Studying Online;Succeeding through Distance Learning at University

Part I Getting ready for online study 
1 

1 What is different about online study?
3 

2 Preparing for online study
21 
Part II Studying online 
43 

3 Reading online
45 

4 Online notetaking
63 

5 Using study forums
90 

6 Using video
111 

7 Effective online collaboration
134 

8 Coping with online presentations
147 

9 Coping with online assessment
169 

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vi Contents 
Part III Coping online 
193 

10 Avoiding distractions 
195 

11 Online well-being 
210 
Useful resources 
225 
Index 
227 

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Illustrations 

FIGURES 
3.1 How a reader’s eyes move around a page 
50 
3.2 Reading material curated within Evernote 
60 
4.1 Te basic layout for Cornell Notes 
65 
4.2 A set of notes for students to annotate 
67 
4.3 An annotated set of notes 
67 
4.4 A sample mind map 
68 
4.5 A concept map 
70 
4.6 A matrix note 
71 
4.7 A word processor outline in Microsoft Word 
81 
5.1 An RSS reader can collect together a range of 
sources of information, including forum posts 
108 
6.1 Words alone are more challenging to understand 
than words with pictures 
117 
6.2 Resolutions and numbers of pixels for diferent 
webcams 
121 
6.3 A typical three-point lighting setup 
124 
7.1 A Kanban-style progress checker 
143 
10.1 An example of time blocking 
200 

TABLES 
2.1 Desktop or laptop? 
33 
3.1 Diferences between reading in print and online 
50 
5.1 Diferences between formatting text in a word 
processor and in a wiki 
101 
8.1 Impact of exercise on ratings of nervousness before 
and after presenting 
152 

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Acknowledgements 
Like all books, this one hasn’t been possible without the support 
of other people. First, I want to thank all my students who have 
inspired me to write this book. I would like to thank them for 
sharing their difculties with online studies and for being so hon-
est about what works and does not work for them. Teir ques-
tions and ideas have been very helpful indeed. My colleagues at 
the University of Buckingham and the Open University have also 
helped me with ideas and supported me throughout the writing of 
this book, so they deserve a thank you too. Tree people in partic-
ular provided support for my idea before I’d even started writing. 
Tese are Tim Durkin, Dr Lynda Shaw, and Jela Webb, who all 
provided encouragement. I would also like to thank Professor Ni-
gel Adams, who introduced me to the team at Routledge. Finally, 
I am very grateful to my editors at Routledge, Sue Cope, Sarah 
Hyde and Zoe Tomson, who have been a tremendous support, 
as has Akshara Dafre, Editorial Assistant. 

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Introduction 
Te number of students taking online courses is dramatically in-
creasing. In 2004 only 15 per cent of students took any form of an 
online class; in 2020, that rose to almost 100 per cent. Te COVID 
pandemic forced almost all universities and colleges to teach ex-
clusively online. Students had to cope with an entirely new way of 
learning that most had not previously encountered. Tey had to 
adapt quickly, and for many, it was a struggle. I spoke with several 
students who were fnding it difcult to make the transfer from 
face-to-face learning to online studies. It was my discussions with 
these students that triggered the initial idea for this book. 
Now, with universities returning to face-to-face lectures, they have 
still retained a considerable amount of online teaching. Using the 
Internet to deliver classes has several advantages for universities 
and students alike. Students can learn at their own pace, while 
universities can deliver classes to larger groups of individuals. 
With online teaching, lecturers can be more creative and make 
the delivery more engaging than face-to-face classes. In turn, this 
increases the involvement of students who become more inter-
ested and motivated as a result. 
However, studying online is diferent to classroom study. College 
and university students who are not on campus, but learning via 
the Internet, need to be more self-disciplined and self-motivated. 
Tey have to be more organised, cope with more distractions and 
be fexible in their communications with other students. Tese 
are skills that are not required to the same degree in traditional, 
in-person study situations. 
Tis book explores what those studying online need to do so that 
they can genuinely beneft from being distance learners. 
Studying 

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