Studying Online;Succeeding through Distance Learning at University

26 Getting ready for online study 
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study, and the rest of the household wants to party. According 
to Jane Gunn, a professional mediator and confict management 
consultant, preparing in advance for inevitable confict means 
it is much easier to handle when it arises. She says, “Having an 
agreed system or plan for handling conficts can help us to man-
age them more easily at a much earlier stage, and so avoid the 
problems and costs of escalation” (Gunn, 2010). It is, therefore, 
a good idea to explain to the rest of the family the importance 
of your study time and what you expect from them to help you. 
However, if you agree on a way to resolve any disputes when they 
arise (and they will happen), you will fnd it easier to deal with 
them. Another important aspect of negotiating these rules is the 
principle of “reciprocity”. According to the negotiation expert 
Derek Arden, reciprocity is when you help others get what they 
want so that they will, in return, help you get what you want. In 
his book, 
Win-Win
, Derek explains that people who try to help 
others in any negotiation get better results (Arden, 2015). Tis 
means that when you set out the ground rules you expect from 
the rest of the household, you will be more likely to get them to 
agree if you set out what you will also do for them. For example, 
you could say that once a week, you’ll head of to the local library 
for the day, leaving everyone else to do what they want without 
having to worry about disturbing you. 
QUICK TIP: Never delay negotiating or discussing your study 
needs. If you do, it will lead to bigger problems in the future. 
THE PROBLEMS OF SHARING 
TECHNOLOGY 
Te main requirement for studying online is a reliable Internet 
connection. However, everyone else in the house also wants to 
use the same connection. Tey want to watch Netfix, play on the 
Xbox, or do the shopping. It means that even with high-speed 
broadband connections, there can be competition from the rest 

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