One of the breakthroughs of education is that many organizations and academic institutions have embraced online learning. They invest in facilities and academicians that make distance learning possible. And online schools have been the go-to solution of people who want to take a second degree, pick up courses they have missed, or those who have troubles socializing with classmates.
With the facilities available, it only makes sense that you invest time and effort in learning. That will help you finish your degree or courses as soon as possible. And if you want to make the most of your online education, you need to communicate with your instructors as frequently as possible.
Some pointers and lessons have not been tackled in the module, and getting in touch with your instructors will help fill the gap. Whether you are finishing a high school course or a paralegal degree online, here are some tips to help you out.
Do Not Be Shy
Shyness is one of the greatest enemies of fruitful learning. When you are shy, you will be afraid to interact with your professor, thus keeping you from clarifying things and asking questions. Whenever you feel shy about asking questions, you may want to stop yourself and think about this: you are paying your tuition and matriculation because you want to learn—and the job of your instructors is to help you. That is what they are being paid for, after all. If you want to overcome shyness, you may want to read this article.
Ask Smart Questions
If you want to clarify your lessons, you need to ask smart questions. The first thing you need to do is veer away from questions that are easily answerable with “Yes” or “No”.
Gun for questions that will encourage the expounding of thoughts, lessons, and ideas. That way, you will get more information, which will be helpful for your studies. Do not forget to ask tough, follow-up questions. Following up on a topic can give you more details.
Consider Other Channels of Communication
Your live lecture with your professor may be one-way, but you can always find other ways of communicating if you want to talk to your professor. For one, email correspondence allows two-way communication where you can get more information from your professor. Social media and video chats are a nice means if you want your communication real-time. If your online school has a forum, you should make the most of it by inputting queries, questions, and explanations that will encourage further discussions.
Meet Them Up
Sometimes, online communications may not work, especially if there are concepts that you cannot explain with just a few words. With that, you may want to consider meeting them up online. Most professors and instructors are willing to meet their students. That also provides you with an opportunity to get a head start on other lessons.
These are just some of the things to keep in mind if you want to communicate with your online instructors. Be consistent.