Studying Online;Succeeding through Distance Learning at University

Social media discussion groups 
Many students set up informal groups on social media. Tere may 
also be pre-existing study groups on social networks such as Face-
book. Also, reasonably near the start of each module, at least one 
student will set up a WhatsApp group to start chatting about the 
lectures and the work that needs doing. Tese social groups can 
be benefcial for students. Not only do they provide you with ideas 
and information about your studies, but these social networking 
groups have another critical function for distance learning stu-
dents. Tese social media groups will provide you with a sense 
of belonging and being part of the community of students. If you 
were studying at a traditional university, you would get that sense 
of belonging simply by wandering around the campus. Indeed, 
recently I had to go back to my old university, the University of 

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Using study forums 99 
Surrey, where I completed my frst degree. I’d been asked to give 
a talk at a meeting in the Business School there, and as soon as 
I arrived on campus after many years away, I immediately felt “at 
home”. Tat sense of belonging that I had for my three years of un-
dergraduate study was still with me such a long time afterwards. 
Tere is a saying in academic circles, “You might leave the univer-
sity, but the university never leaves you”. Tat sense of belonging is 
much easier to feel when it is associated with a location. However, 
many students who study online will only have their bedroom or 
the local cofee shop as the place they associate with their degree. 
Teir sense of belonging will be much reduced compared with 
traditional university students. Tat’s why student social media 
groups can be so important to distance learning students. Tese 
discussion groups can help you become part of a community and 
give you that feeling of belonging. Even if you are not a fan of so-
cial media and try to avoid it as much as possible, taking part in 
the student groups on networks such as Facebook or LinkedIn can 
be helpful in making you “feel like a proper student”. In fact, there 
is research that shows that students who do take part in social 
media discussion groups enhance their use of the formal forums 
within the module itself (Kent, 2016).