Studying Online;Succeeding through Distance Learning at University

36 Getting ready for online study 
such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams. However, you may also be 
required to participate in group presentations that are recorded 
online and form part of your assessment. If you can’t be heard 
clearly, then this could afect your marks. As with a camera, get 
the best microphone you can aford. An external microphone that 
plugs into a USB port on your computer is the best solution as it 
means you can use the microphone with a desktop or laptop. 
Get a printer 
Studying online involves a great deal of reading web pages, online 
documents, and ebooks, so you might not think you need a print-
er. Tink again ...! Even though you are entering a digital world of 
learning, you will fnd that printed information is handy. Indeed, 
you may even fnd that you will gain better marks by printing out 
the online reading materials and reading hard copy. According to 
Professor Naomi Baron, from Stanford University, it can be more 
challenging to concentrate when reading online. Plus, it is easi-
er to get distracted while using the digital world (Baron, 2021). 
As a result, printing out material that you really need to focus on 
or which requires concentration will help you. In addition, you 
can highlight things when they are printed out or scribble notes 
on the pages. Also, there will be times in your studies when you 
have to print things out. For instance, you may be involved in 
projects or work for your dissertation where you have to show 
participants a printed privacy notice. If you can’t print things out 
yourself, you will fnd this awkward and time-consuming. Luckily, 
suitable printers are relatively low cost these days – it is the ink 
that is more expensive. So, consider getting an ink subscription. 
Te leading printer manufacturers ofer these, and you can save 
money as well as be sure that you never run out of ink.