5 Ways to Set Yourself Up for Success in Your Next Online Class

After teaching hundreds of classes over thousands of hours, mostly online via Zoom, I’ve noticed what works, and what doesn’t.

In this article, I’m going to give you five tips to set yourself up for success in your next online class.

#1 - It almost goes without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway: Show up on time!

Besides the fact that it’s rude and disruptive to enter a classroom late, even on zoom, the instructor has thoughtfully and meticulously planned every single minute of the class.??

Those first few minutes of class are where she or he is going to lay out the structure of the class, set expectations for what you’re going to learn, and how that learning is going to be delivered.? She is going to explain how to communicate with her or the other students.? He or she will explain if breakout rooms are going to be used, and what to expect when that happens.? Not to mention, how and when, and if it’s acceptable to unmute yourself, what emoji reactions might be asked for and where those are located.

It’s a big deal and you don’t want to miss it.??

In my experience, missing the beginning of class means you’re going to start in a state of confusion that can linger for as long as thirty minutes.? That little bit of confusion is going to cause unnecessary friction in your consumption and absorption of the material.? It’s going to take you just a few seconds longer to respond with the appropriate reaction emoji or find the chatbox.? You are going to be momentarily taken aback if a poll or quiz question shows up on your screen, and you’ll pause just a little bit longer than the rest of the class in order to figure out what you’re supposed to do if there’s a breakout session.

It doesn’t sound like much, does it?? A few seconds here, a few seconds there.? But, those few seconds of uncertainty take you out of the moment.? It makes your brain switch contexts.? It costs you learning time!??

Also, some instructors simply won’t let you in after the first fifteen minutes because you will be a disruption to the rest of the class.

So, be there (on time) or be square!??

#2 - Show up ready to learn??

I know it’s hard, but try to take five minutes before the class starts to get in the right headspace.? You will 100% be glad you did.

You registered for this class for a reason.? Either you were interested in learning about the topic, or your BOSS is interested in you learning about the topic.? Either way, being in the right frame of mind to learn will set you up to absorb and retain the most information.??

Showing up ready to learn means you’ve given yourself a few moments to take a deep breath, clear your head and set your intention for the class.??

What do you want to learn???

How do you want to interact with the instructor and other students?

What are your questions on the pre-work?

Take a deep breath, let it out slowly, and set your intention.? You’ll be glad you did.

#3 - Remove distractions?

We’re all working from home, so I get it.? Distractions abound!? From the refrigerator to the coffee machine to the laundry you need to flip from the washer to the dryer.??

Distractions are everywhere.

Even if you are back in the office, there are still distractions.? The colleague you haven’t seen in person in months.? The cord someone stole off your desk sometime in the last eighteen months that you need in order to connect your laptop to your monitor.? Or even just the candy dish on the receptionist's desk.??

Distractions are still everywhere!

If you can’t remove them, then remove yourself from them.? Close your office door, if you have one.? Put a sticky on the front of your monitor that says “I’m in class, I’ll come find you later”, or find a small conference room.??

You wanted to take this class because it is in some way going to bring value to your career, your day, your life.? So, remove all those wonderfully distracting distractions so you can keep your head in the game and focused on what you came to learn.

#4 Print the class materials beforehand and be ready to take notes - by hand

Remember when you were in college and you were told one of the best ways to begin was to read the chapter before you went to the lecture?? That actually works.? In this case, print the class materials, download the exercise files, and, please, my sincere ask of you: do the pre-work before class!

Be ready to take notes, too.? By hand.

Research shows that physically writing notes helps your brain remember the content.

In a 2014 article in the Association for Psychological Science Journal entitled “The Pen is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand over Laptop Note Taking”, researchers found the following:

“The present research suggests that even when laptops are used solely to take notes, they may still be impairing learning because their use results in shallower processing. In three studies, we found that students who took notes on laptops performed worse on conceptual questions than students who took notes longhand. We show that whereas taking more notes can be beneficial, laptop note takers’ tendency to transcribe lectures verbatim rather than processing information and reframing it in their own words is detrimental to learning.”

Basically, taking notes by hand means having to process what you’re hearing into words on the page, and that processing makes the content “stick” that much better.? So grab your favorite pencil, ballpoint, or glitter pen and get ready to feel like you’re in college again!

#5 Ask questions!??

Most instructors build their classes to try and elicit questions.? Yes, you read that right. We build the class to get you to ask us questions.? I know: sneaky!

But, sometimes students are too self-conscious to step up, unmute themselves and ask the question.? Some are even too shy to pop the question into the chat or Q&A box.??

Be the person who asks the question.??

I get it, we all have high school flashbacks.? But, I promise you, if you are thinking about it there are at least a couple of people in the class who are either wondering the same thing or whose learning will be greatly enhanced by your question.

Additionally, when students ask questions the energy of the class goes up.? There's a positivity that wafts through the class, even on Zoom, and everyone becomes more engaged and, quite frankly, awake!??

What’s more, once one student breaks the ice and asks a question, others will often follow suit.

With that said, I can hear some of my instructor friends loudly thinking in my direction “not all questions are equal, Michelle”.? True.? When asking questions, try not to take the class too off-topic.? If you have a question that is going to delve into your specific issue, the best thing may be to wait until the end of class and ask if the instructor can stay after for a few moments.??

Questions make the class better for everyone, they can delve into nuances of the topic and they increase the overall level of engagement, and thus enjoyment, in the class.??

Be the brave person who makes the class better for everyone - ask questions!

Wrapping It All Up

Zoom fatigue is a real thing.? I get it.? Heck, a lot of days, I have it!? But, online learning is here to stay - and that’s not a bad thing.? With an online class, anyone can learn anything they want literally from their couch.? It’s liberating, impactful, and empowering.??

Online learning also means less time away from the family and from work.? No more week-long classes on the other side of the country to only come back to a desk piled even higher with work!?

So, before the start of your next online class take five minutes to review the materials.? Set your intention for the energy you want to bring to the class. ? Be the brave person who asks questions and raises the level of energy and engagement for everyone. ? You decided to take the class for a reason, it only makes sense to set yourself up for success right from the start.