Studying Online;Succeeding through Distance Learning at University

xii Introduction 
social media notifcations. However, others are not immediately 
obvious such as the social activity in a household. Tis Chapter 
also looks at software that can help reduce distractions. In addi-
tion, Chapter 10 looks at other methods of keeping focused, 
including timer devices and even signs to go on the study room 
door. 
Finally, Chapter 11 looks at your well-being while studying online. 
Sitting at your computer for many hours is not good for your men-
tal or physical health. Tis chapter looks at various issues, includ-
ing posture, eye problems and sleep, that are all associated with 
long hours sitting at a computer. 
Troughout the book, you will fnd several “Quick tips” within 
each chapter that highlight some of the critical actions you can 
take to help improve your online studying. Also, at the end of each 
chapter, a list of “Practical tips” summarises some of the import-
ant actions you need to take if you want to make the most of your 
online studies. 
Each chapter includes research evidence to support the points 
that are being made. A full list of references to the sources is pro-
vided at the end of each chapter. 
Finally, I have created a website to accompany this book – https:// 
studyingonline.tips. Tere are several references to the site 
throughout the book. On the website, you will see up-to-date 
listings of software and other useful resources mentioned in the 
book. 

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Part I 
Getting ready for 
online study 

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1 
What is 
different about 
online study? 
At the end of 1999, I was simultaneously involved with two new 
daunting activities. I became a father when my son was born in 
November 1999. As any new parent will tell you, that’s a rather 
frightening time as you become responsible for a new life. At the 
same time, I started to teach on a ground-breaking course at the 
UK’s Open University, which was taught partially online. It felt 
like I was some kind of revolutionary explorer, helping bring two 
types of new life into the world. 
Te Open University course was called “You, Your Computer and 
the Internet”. It was the frst to include online teaching, learning, 
and assessment. It attracted 10,000 students in its frst year show-
ing just how much interest there was in the topic and the new way 
of studying online (Open University, 2018). 
Te students who enrolled were keen to understand the burgeon-
ing technology and its potential impact on the world. Tey were 
also interested in discovering the new way of learning using online 
conference software and web pages. I remember one evening be-
ing in a classroom with a group of students at Newbury College 
in Berkshire, UK and hearing their excitement about being able to 
DOI: 10.4324/9781003259695-2 

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