Organization skills as well as the ability to work in a team are among the most valuable qualities that lead to success in studies in general, and in online studies in particular. When an individual is organized, time management becomes easy as regards an effective transition from one task to another. Apart from that, such critical aspects as cooperation and commitment when working with study groups should be taken into consideration as well. When an individual follows the objectives of studying in a group, they are not likely to get disappointed. Finally, staying healthy is also essential in keeping one refreshed and enhancing comprehension when pursing any studies. Judging from personal experience, I can ensure that adherence to these principles can not only make online studies and work with study groups enjoyable, but also contribute to academic excellence.
Usually, I start studying process by purchasing a daily planner to write all my activities. Before composing a significant plan for my studies, I started to analyze the activities to which most of my time was devoted, and realized that it was visiting friends and relatives; therefore, I had to increase concentration on completing my course since it was more urgent. The daily planner played a significant role ensuring that I followed the timetable strictly. Organization of my study materials was also important, as it guaranteed that I could retrieve them without wasting time. All my study materials were stored on my computer and I made sure that it was safe wherever I went.
The idea of having the daily planner was rather critical for me as it contained all the plans that were significant in striking the balance between the co-curricular activities and the studies. Moreover, I had structured the planner in a way that it was easier for me to navigate from one task to another without wasting the time. I could walk with the daily planner wherever I went so that I constantly reminded myself about the essential tasks that I was supposed to accomplish. Furthermore, the planner assisted me in being engaged in doing significant tasks all the time and not being idle.
Staying healthy by doing regular physical exercise was another thing to consider when designing the daily planner. This aspect helped me to maintain good health over the course of studies and always stay refreshed. Besides, the regular exercise assisted me in relieving the daily pressure thus creating a better platform for concentration during the studies.
Online studies me brought me the realization that setting objectives is a powerful tool which can be used in order to motivate one to work even harder. An achievable goal is the one that can be measured and has no space for misunderstanding. Therefore, when setting goals for online studies it is advisable to make them explicit, and the reward will be the success. Knowing that a particular objective has been achieved within the estimated time provides one with a sense of accomplishment. It is also a strategy to keep notice the weaknesses experienced during the study and correct them before the examination. In my case, I had set a goal of covering at least two topics per week. This strategy was helpful whenever we met in the study groups, as it made easier to keep in mind all the concepts that I had read. My motivation was that at the end of each topic I could comfortably answer all questions regarding it which gave me the confidence for assignments and prepared me for the final exams.
Our discussion group was composed of the members coming from different places. I was selected as the team captain and was in charge of time management. It was my obligation to know which of the members would not be attending the discussion group due to various reasons. We also had a secretary for our group who was responsible for dividing the assigned topics and the scholarly materials that were needed for further studies to each member. Finally, we had a reflector who worked in collaboration with the team captain in order to control the dynamics of the group process and give the final comment after discussions. This team played a significant role in building trust and ensuring efficiency in the decision-making process.
The cooperation of my study group also motivated me to attend the weekly discussions we had and I am glad that I had the most cooperative and active group members who stayed in touch during the study. With this respect, we had created an online chat room where we could communicate on the topics to be discussed during the weekly meeting. This strategy made every group member prepared, and ensured that more time was dedicated to the complex questions. The team work spirit within the members contributed to a supportive learning environment as well.
Another significant aspect that supported an effective learning environment was commitment. The commitment to conducting further research on the technical parts of the course was also important. For instance, it was difficult to understand some of the technical terms that were used in the notes. This aspect compelled the whole group to resort to online libraries for further research. We allocated each of the group members a particular task that we found complex during the discussion. The members were required conduct further research by consulting the scholarly and peer reviewed materials available online in order to enhance understanding. If any group member had some more problems researching on the internet, they were required to communicate through the chat room. After that, the topic would be made compulsory for everyone which facilitated understanding of the complex questions. It would then be the first topic of the following meeting and each member could present their results. We could never hesitate to consult the instructor for further clarifications whenever we worked with an extremely complex topic.