Table of Contents
Introduction
During Spring 2020, the University of Washington held all of its classes remotely. As a result, many students had to adapt to lectures and assignments that were all offered online. For me, I had never taken a single class completely online. When I had to manage all my classes online, I also had to learn how to manage my time effectively. In this post, I will outline how I adapted to a completely remote learning experience and detail the things that I noticed throughout the quarter. I hope that this post can help show how I managed this change and explain what helped or hurt my overall learning.
Managing Time
The most important thing that I learned during this quarter was how to manage my time effectively. With a completely remote quarter, my daily routine was changed entirely. Online learning meant that the commute to class was just waking up and getting on the computer. Our lives revolve around our daily commutes and routines, so it was important that I was able to meet assignment deadlines and maintain a balance between class and my free time.
Meeting Deadlines
Meeting assignment deadlines in a fully remote quarter can be difficult to manage. However, to help me stay organized, I decided to use a calendar application. With so many different deadlines for each class, I was able to put them all in a single place and easily manage my time. It was important for me to stay organized. Planning which assignments to do allowed me to stop procrastinating and finish my assignments early.
Balance
A strict constraint that I gave myself this quarter was to minimize the amount of schoolwork I did on the weekends. By doing this, I was able to maintain a routine that gave me time to completely switch off and relax. This constraint was also another way that helped stop procrastination. By staying organized and finishing assignments early before the weekend, I was able to prepare myself for the next week.
Group Projects
During this quarter, I had one class that was completely based on a group project. In a remote setting, it was difficult to stay motivated. My group had someone in a different timezone and that made it difficult to meet with each other live. However, we were able to make clear and well-defined goals and tasks. Another class that I took had a group project, but we were given a choice of completing it individually. I think that in a remote situation, group projects should be optional given the circumstances. However, with a class based on a group project, it can be very difficult to change to a completely remote format.
Exams
For my classes with traditional exams, they were made optional due to the circumstances. However, if they were required, I think that the best way to accommodate everyone would be to make it open note and free to discuss with classmates. In a completely remote format, exams are hard to proctor. By creating the exam in a way that allows collaboration, I think that the learning can be better reinforced and not focused on purely scoring well.
Consolidated Platform
A huge thing that I appreciated during this quarter were the classes that used Canvas. Although it was not necessarily the Canvas platform that helped, it was the fact that everything was in one place. Between departments, it can be difficult to coordinate. However, with the classes that used a single platform, it made it incredibly easy to track and remember everything I had to do. Even with in-person classes, I think that having one platform is incredibly helpful for a student's learning experience.
Discussion Boards
Discussion boards were also another thing that I really appreciated. Some people are not able to ask questions live during lectures. However, these students still need a place to ask their questions. Whenever I found myself confused about some material, I would eventually find the answer on the discussion boards. A discussion board helps every student since anyone can ask a question and see the answer.
Conclusion
Although a completely remote quarter was unexpected initially, I am glad that I was able to experience it. This quarter taught me a lot about managing my time and meeting deadlines appropriately. Even in a new format of learning, I was able to adapt and still learn effectively.