Online learning presents new, unique opportunities.

One new opportunity arising from the COVID-19 pandemic is the ability to the transition from learning in person to learning online. Preparing in advance can help make the transition to online learning easier and reduce some of the uncertainty and stress. 

Determine Your Readiness for Online Learning

The following questionnaire will help you assess your digital learning skills and readiness for online learning. This will give you the opportunity to identify your strengths and areas for improvement. Click the image to be taken to the survey.

^{This questionnaire modified from the Online Learning Readiness Questionnaire created by IT Learning and Development, Penn State University, under a  CC BY NC SA license. This version (by Algonquin College was created by The Learning Portal and is available under the same license.}

General Tips for Online Learning

Stay Organized

• Online learning management systems (such as Blackboard) can feel overwhelming, however, they provide access to the information required for you to succeed in your courses.
• Use the syllabus and information from professors to keep a list of all course deadlines and make note of them in a virtual or physical agenda.
• Input deadlines, due-dates, and exam dates into a virtual or physical calendar. This can help you stay organized and prepare in advance.

Reach Out to the Professor or Course Instructor 

• Virtual learning can feel impersonal at times. It is important to still make connections with others as it will help you feel more connected to the course.
• Connect with professors, course instructors and/or graduate/teaching assistants through email or virtual office hours.

Attend and Stay Engaged in Online Classes

• It is easy to feel distracted when you are learning from home, but don’t let this discourage you.

• Keep yourself accountable by leaving your camera on during class.
  • This may feel intimidating at first, but if you are able to, you will remain more focused in class when you know that others can see you.
  • This also helps to make you feel more connected to what you are doing in class.
• Limit Distractions.
  • Set your phone to Do Not Disturb and resist the temptation to check notifications.
  • Keep your mic muted when you are not speaking — background sounds can be distracting to others. When you are not speaking, stay in the habit of keeping your mic on mute.

Suggestions for Navigating Online Learning

Building Digital and Information Literacy

It is easy to be overwhelmed with information while online, but you can build digital and information literacy in various ways to help better navigate online learning.

For example, this interactive content can help you differentiate between statements that may either be fact or an opinion:

You can also practice checking what you have just read in three to four steps, outlined in this interactive content:

Chapter Progress