Surely one of the best things about online or elearning is that you can theoretically study anywhere at any time giving you, the learner, maximum flexibility. Another one is that usually you can study what you want and not what you have to: I am sure you will agree this can make a big difference to your motivation.
Have a clear objective in mind
Motivation in any kind of learning situation is very important because it is what helps you complete a course – or not! Here then is my first tip on how to get the most from the many courses you will find at Travel Uni whether it be product or destination training or perhaps GDS training, have a clear objective in mind: know why you want to complete the course or courses. Is it because you wish to become a specialist in a particular area, become a superstar travel agent or to improve your career prospects? Or of course it could be all of these and more.
There might be times when you find a particular course or module within a course hard going and if you do just remember why you are doing it, your motivation. This will help you through.
Understand your learning style
I am sure you will have experienced different learning situations in your life – at home, at school and after – and you will have found you learn better in some situations than in others. Think about those times when you have gotten the most from learning: what have you found works best for you? It could be you have a favourite time of day for learning, perhaps you like to write lots of notes: thankfully we are all different so you will have your own way of studying.
Have a plan
Take this information and create a plan, a learning schedule. Some people will want a rigid plan and others might prefer something more fluid. Use whatever works best for you. But whatever you do set yourself a time and place when you can study on a regular basis and restrict yourself to around 20 minutes per session. This is approximately the amount of time the human brain has been found to study at an optimum level. Also have a way to relax between sessions.
Multi-tasking is a myth
I know that some people still believe that it is possible to multi-task and study while streaming music and having a Whats App conversation but science tells us differently. Research has shown that when we appear to be multi-tasking we are in fact switching attention between tasks very quickly and as we move from one task to another there is a momentary lack of any kind of attention which is known as the ‘attentional blink’. During those instances we are unaware of anything and incidentally that is why it is highly dangerous to be using a phone whilst driving.
OK so you have chosen a topic that motivates you and set yourself an appropriate time and place what next?
Review, revise, repeat
Well I know there is the temptation to rush through a module, complete the test (if there is one) and move on quickly to the next module; and if you are having to do the course (for whatever reason) then I know you might find it difficult to do things differently but I highly recommend that you re-visit a module at least once. It is surprising what you can miss. In my opinion this is especially true if the module includes a video. This is a great tool in elearning because a video can carry so much information and that is why it is definitely worth viewing a video more than once. And it is a good idea to make notes too as writing things down helps the information move into your long term memory.
Share
As you work through a course there might be things you do not understand. If there are then ask for help. Courses usually have contact information and of course you can always ask colleagues.
In fact one of the best ways of getting the most from an elearning course is to share information, to discuss with friends and colleagues.
Talking of sharing, do you have any tips for making the most of online learning that you would like to share here?
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