Course

Hello and welcome to Essential Skills for Online Learning from The University of Manchester Library.

You can work through this resource online starting with this introduction, and/or download the printable/offline version.

Read definitions of terms used in this resource.

In this section you will learn about techniques that will help you plan and manage your time effectively so that you can balance your work/life/study time and become an efficient online learner.

Like many students you may have chosen online learning because you have other commitments, such as work or family, so the time which you set aside for study may be different to a traditional learner. For example, you may study in the evenings or weekends, during your lunch break or while travelling or commuting! As an online learner you have the freedom to create your own schedule, unlike students on face-to-face courses who receive a set timetable.

There may be unpredictability to your schedule. Any consistency that you’re able to create may help you to succeed in your online learning, research encourages identifying regular times for study (Roper, 2007).

Cramming usually involves studying for a long and intense period shortly before an exam or assignment. Cramming is not the best way to make the most of your learning.

Study in short bursts spread out over the course and return to learned information more than once. This will help you to improve your retention and recall of the information.

Consider how spaced practice could work for you and plan learning activities to suit your schedule.

Procrastination refers to the process of delaying work on an important task or assignment, usually by engaging in less important tasks as a distraction or avoiding work altogether. Procrastination often occurs when an individual feels overwhelmed by everything they have to do.

Step two - Try to anticipate the things which could potentially distract you during one of your planned study sessions. Once you have done this you can then start to develop a plan to either prevent these distractions from taking place or deal with them when they do.

Develop a strategy to help you keep focussed and avoid procrastination.

Consider what you have learnt and how you will put it into practice for the future

In this topic you will work through a range of strategies which will enable your writing to communicate effectively as an online learner.

Learn how the writing strategy RAFT will enable you to write critically

Practice identifying the separate elements of RAFT in a real world situation.

Now, you will look at some different communication methods you may engage with as an online learner. The RAFT technique can help you to make the most of these opportunities so that you communicate in a clear, effective and appropriate way; this is essential for the successful completion of your course.

Practice identifying the correct format for your written communications.

Explore how you can apply RAFT to your assignments to improve the quality and style of your academic writing.

Understand the key components of your assignment task.

You have focused on communicating clearly with your tutor and with others in order to make the most of your online learning. 

In this topic you will learn about the importance of collaboration and the benefits of collaborating effectively in the context of an online learning environment. 

Whether you are learning online or face-to-face, there are many benefits to collaborative learning.

You will have had some experience of learning collaboratively in the classroom and so will have some understanding of the challenges and benefits of collaborating in the same physical space. For example, in the past you might have sometimes found it difficult to put your hand up and offer your opinion in a classroom setting. However, when you did ask a question in the classroom you benefited from an instant response to your questions.

Collaborating in an online learning space will both challenge and benefit you in different ways. It will also give you the opportunity to rethink the way you work with others.

Sometimes you may be asked to collaborate on an assignment or project. At other times you work with people in less formal ways. Engaging in a learning community is a great way to share ideas and gain support. 

As you engage in your online learning community you will start to gain an understanding of each other’s strengths and skills. In group work think about what are your strengths and those of the other students on your course.

To think about what you have learned, we will describe a fictional online learning student and ask you how she could help herself across four aspects of collaborative learning.

Throughout this resource you have considered three skills which are essential for successful online learning: organisation, communication and collaboration.