San Jose State announced that there will be online learning for the Fall 2020 semester, as well as, the Spring 2021. As we plunge into the month of October, KSJS provides you with helpful tips on surviving online learning for this school year.
1. Take A Break
To survive online schooling and learning, I have first created a schedule on a calendar for myself. I balance or atleast try to balance school, work, and of course fun time. Depending on the length of assignments, I figure out when assignments, discussion posts, or projects are due and chart them onto the calendar as a method of staying on track. Every Monday through Thursday I have class between 12 PM to 2:45 PM with the exception of this class on Monday nights and an 8 AM lab on Tuesday mornings. Then every Thursday through Sundays I go to work. Because I have to look through a screen for the entirety of my classes I take a break from anything school related and listen to or search up new and old music, have a snack, or do some type of exercise. Now these exercises are rarely the conditioning type but rather the fun. I Will either learn dances from YouTube or make Tik-Toks, or go on a scooter ride, or drive to view, or a store parking lot. I switch up on those activities just to clear my mind or expand it before I do homework in the night before I go to bed. I work on homework later in the day because I feel like it helps me not feel rushed or overwhelmed because I am doing it on my own time. On the weekends within the hours of me not working I will either work on homework, study, or do that in the form of study groups with friends. When my friends and I are working together it is also another tactic to help all of us stay on task as we either bounce ideas off of each other or push each other to work harder as we encourage each other to get our things done so we can go get food, go shopping, or to just make memories. – Asia Tugbenyoh
2. Plan Plan Plan
My key to surviving online learning is PLAN PLAN PLAN! And then, stick to that plan. It is easy to deviate and find your hands put to something else, anything else, but that can and will throw your whole day if you allow it. Then I remind myself that I am a whole person. I am more than a student, so it is equally as important for me to edify the rest of me. School is important, but in its place and time. In my free time from school, I help people, as cliche’ as it sounds. I am a mom, I work full-time, I am a full-time student and the President of a student organization, AAUW SJSU, so it is difficult to find time for self care. But, for me, helping people is therapeutic, so that is my self care and I can do that through the student org as much as I want and it is fulfilling both responsibilities. – Tiamatha Thomas
3. You Are Not Alone
We are all surviving online learning and it is something that we are trying to adjust to. As you take breaks and plan out your schedules and routines, take some time to connect with friends and family members throughout the week, even if it is endless games of Among Us. Be courageous and engage with your classmates over zoom because you most likely share similar frustrations with online learning and can find comfort in knowing you are not alone. My 100w class is one of my challenging classes for this semester and I have been finding it hard to balance the workload with the other four classes in my schedule. Under normal circumstances, I had been able to handle a five class workload, but I find it harder to be discipled and motivated at home. A student in my 100w class had expressed that she was having a hard time with her five classes as well, and come to find out more than half the class felt the same. Although this revelation that I was not alone did not take any of the workload off my plate, it was comforting to know that this is a common obstacle that a lot of college students feel. Mentally, this was helpful because it took pressure off of my academic performance and reminded me that this online learning situation was something we did not plan for, but it had been something we needed to adapt to in the best way we can. – Caroline Mounga
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