E-Learning doubles annually. Classes, e-courses, e-books on how and what appear by the thousands online weekly. In-person seminars and workshops are limited to location and access. E-Learning allows easy access, creation and international distribution to a whole new world of experiences, negative and positive.
Avid students now feel that there is a smorgasbord before them. It’s like having teachers and coaches crowded into your studio. However, as soon as you buy an e-learning material, you start reading, and another attraction grabs your attention that is supposed to be even better, even grander. The flow of new material seems to never end: a high percentage is misspelled.
Online learning is beginning to climb the product maturity bell curve. This means that buyers’ dollars are voting materials, demanding, more thoughtful and written. As an avid online reader, I breathe a deep sigh of relief and look forward to this next wave happening across the board.
Studying on a computer screen requires different uses of the mind and the eyes. We normally read in a scanning method when we surf the Net. Now, with study, reading will require more deliberation and care. This increases understanding, comprehension, critical appraisal, and practical application of the material.
Adults who have been away from educational study for a while will need to recheck the range of skills necessary to study again. Those who learned in school. For some, just thinking about studying again makes them crawl under the covers. Those with less time off from their study days, the skills will return much faster. If good study skills were not previously learned, there will be some struggle or frustration that could be experiences while learning the correct methods and creating new habits. For them it will be like creating a cake from scratch instead of a packaged mix.
Take notes
Save your printer ink. Do not print the material, trust your notes and your memory. Taking notes created in ink is as important with e-Learning as it is in any other type of learning environment. Yes, I recommended that you use good quality ink and paper. Note-taking is not just put aside because the learning material is online. Taking handwritten notes is a key element in translating new information in the short term into accessibility in the long term.
If you want to have a checkpoint or a yardstick on what you’re holding back, take notes to get to the next level. You’ll want to preview the material, as mentioned below, and then start reading and taking notes. After this, take a break, come back, and then write down your notes. As you write, add information that you remember from the material or what you have learned from other sources. Add whatever is spinning on your mind. This is the best way to measure what you have withheld and what is still missing. If there’s something in your notes that doesn’t make sense, then you’ll know what you need to reread and start the process again within that smaller scope. You can even ask more detailed questions (see below).
Advance
Review and scan all the material. If the material is large, scan the entire area, then go back to a smaller section at a time and cut it out. Read headings, subtitles, and spend a few extra minutes on any diagrams or memory aids. Look for patterns in the material. If the material is well written, you will always discover one or more patterns. Patterns aid mind-visual-understanding associations. Is there a quick summary at the end of each chapter? If so, read this during your preview. The preview is important whether the new material feels comfortable or stretches.
When previewing, follow the main ideas and concepts more closely rather than the words. Let the headings and titles provide clues and guidance. If the author is playing cheesy with titles (title doesn’t match content), rewrite titles to fit something that may help your memory.
By reading the introductory and final paragraphs first, you will also be able to calculate what your reading pace should be, how much time you will need to set aside, and the amount of effort.
Atmosphere
Be especially careful with your eyes when reading from the computer screen. Take frequent eye breaks by refocusing on a distant object. If your eyes bother you, special eye drops are available for computer reading. If you wear bifocal lenses, ask your ophthalmologist or lens manufacturer to raise the starting line to accommodate computer use. This will also stop neck strain caused by slight up and down movement to align the bifocal line so you can read the screen. Blessed is the doctor who told me this. This adjustment eliminated neck pain ever since.
Don’t stoop. It is often easy to lower the shoulders and neck. This most often occurs when the monitor is not in the ideal position, at eye level. This also adds tension to the neck and shoulders, causing muscle cramps. Angling the screen up, at a higher angle, where the center of the screen points towards your nose, will reduce tension and cramping.
Rhythm
We tend to assume that our reading rate remains the same for Internet browsing and for e-Learning. Is not true. E-Learning requires the same flexibility as if you were reading a book. The pace depends on your reading skills, the type of material, and the quality of your presentation. Allow your pace to change based on the information. Stop comparing how long it takes when you read it in print vs. online form. Allow flexibility in study time until you learn to calibrate the material to your own level.
Questions
Let your curiosity run wild while you study. Record the questions that appear in your thoughts. A great way to expand or answer the question is to write the question at the top of a blank page. Set a timer for 7-10 minutes and quickly write down whatever comes up. At the end of the writing, write one or two summary sentences of what you wrote.
Did your free writing answer the question? Otherwise, you may want to continue with some more timed exercises. Or let it go for the moment, go back to your studies, and add it to your research list. Free writing is always a great way to access deeper meanings that are stored in your subconscious.
The most important key to any type of learning is to find your own pace and stride and have fun with the whole process. Retention is best absorbed when you are relaxed, open, and curious.
