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Why you might not remember your online course

Andrew Badham 2019-03-06 14:03:42

 

Learning, like just about everything else, has been transformed by digital innovation. A quick search for a course on any given subject is sure to yield something, even if the quality leaves more to be desired. In many ways, this is an extremely good thing. Many people have access to an education they could otherwise not afford, either in time or money, and many educators have audiences they could not otherwise reach. The advantages of the online learning platform are numerous, but that does not mean there aren’t some disadvantages.

Online is distracting

The internet is a distracting place with. Websites are designed to attract you, keep you on the platform and jump from page to page, post to post. So, we have a tendency to multitask, to open multiple tabs, search for shoes while we listen to a podcast, or browse Facebook while we listen to Youtube. As you might imagine, we keep this tendency when learning online as well. A recently published article looked at the differences in multitasking in either face-to-face or online courses. The multitasking was far greater in online learning than in face-to-face and this has some consequences for learning.

Multitasking impedes learning

Multitasking and learning are not a great combination. Learning requires a focused form of attention while multitasking requires a superficial diffuse form of attention. It might seem like we’re paying attention to the video lecture while we check out Takealot’s Daily Deals, but we’re really not. It’s called the illusion of attention, a topic we cover in Self-Mastery. Our brain deceives itself into believing it really is paying attention, although, you’ll find a quick pop quiz will often dispel that misconception. Essentially, a good learning environment should be free from distraction, even if they are voluntary distractions.

That’s not to say that face-to-face learners are innocent of multitasking. Many a student has whipped out a phone to make that quick text or tapped out an email while “still listening” to the course content. The major difference is social pressure. While an instructor is looking directly at you, you feel slightly less comfortable browsing the net, whereas a computer screen tends not to mind your lack of attention.

Of course, not everyone tends to multitask as much as the next person. Some people can easily decide to focus on the video in front of them, while others fight an overwhelming urge to fidget with something, anything. So, for those that struggle to focus, face-to-face interventions might be a necessity.

Tips for multitaskers

Regardless of which medium you choose, classroom or online, you can take a few steps to occupy your multitasking tendencies.

  1. Remove obvious distractions. Hide your phone behind your laptop so it’s not quite so visibly enticing but close enough to hear if you’re really needed.
  2. Close unnecessary tabs, email clients or any other applications. Leave only those open that you need to work on.
  3. Take written notes, or perhaps, even doodle. Just make sure your doodles are linked to the course. Drawing for the sake of drawing will become a focus on its own but using symbols like notes is a very effective way of memorizing content. It’s a topic we cover in depth in Visual Thinking.

There are still further reasons why you might choose a classroom over an online course, but that warrants a much longer discussion. For now, just make sure your desire to learn is not thwarted by your tendency to multitask. Learning needs to be focused, relaxed and comfortable regardless of where it takes place.