Top 5 Tips For Studying Online

Flight Centre Travel Academy graduate and recent intern, Alison Bates, gives her top 5 tips for studying online.

Studying online was a wonderful experience for me as I could study when and where I wanted. In saying that, things weren’t all rainbows and lollipops - I quickly learnt that I needed structure and organisation to be able to successfully study online. By minimising distractions, staying motivated and managing my time, I was able to stay on task and successfully complete the Diploma of Travel and Tourism course. Here are my top 5 study tips for successful study – I hope it helps you as much as it helped me.

1. Organise your space
Set up an area where you will study; this could be an office, a small desk or even the dining table. Wherever you chose to study, make this area your own. Set yourself up with everything you will need for your studies: laptop, notepads, pens. Buy yourself a planner or calendar so you can make notes on your upcoming assessments and events. Personalise your space by adding photos or pictures to inspire you. When setting up my space I created a vision board with destinations I wanted to travel to and motivational quotes to inspire me. Wherever you chose to study, make sure you spend some time organising your space before you start studying.

2. Minimise distractions
With an organised study space you are less likely to become distracted. Start each study session with everything you need within arm’s reach, that way you can stay on task. Try to plan your studies for a time that will benefit and suit you the most. For some this will be first thing in the morning, others will study of a night when everyone else in the house is asleep. Whenever you chose to study, try to minimise your distractions. Put your phone on silent, turn off social media and move away from the television. It could be worthwhile having a discussion with family members about your study times so they can support you and assist you with minimising distractions.

3. Manage your time wisely
Focus on one thing at a time. Although we all believe we can multi-task you will be doing yourself a favour if you focus on one task at a time. I found it helpful to make a to-do list each week. It felt great when I was able to tick off each reading and activity I completed and it also ensured I was on top of my work expectations throughout the semester. It is super stressful to do assessments at the last minute, so starting earlier in the semester will only benefit you as you will have time to edit and perfect your assessment.

4. Reach out
Whether it’s something that you don’t understand, an assessment extension request or simply that you want to clarify something, reach out to your facilitators. All of the facilitators have many years of experience in the Travel and Tourism Industry, make sure you ask them any questions you have. This can be done in the discussion board or through a private message. Studiosity is another wonderful resource that is available to all students that can assist you with assignment writing, editing and referencing. My advice is to ask lots of questions during Q&A sessions to make sure you have a good understanding of what is being asked in your assessments. If you need help or support, a great place to start at is the discussion board. You may find other students have already asked a question that you have and will find another student or facilitator has answered their question. Remember, no question is too silly!

5. Stay motivated
Set yourself achievable goals for each week that are focused on your studies. Some goals may include being active on the discussion board, completing your assessment before the due date or finishing all activities on time. Set goals that are important to you! Make sure these goals are realistic and can be achieved and manage your time so you are able to achieve them. Celebrate your goals and achievements with a night off studying: go out with friends, have a relaxing bubble bath or watch some Netflix. Achieving the goals you have set will help you stay motivated throughout the semester.