently. This preparation is about activating your attention, sort of laying down one side of “thought Velcro” so the lecture might stick better.

Attend. Not just log in to the lecture (it may be recorded), but pay close attention to what the lecturer is saying. One of the best ways to do this is to take notes, and there’s research that shows the best way to do this is with physical handwriting, on paper or an e-device. Actually writing, not typing, is the most effective way to take notes. When you type, you tend to write down the lecture verbatim, transcribing it, as opposed to thinking about it and creating thoughtful notes about it. I’ve used the Harvard outline format for decades, but one of the more widely used and taught methods is the Cornell method.

Review. As soon as possible after the lecture, review your notes. Ask yourself questions about your notes and write them down. Summarize the lecture in 3 or 4 sentences. If the lecture was recorded, skim through it again to see if your questions are answered. Your questions will also be a great resource for studying for a test or quiz about the lecture.

A lot of people skip the preparation, but it’s a real help in making the lecture more memorable. People skip the review as well, but it helps solidify your learning. It’s not perfect, but preparing, writing (not typing) notes, and reviewing will go a long way to increasing the value of the lecture.