Studying Online;Succeeding through Distance Learning at University

28 Getting ready for online study 
priorities of devices during certain hours. Tat means you could 
give greater priority to your laptop during study hours and to the 
TV or games device at other times. Ultimately, though, if you have 
to share your broadband with others in the house, you will have to 
negotiate who gets priority and when. 
For some students, this will not be the only issue of shared tech-
nology. Not every family can aford a computer for each member 
of the household. Tat means you may only have access to one 
family computer for your studies. With other people at home 
needing to use the same machine, there will need to be a plan 
as to who uses the computer and when. Tinking about this be-
fore you start your studies will save annoyance and argument at 
a later date. 
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SETTING UP YOUR STUDY ROOM 
Ideally, when you are studying at a distance, you will have a dedi-
cated room in which you can concentrate on your studies. Often, 
this will be your bedroom. But sometimes, there is not enough 
space and so you may need to study in the kitchen, or the din-
ing room if you have one. Wherever you are going to study, it is 
worthwhile taking some time to consider the best set-up before 
you begin your studies. Getting the room right at the outset will 
make studying more manageable and more enjoyable. 
Choosing a desk 
If you don’t already have a desk, make sure you get a good ap-
propriate one before starting your studies. A desk will be better 
than a kitchen or dining table as it will be at a more appropriate 
height. Typically you will only sit at a kitchen or dining table for 
a short amount of time. However, you can be studying for several 
hours, so the desk needs to be at a height that allows you to work 
comfortably for long periods. So, getting a proper desk is going to 
be helpful to you as you study for your degree over several years. 

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