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It's always important to maintain your schedule especially during online seasons. Uphold the same principles as you would if you were to attend the class physically on campus.

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Great multiple points on how to remain stress free in todays world of online learning!

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Online learning has countless benefits when it comes to earning any college degree. However, stress can occasionally rear its ugly head and try to throw you off your game. This is especially true now in the midst of a global pandemic when life and society have been significantly altered.

If you're one of the millions of college students who has transitioned to all online courses, or you've been taking them for a while, check out these secrets to help you manage stress as an online learner.

1. Find a quiet place to work on your online learning courses.

Because you aren't in a regular classroom as an online learner, it's imperative to find a place that is comfortable and quiet for you to focus. This could be in a bedroom, in the kitchen, on a patio or balcony, or even at a park where you can listen to the birds chirp while reading an e-book for your criminal justice or social work class.

Being at home with parents, children, siblings, or pets can be quite distracting. Plus, many online classes require students to participate in interactive sessions on Skype, Zoom, and other web conferencing platforms. This means you might have to speak or present information verbally or even on video, not to mention intently listening in on your instructor and fellow classmates.

The key is to make everyone around you aware of the fact that you need a quiet location where you can concentrate and put your undivided attention toward your online learning requirements.

2. Identify and use more effective time management strategies.

While many online classes occasionally meet weekly or throughout the week at certain times through an online platform, most online courses require above-average time management skills on the part of the student. You likely don't have a set timeframe when you absolutely must be devoting your time to each specific online class, so it's important to map out how you use your time in an efficient manner.

Examples of time management tips for online learners include:

Making a task calendar for yourself: Create a calendar for each online class you're in. Map out when specific assignments are due, when quizzes or exams will be held, and blocks of time to dedicate to studying.

Delegating tasks to others: If your spouse or kids might be able to help you with simple tasks around the house or apartment, let them do so. This will give you a little more time to work on your online coursework.

Staying organized: This can apply to your life in general. But in terms of online learning, make sure your workspace where you actually work on your online classes is free from clutter. Organize any textbooks, notebooks, and other items you might be printing out for your courses.

Get more time management tips for online learners here to help you minimize stress.

3. Connect with your instructors regularly.

Feeling overwhelmed with your online classes? Connect with your instructors. They are there to help guide you whenever you need assistance. Email, call, text, Skype, FaceTime, or use any other communication tool available to you to do this. A quick conversation about something that's bothering you in your course - or even in your life in general - can alleviate a good amount of stress immediately.

4. Connect with your fellow classmates regularly.

Get to know the other students in your classes. More than likely, they are dealing with some type of stress themselves, so it's a huge help to be able to relate to one another.

Plus, if you're struggling with some of the assignments in an online class, reach out to a fellow student to find out about how he or she is handling them. Perhaps you can collaborate, while still actually doing the work independently, in order to support each other throughout the class. Group projects are often part of online learning, which specifically lend themselves to this type of collaboration.

5. Connect with technical support, accessibility services, and other departments within your college or university that support online learning.

If you've never taken remote online classes before - or even if you have - there is a chance you could encounter some technological challenges. Nobody is immune from potential error messages, slow or lost Internet connections, and a variety of other issues that could crop up since no piece of technology works perfectly every second of the day.

The good news is that there is support for you. Don't hesitate to reach out to your school's technical support or IT team for any assistance at all. No question is too complicated or too basic. Having technical assistance for when you need it can be a huge stress reliever.

Also, if you are registered with an Office of Accessibility Services or a department with a similar purpose, be sure to contact someone from this team as well to ensure your online learning experience is accessible and meets your specific needs.

The bottom line here is that you should never feel alone. Your school should be able to provide any support you need as an online learner so you can be successful and ultimately earn your degree of choice. Having offered online learning options for over 20 years, Saint Leo University is proud to meet any needs that fall into this realm.

6. Make time for relaxation.

Carving out some time to relax and distress is critical, especially during a challenging time for everyone. Consider these relaxation options to make your online learning experience a little easier:

Pull out a mystery book or open your Kindle and read something different from your academic reading.

Consider meditation, yoga, and other breathing exercises.

Call or FaceTime with your close friends and family members.

Enjoy a food or dessert that you might normally try to avoid to keep the pounds off. During a stressful time, a little comfort food can't hurt.

7. Make time for exercise and physical activity.

You should never say you don't have enough time to exercise. In stressful times, you can still go for a jog or walk around the block, do jumping jacks or pushups, stretching, weight lifting, and use a variety of indoor exercise equipment.

Exercise can also do wonders for your mental acuity and can help you in your online coursework as well. Getting up and moving at least a little each day is a must for so many physical and mental reasons.

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7 Proven Secrets to Manage Stress as an Online Learning Student

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Online learning has countless benefits when it comes to earning any college degree. However, stress can occasionally rear its ugly head and try to throw you off your game. This is especially true now in the midst of a global pandemic when life and society have been significantly altered.

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Not everyone is "tech-savvy" or have had an easy experience transitioning see below or contact CSI help desk: don't be shy!

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I. Technology Resources

Make sure you are familiar with the requirements for online courses you take. For example, a finance course may require that you have access to a recent version of Microsoft Excel. A communications course may require PowerPoint and access to a webcam or microphone on your computer. Please be sure to visit theInformation Technology online resources web page for a complete listing of technology offerings.

Computer Skills

How do you learn best? What study habits work for you? Does it help you to use visuals, listing to audio, touch and manipulate physical materials, or talk about what you are learning?

We all have different preferences, strengths and weaknesses when it comes to learning. Learning styles aren't set in stone and may change based on the material you're learning. What study skills work best for you.

Learning Style Activity:
Try taking one of the following learning style inventories to learn more about your own learning styles and preferences:

You may be tempted to post a quick informal reply on a discussion forum in your online course, but make sure you communicate appropriately and respectfully online.
Please follow these "Terms of Service" or "Conditions for Use" or "Netiquette":

No sloppy postings, please use a spell check and then copy and paste into the discussion box

No inflammatory messages, count to 10 before posting, No (masked) vulgarity,

No trolling

No spamming

No mentioning of pink elephants, etc

YES, be polite

Yes, be helpful

Yes, copy and paste materials into your posts to support your positions

Yes, ask questions of your classmates

Yes, point out inconsistencies, contradictions and vagueness

Yes, respond to those you respond to you in acceptable posting language

Do NOT use all CAPITAL letters. It is considered rude to do so

No spelling short cuts or emoticons

No lower case "i" in referring to oneself

No sentence fragments and sentences that begin without an upper-case letter.

Source: CUNY Academic Commons, Student Preparedness- why is it important? https://hybrid.commons.gc.cuny.edu/students/student-preparation/

1. Write Clearly and Professionally
You won't be able to raise your hand to ask a question in class but will need to communicate your ideas and questions clearly in writing through online discussion boards, email or virtual meetings. Online courses demand strong reading and writing skills. Before writing to your professor, make sure you've read the instructions and information posted in the course online.

2. Read Carefully
Professors may share a lot of detailed instructions and information about the course in writing. They may also use announcements to share weekly reminders and clarifications or to inform you on last minute changes in the course. Read everything posted in the course very carefully, especially the syllabus, so you don't miss important details. Check your Blackboard settings to make sure you receive course notifications in a timely manner.

3. Be an Active Online Participant
You can't sit in the back of the room in an online course. Everyone's participation is noticed and appreciated. Online discussions are a common way to get everyone talking about concepts introduced in the course. One of the benefits to communicating in an online forum vs in the classroom is you'll have slightly more time to reflect on what you're reading before sharing your thoughts. More and more collaborative, synchronous tools are being brought into online courses every day which can help broaden the ways professors and students communicate with each other.

4. Be Social!
Just because you're taking an online course doesn't mean you can't meet up with your classmates! Online courses shift the way you engage with your professor and other students but don't be afraid to reach out with questions or to connect about the course. When you study and collaborate on projects you won't have as many opportunities to run into each other on campus so you don't be shy and reach out to set up study meet ups and try getting to know your classmates.

Your coursework will generally fall into two categories: course materials and course activities.
Course Materials:

The course materials may include readings from a textbook, multimedia, video or audio lectures, PowerPoint presentations and more.

You may be expected to read, watch and/or listen to these materials prior to completing your assignments.

Your materials may be offered in an electronic format.

​​​
Course Activities:

These can include all of the same types of activities you would do in a face-to-face class except you will be expected to submit them online.

Some activities will be asynchronous, meaning you can work on them at your convenience. They will still have due dates but you have more flexibility than you would if you had to meet in a classroom. These types of activities include threaded discussions, wikis, blogs, journals, group work and more.

Synchronous assignments will require you to be online at the same time as your professor, and/or classmates. These may include live chat sessions or virtual video conferencing sessions. Your professor may also offer virtual office hours synchronously. Virtual sessions in Blackboard will use Blackboard Collaborate.

You may have a combination of group assignments and individual work.

Activities may be brief such as weekly homework and others may involve semester long projects.

It's important to familiarize yourself with the tools needed for the activities early on.

Let's face it, you're probably interested in taking an online course because of the flexibility. Although many online courses are promoted as offering learning "anytime" and "anywhere" online courses still have deadlines. You will need to manage your time to ensure that you keep up with your weekly assignments and progress on long term assignments. Time doesn't fly out the window when taking an online course.

Time Commitment Per Week
You are expected to invest a certain number of hours in a course based on the number of credits, regardless of the format. For every 1 one credit you're taking over a traditional 15 week semester, you should expect to spend about 3 three hours per week engaged in course activities. In a 3-three credit course, you should expect to spend about 9 nine hours per week on a combination of readings, writing papers, communicating with your fellow students and the professor working on projects, and preparing for quizzes and tests.

Don't Procrastinate!
Many courses follow a Monday through Sunday format where the week is front-loaded with readings and multimedia viewing and writing papers, participating in discussions and taking quizzes occurs during the tail end of the week. Schedule your time so that you can be successful managing this workload.

With online learning, the course comes to you. Your lifestyle and competing commitments have a much larger influence on your success in an online course than when you travel to get to an in person classroom. The location you chose to engage in your online course work will make all the difference in how focused and productive you may be. Your classroom may become your living room. It may be your kitchen table or your commute to work. Some people have no problem working on their course work in a busy coffee shop while others need the quiet of a library environment. You will need to figure out which environment helps you be successful. Try to set up a dedicated workspace where you're comfortable and won't be distracted.

Learning Environment Checklist:

High-speed internet access

Free of distractions

Ample outlets to keep computer charged

Quiet / Able to use headphones

Large desk space to layout multiple materials, notebooks and other study materials

Bright lighting to reduce eye strain

Comfortable seating

Distractions are a part of life. We would all rather spend our time enjoying ourselves rather than focusing on understanding challenging issues or working. They key is finding the right balance so that you are able to focus on course work when it's needed and able to find time to relax.

Multitasking is a Myth
We all like to think that we can multitask effectively but many people find that multitasking is not as effective as focusing on one task at a time for shorter, more concentrated periods of time. Some people recommend using noise cancelling headphones and a timer to help focus attention on one thing more deeply rather than being involved in many things at that same time in a more shallow way.

Tips for staying focused:

Identify Goals - What do you hope to achieve? Try to break down long term goals into smaller, attainable tasks.

Create a schedule -It can be helpful to schedule the times you plan to work on course activities just as you would have had to schedule being in a classroom on certain days/times. Just because you have flexibility doesn't mean you don't need a schedule!

Connect with Classmates - Learning is a social activity and connecting with your classmates may alleviate stress and enhance your understanding of the course material. Reach out to your classmates to set up time to meet up online or over the phone to discuss your assignments and get to know each other.

Prioritize! - What is most urgent and essential to focus on? We all get caught up in topics that interest us, just make sure that you put the most important assignments front and center.

Practice Self-Care - Don't forget about yourself in all of this. Get a good night sleep, exercise and eat well. Taking care of yourself will help you be a more successful online learner.

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I. Technology Resources Make sure you are familiar with the requirements for online courses you take. For example, a finance course may require that you have access to a recent version of Microsoft Excel. A communications course may require PowerPoint and access to a webcam or microphone on your computer.