Studying Online;Succeeding through Distance Learning at University

140 Studying online 
Another valuable reason for using social media is you can collab-
orate with experts. One of the students I taught on the MBA pro-
gramme contacted me to ask if it was OK for her to get in touch 
with the author of one of the research papers I recommended 
the class read. I told the student that if she wanted to try to con-
nect with the researcher on social media, she might fnd that the 
American professor may be willing to share further information. 
My student was able to get in touch with the researcher using 
LinkedIn. It resulted in a Zoom call where my student was able to 
ask several questions. It led to the student gaining a better under-
standing of the study in the paper as well as being able to get more 
up-to-date information about the progress of the research. It led 
to a highly impressive assignment that was given very high marks 
due it its unique insight. Experts are all over social media and are 
often willing to share their expertise. It is a form of collaboration 
in your studies that will enhance your learning. 
QUICK TIP: Use social media to contact researchers and other 
experts to help you understand the subject better. 

 ORGANISING YOURSELF FOR 
ONLINE TEAMWORK 
During your degree, you will be expected to collaborate with other 
students for a variety of group exercises, including assignments. 
Frequently, though, students put themselves (and the others they 
work with) under unnecessary pressure as they do not organise 
their collaborative work efectively. Tis leads to rushed assign-
ments, for instance, resulting in lower grades. Te notion that you 
can work better under pressure has been described by one psy-
chologist as “fction” (Knaus, 2015). Indeed, there is little evidence 
to support the idea that by putting things of, you will be better 
at them. Tere is plenty of support, though, for the reverse. Pro-
crastination almost always leads to poorer results, not better ones. 

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