Hi,
As you may know, mostly all education has been converted to…. o n l i n e l e a r n i n g. At UCLA, this means online lectures, online discussion sections, and somehow online labs? Go figure. Anyway, this is one heck of a way to standardize online school, am I right?
My personal opinion: After roughly 3 weeks of online learning… dare I say I like it? Of course there are cons and of course I love in person learning, but I am not going to lie to you: I don’t mind this whole online learning thing. There, I said it.
Online learning is not that bad for me. I wake up for my 8am discussion at 7:56am. I wear pajamas to class, and I get to sit in my bed all cozied up. I can watch some of my lectures on 2x speed. I usually watch them at 1.5x speed, and this is a nice way to speed up slow talking professors, finish the lectures in a fraction of the time, and I have to pay attention more closely so information doesn’t fly by and miss me (keeps me engaged and on my toes).
5 helpful tips:
- If you use google docs/good drive, make separate folders for each class. This is a simple and easy way to keep each class’s notes, homework, and study guides organized and easily accessible.
- Watch the lecture on 1.5x speed. Thank me later.
- Take breaks! One of my professors puts in slides that actually tell us to take a break, and it is actually helpful! This gives your eyes a break from staring intently at a screen, and allows you to relax your brain/recharge it for a little.
- Print out a weekly calendar and hang it over where you do work (I have a whiteboard calendar that hangs above my desk). It is so easy to let things slip by and forget about your responsibilities. Use this to write down things like due dates, lecture times, and office hours!
- Create a space where you can be productive. If you know you get distracted easily, make sure you work in a room where your family isn’t going to be. Light a candle, use a diffuser, decorate/clean your desk space, put on some light music in the background, etc. Make your work space somewhere that is comfortable and enjoyable to work at.
Pros:
- Able to watch lectures whenever and wherever
- Wake up for 8 am at 7:56am
- Don’t have to walk to class
- Class takes have the time because you don’t spend time walking to campus, then walking back home
- The stress of competing with other students in minimized because you don’t know what others are doing or how they’re doing or how much they are studying
- Open note
- Less distractions and opportunities to skip class and not do your work (you don’t have friends around, all public places are closed, etc.)
- You get to be home spending time with family
- I have less anxiety speaking up over zoom, so I have been able to participate more in discussions
- You never forget what building/room your class is in and you never walk into the wrong class or at the wrong time
- Distractions during class are almost eliminated because you can control the environment you are in
Cons
- Don’t get to walk to class on UCLA’s beautiful campus
- Don’t get to sit in Powell (my favorite library on UCLA’s campus)
- Easy to let assignments and due dates sneak past you
- New types of examinations that may be hard to adjust to
- Learning curve for a different kind of schooling
- Technical difficulties and zoom issues
- Different learning styles not being accommodated to
- One of my lectures is just audio, and no notes or slides are posted. The professor says this is due to technical difficulties. This can be hard for students, especially students that are visual learners.
And there you have it! My review of online learning!
One more thing: wash your hands!
-Hannah Hansen
Hannah Hansen 