Distance Education Training With AtlasKaren

Do You Really Need to Stop Procrastinating?

As readers with an interest in lifelong learning many of you will, at some point, think you need to stop procrastinating and get on with that course you’ve been meaning to start for ages. Procrastination can be a difficult boulder that gets the better of almost all of us at some point. Who hasn’t found themselves wanting to do mundane tasks or play games when they really should be doing something else? For me housework never seems as appealing as when I need to start writing an essay!

There are times when we all fight to stop procrastinating and for that very purpose there are endless helpful and not so helpful tips on the internet. However, procrastinating is not always bad. Sometimes it may actually be valuable to embrace a certain amount of procrastination.

Don’t Stop Procrastinating, it‘s Mental Preparation

I contend that sometimes procrastination can be a worthwhile, even valuable use of time. That is so long as it doesn’t carry on for too long. If you procrastinate for a short time but use that time to clear your head in preparation for the task ahead then you shouldn’t stop procrastinating.

I find that it can be hard to wind down at the end of a busy day and the last thing I want to do is any form of distance education training. However, my real problem is that I need to clear my head before I can begin to think about study.

In this situation I play a game or two online before I begin to write or study. This could be seen as a waste of time and I could worry about it and force myself to stop procrastinating in this way. However, I don’t want to because I actually derive a benefit from the activity. It clears my head and after half an hour of game playing I am much better mentally prepared for the task of studying and the brain power that needs to go into it.

But Don’t Procrastinate for too Long

The key is not to stop procrastinating, rather it is to make sure your procrastination doesn’t continue for too long. At some point you need to make a start on your online education program or whatever other task you are putting off. If you procrastinate for too long you obviously cut into the time needed to complete the task and that is counterproductive. However, short procrastination can be worthwhile if it helps you to be more productive in the long run.

What do you think? Do you need to stop procrastinating or do you get some benefit from it?

Happy Learning
AtlasKaren

Tags: Distance Education Training, Lifelong Learning, Online Education Program, Stop Procrastinating

Posted in Lifelong Learning | 3 Comments »

Combining Distance Study and Work – Top 5 Tips

Many people who embark on distance study are adult students who need to juggle their study with their work commitments. This can be a huge challenge. In fact, inability to find sufficient time to study is a major reason for adult students not completing a course.

To help you stay the distance, here are my top 5 tips for successfully including both distance study and work in your busy schedule.

Decide on a Set Study Time and Stick to It

As boring as it sounds, there’s nothing like a routine to make sure you do something. The key to successfully completing a distance education course, while also working, is to plan a routine that you can stick to. You need to include sufficient study time into your weekly plan to ensure you can meet your course requirements.

Once you have planned your routine, make sure you stick to it. That doesn’t mean you can’t go out on a night you’d usually study, but if you do, you need to reschedule your study time so that you can complete the required work.

Listen to Recorded Notes

Many online education programs will provide lecture recordings of the course work for you to listen to. This is fantastic and a chance to put your multi-tasking skills to good use (yes guys, you can multi-task too). Listen to the recordings while you do other things around the house. You can even listen to the recordings over and over to really make the information sink in.

To take this one step further, you could record your own distance study notes and listen to them as well. That’s if you can bear the sound of your own voice talking on and on about economics, or whatever it is you are studying.

Avoid Distractions (Also Known as Procrastination)

Whatever you do, when it’s your set time to study try not to get distracted by other things. This is an area I have a problem with so I know how hard it can be to overcome, especially with independent learning where you have nobody to rely on for motivation but yourself. Procrastination can be ok for a short period of time if you are using it to mentally prepare for the task ahead. However, this shouldn’t go on for to long or it will become a major hurdle in the limited time that you have for your distance study.

The best way to avoid distractions is to sit down and make a start on your distance study. It doesn’t have to be a great start. Any old start will do. Once you start it usually becomes much easier to continue. And before you know it your allocated time will be up and you’ll be able to look at what you’ve done with satisfaction, if only because it marks the beginning on a major task still ahead.

Stay Healthy

Studying and working at the same time can be a great drain, especially if you are cutting into your valuable sleep time to fit it all in. In this situation you need to find a way to work more efficiently so you can also get your 7-8 hours sleep per day.

Staying healthy is vital if you are to do everything you want. You’ll work best on a balanced diet. It’s easy to eat junk food when you are squeezed for time but you will really notice the difference if you eat enough fruit and vegetables each day. You’ll have more energy for distance study than you thought possible.

Equally, a little exercise will also boost your energy levels. You don’t have to run a marathon or anything extreme like that. You don’t even need to attend a gym. Exercise can be as simple as a half-hour walk each day. If you do that you’ll feel refreshed in your mind as well as your body.

Give Yourself a Break

Last of all, life shouldn’t be all about work and study. You’ll do better at both if you have a balanced lifestyle so make sure you get away from the books once in a while. This might mean going to the movies, going out with friends, or simply watching your favorite TV show. The time away will help to give you a well rounded life and you will be able to attack work and distance study with renewed vigor after returning from your break, regardless of how short it is.

These are my 5 distance study tips. If you can add to my list or have any further comments leave a message below and let us know all about it.

Happy Learning
AtlasKaren

Tags: Distance Education Course, Distance Study, Independent Learning, Online Education Program

Posted in Distance Education Centre | 1 Comment »

Whoops, You’ve Chosen the Wrong Distance Education Course

You were so excited! You had been considering a distance education course for months before you finally made the jump and committed to one you thought would be great.

However, some weeks or months later you are having second thoughts. The excitement of learning something new wore off pretty quickly and now it all just seems like too much effort. What should you do?

Is the Distance Education Course or the Subject the Problem?

Unless you are completing a short course that goes for a few months or less, it will be hard for you to judge whether the whole distance education course is the problem in just a few months. It may just be that the subject you are taking is wrong for you.

It can be hard to judge what you will like in advance as so much depends on the course structure and the quality of the teaching. I’ve had this experience as part of a Business distance education course I was studying. I thought Economics would be wonderfully interesting but got bogged down in all the theory and ended up hating it. On the other hand I dreaded a Business Law subject that was a requirement of the course but found the rich history of law completely enthralling.

If you are only months into a distance education course and dislike the subject my advice is to persevere. Don’t judge the whole course on that one subject. Wait until you have completed a few subjects. You will then be in the position to decide if the whole course is wrong for you. You may find that the course is fine, you just need to change your focus to a different stream within the course.

The Workload is Greater Than You Thought

You may find that, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t keep up with the distance education course workload. This can be a problem when you are new to distance study and not sure what to expect or when you have an otherwise busy life.

First take a look at what you really need to do to complete the distance education course. A lot of adult education training students are perfectionists. They want to get great grades to prove to themselves that they can do it. If this is you, take a step back. Few people or businesses are going to care about your subject grades when they look at your qualifications. They are only interested to know that you have completed the course.

If you are still worried about the workload look at your study methods. Are you spending too much time researching and not actually producing assignments? Do you need better note taking skills? Do you need to learn to skim read a text book rather than reading the whole thing word for word? If so, you will find it helpful to enroll in a study skills course to get these problems ironed out. You’ll find it hugely beneficial in the long run for other independent learning courses as well.

Whatever the problem, I encourage you to look at solutions that allow you to continue with your distance education course rather than giving up. That way you’ll feel great about yourself and the accomplishment you have achieved.

If after trying a few solutions you still think you have chosen the wrong course, there is no harm in changing distance education courses. In fact this can be the best solution. Think about what you want to achieve. It may take some time but this will give you direction and help you choose the right course the second time around.

Have you changed you distance education course half way through?  Share your experience below.

Happy Learning
AtlasKaren

Tags: Adult Education Training, Distance Education Course, Distance Study, Independent Learning

Posted in Distance Education Centre | No Comments »

Finding Your Online Education Program – Practical Research Tips

Once you’ve decided on the topic to study, the task of finding an appropriate online education program can seem mammoth. A Google search of the topic can yield thousands of results.

How on earth do you break this down to something more manageable?

To illustrate how I’m going to use an example. Imagine your job requires a lot of data analysis, and this is an area you don’t have a lot of experience in. You know, to do a really good job, you need some training, so you decide to study statistics online. How do you find a suitable online education program?

Research by Subject

If you search for the phrase Online Statistics Course on Google you get results ranging from university degrees with well known universities to distance study courses offered by private colleges you’ve probably never heard of. Your search can be refined by only including websites in your country. When you do this you’ll get a range of local universities as well as some private colleges and some specialist online course providers.

Your task from here is to look in more detail at the online education program offered by each one, noting course structure, cost, assessment methods and expected course outcomes. It would also be wise to contact the course coordinator to ask some questions. This will often elicit extra information that is not included on the website.

Research by College

A secondary way to search could be by college or university. In the statistics course example you would probably only do this if you know the college offers an online education program in statistics and it hasn’t appeared in your initial search. This situation might arise because you have seen an advertisement for the program elsewhere or heard someone you know mention the specific online education program in statistics.

Online Recommendations

The difficulty can then be discerning the quality of an online education program. If you don’t know anyone who has previously studied at a distance education training college it can be difficult to know which ones provide the best quality online education. This is particularly the case with private colleges that may not meet the same stringent guidelines as state or public universities.

There are two good options for finding recommendations for online education programs.

• Join a forum dedicated to online education. You can then ask all the questions you want about the provider and the course to help you make a decision.
• Find a professional organization in your chosen field of study. They will know which courses are best regarded by the industry.

Recommendations from People You Know

If someone you know is able to recommend an online education program to you, this can cut your research time substantially. It can also give you peace of mind that you are making a good decision, but only after you have researched the course yourself as well. Remember that just because someone else likes something, doesn’t mean that you automatically will too.

In the statistics example, you could ask around your workplace for recommendations. Most employers will be happy to offer assistance if they know you are educating yourself to improve your ability to do your job.

I hope this helps you identify the best study program for you. If you have any further suggestions on finding a good online education program, please do leave a comment below.

Happy Learning
AtlasKaren

Tags: Distance Education Training, Distance Study, Online Education, Online Education Program

Posted in Adult Education Online, Distance Education Centre | 4 Comments »

Online Education Course Providers – Top 5 Tips to Find the Right One

Last week we looked at finding the right distance study course. This week we will look at finding the right online education course provider. These two decisions are closely linked so should be considered together when you are looking for an online education course.

1. Is the course provider well regarded by current and former students?

It is now relatively easy to check the reputation of a course provider online. Search for any comments or forums through Google and it is likely you will find some mention of your prospective distance education training institution. You may also be able to find some helpful comments on the actual online education course you are contemplating.

2. Does the online education course provider recognize prior learning?

You may have studied some subjects in the past that you don’t see the need to repeat. Likewise you may have enough work or life experience in a specific area that you don’t need to study certain subjects. If this is the case many course providers will consider recognition of prior learning so you will not need to complete certain subjects that would otherwise be a requirement for your online education course. You should check if your prospective course provider will do this, particularly if you are looking at continuing adult education from studies you completed earlier.

3. Will the provider allow you to take tests and exams in your home town?

This is a crucial factor when you are completing your online education. There is little point in studying online through an education provider located on the other side of the country if you have to go to the expense of flying over there to complete assessments.

If you live in a large town or city where there are other people also completing the same online education course as you, you may find that the course provider will organize for you to sit the exam at a set time and location in your town. If this is not the case, many course providers will let you nominate an invigilator to officiate at your exam and ensure requirements are met. Most course providers who allow this will have strict criteria that need to be met by the invigilator.

4. Will the provider allow you to incorporate subjects from other institutions as part of your online education course?

This is not a vital factor in selecting an education provider but can be a bonus if you want to take a subject that is related to your course but not offered by your course provider. Such flexibility enables you to better tailor the course to your interests and needs.

5. Can you change your mind about your subject choice after commencing the subject?

Some course providers will allow you to change your mind about a subject without penalty several weeks after the subject begins. This enables you to trial the subject to see if it is right for you. This may also give you some peace of mind if you are new to study and unsure about whether you can manage the workload you have taken on.

Is there anything that you’ve found makes one online education course provider better than another? Let us know all about it.

Happy Learning
AtlasKaren

Tags: Continuing Adult Education, Distance Education Training, Distance Study, Online Education

Posted in Adult Education Online, Distance Education Centre | 3 Comments »