Studying Online;Succeeding through Distance Learning at University

Check your posture 
Seeing students hunched over their computers is a common sight 
in cofee bars and campus study rooms. However, these students 
will also move about, stop and chat with friends, or get up after 
a while and head of to a lecture theatre. Studying online means 
you can remain hunched over your computer for much more ex-
tended time periods. Clearly, taking breaks will help. So too will 
adopting a good posture while at your computer. Ideally, you will 
have a screen that is at the same level as your eyes when sitting 
down. If you have a laptop, this will mean getting a riser to raise 
the device to be at a better height. Tat way, you can avoid stoop-
ing and bending, which can lead to muscular problems in your 
neck, shoulders, and back. Research that compared the use of a 
laptop on a desk, a special lap desk, or just on the lap showed that 

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Online well-being 213 
having the computer on a desk was the best option (Asundi et al., 
2010). If you must use your laptop on your lap, get one of those 
special lap desks that support the computer. Having your laptop 
on your lap appears to create more muscle problems. 
Use a sit-stand desk 
As explained in Chapter 2, there has been increasing interest in 
recent years in the concept of sit-stand desks. Tese are desks 
that can be raised and lowered. Tis means you can sit at them 
as a standard desk or raise them and stand up to use them. Te 
cheaper desks are mechanical, and you wind them up or down. 
Tere are also electrically operated sit-stand desks that you raise 
or lower with the press of a button. Tere are even sophisticat-
ed sit-stand desks that include USB connectors, passive charging 
options for mobile phones, and several memory functions so the 
desk can be raised to a variety of heights to suit diferent users. 
Research has shown a range of benefts when using sit-stand 
desks. Compared with just sitting at a desk, sit-stand desks help 
reduce discomfort, lower overall fatigue, and cut down on tired-
ness (Kowalsky et al., 2018). 
However, sit-stand desks can be expensive. Even the mechanical 
wind-up desks can cost three or four times the price of a stan-
dard desk. Te sophisticated electronic desks can cost ten times 
as much as an ordinary desk. Of course, you will be using the desk 
for at least three years, so you will get value from it. Even so, the 
costs can be of-putting for students unless the bank of mum and 
dad has plenty of spare cash. An alternative to a sit-stand desk 
is an adaptor that you place on top of a standard desk. You can 
place your computer screen and keyboard on this and then raise 
it when you want to stand up to work. Such devices cost con-
siderably less than a full sit-stand desk but can provide the same 
benefts as they allow you to work standing up or sitting down, 
depending on your requirements. Even if you cannot aford a sit-
stand desk, a sit-stand adaptor can provide you with similar ben-
efts of easing your muscles and improving your concentration by 
reducing tiredness levels. 

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