The best bet is to block out time each day for your course; this is when you’ll log onto your computer and begin your lesson. It’s also when you’ll do assignments and work on required reading, if necessary. During that time it’s important not to answer the phone, watch TV or check your email. Think of it this way: if you were in a traditional classroom you would never entertain these kinds of distractions – treat your distance education class with the same level of respect.
Another important way to ensure success is to set up an area, preferably with a desk, that is your “study area.” When you go and sit down in this area, you will be focusing exclusively on your course. Understandably not all people have the space to reserve an area just for studying, but avoid taking your laptop to the couch and logging onto your class while the television is on, and your family members are coming in and out of the room.
While not all people can study in public places, the increasingly availability of free Internet wireless services at libraries and cafés make this a real good option for distance education students who are looking to flee the television and busy homes.
When you sign up for a traditional class at a local school, there is a fixed class schedule and neither you nor the teacher can modify it at will. The same should apply for your distance education class – keep the same schedule for yourself as much as you can.
If, for example, your sister can come over to your house on Monday, Wednesday and Sunday nights to babysit your son, that should become the time you grab your laptop and head into the bedroom to study without interruption.
The advantage of distance education is that you can “attend class” at any hour of the day or week. Some people get their work done early in the morning, others at night, while some can only manage to do bits and pieces here and there; whatever your schedule dictates, it is important to stick to it.
