Taking online nursing classes offers plenty of advantages. You can accommodate your current work schedule, take classes in your PJs (who isn’t guilty of doing this?), and spend quality time with your loved ones.
However, all that flexibility may also make taking online classes a bit challenging. Without a face-to-face course to attend, combined with day-to-day distractions, you might find it hard to stay on task.
This guide has been designed to show you how to be successful in your online nursing course. This involves harmonizing with fellow students, time-blocking, creating an effective working space and more.
If studying nursing from home through online ABSN programs is in your plans, consider following the tips below.
Get yourself an accountability partner
If staying motivated and on task is challenging for you, try connecting with an accountability partner from your class. Talk to one of your classmates and ask them if you can be accountability partners. Create a system where you will check up on each other’s progress and help each other to meet deadlines. That way, you will be less likely to slack off if you know your partner is expecting a message from you. If you live in the same area, you can even meet up to study and share work goals in real life.
Alternatively, you could also find a partner working toward a different objective. For example, you can check in with them when it’s time to study, and your partner can check in with you when it’s time to take a break.
Create a working space
When studying at home, it can be tricky to avoid distractions, but reducing them is important in order to succeed in your online course. If you can, create a separate space where you can focus on your work and not be interrupted. This could be a spare bedroom, an office or a separate area in your living room. The workspace would most likely include:
- A desk
- Reference books
- Stationery and notetaking materials
- Power outlets to plug in your laptop
One great benefit of having a dedicated working space is that your subconscious automatically switches to study mode when you sit at your desk.
If you cannot find a suitable space at home or find that the environment around you is still too distracting, you should look for somewhere else to study, such as your local library, a coffee shop or café (preferably with free Wi-Fi), or a close friend’s home.
Try time-blocking
Time-blocking is a time-management strategy that helps you stay productive when working at home. In time-blocking, you set aside time for each task so you can concentrate on one thing at a time.
So, instead of trying to study three different modules at the same time, you assign a certain amount of time for each task. This can be split further into specific jobs. For instance, you can give yourself 30 minutes to do research, 30 minutes to study and 20 minutes to answer discussion questions.
To make things easier, you can also use a time-blocking application. Such an app blocks other distractions to help you stay focused.
Avoid skipping the introductory material for your course
Start your semester’s study by going through all the orientation material given to you by your instructors. Remember that they spend hours developing these guidelines to explain all the prerequisites better and improve your learning experience.
Online instructors have often voiced frustration that students make mistakes because they skip the instructions.
Although initial guidelines may sound boring, they signify how much time you must spend on the course per week regarding the course credits. You may also need to check relevant dates and times of lectures, assignment deadlines and discussion forums.
Use all this information to plan your study program so that you can stay ahead of schedule.
Get to know your instructors
Becoming acquainted with your instructors will be very helpful as they will offer a lot of guidance in the long run.
Contact your instructor whenever you feel stuck or need further guidance. After all, student interaction is a part of their job and can prove to be an insightful learning experience for you.
Clarification through a short video conference or an email could spare you days of anxiety or, worse yet, a poor grade on a piece of work. Always check the feedback on your assignments and use it to improve.
Also, get in touch with faculty if you run into personal problems that may cause you to slow down. For instance, be proactive if you need an extension on an assignment due date. They will usually be helpful and accommodating since it’s not hard to understand that life is full of surprises.
If needed, you may also use other helpful resources the institution offers, such as counselors, mentors and support services.
Study in small sections daily
No one can cram a week’s lessons into a few hours during the weekend. Consider spending a little time going through your lessons every day. You can also break your studies into smaller sections to make them easier to memorize. Going through your lessons daily will help you stay up to date so you can focus on other tasks.
You can also create a study group with your classmates. That way, you will get to know your classmates and successfully stay on top of things.
Practice self-care
Last but certainly not least, monitor your well-being. Maintaining motivation and drive can often become challenging when you are studying online. You may also forget to care for yourself when you are constantly stuck at home.
Put effort into getting dressed every day before you begin working. Ensure you eat a balanced diet and have seven to eight hours of restful sleep every night. Spend some time outdoors to get some fresh air. Exercise is also vital in keeping the body healthy and releasing neurotransmitters to help you focus better.
Boost your internal motivation by rewarding yourself now and then. Celebrate small achievements such as finishing an assignment or a section of work. Your rewards do not have to be significant — just things you enjoy, such as a bubble bath, a movie or a favorite meal.
Lastly, you do not have to stress too much if you are punctual and complete the expected work on time. Overworking yourself can lead to burnout, which is the last thing anyone needs, and it certainly won’t improve the quality of your performance.
