Top 10 Tips for Successful Online Learning: What You Need to Know
Online training may seem like the perfect solution to your training needs. It makes training more accessible for people unable to travel. We appreciate that travel costs include staying in a hotel when attending courses, which adds to the overall cost. Online training is easier to access for those with physical disabilities and for those who are carers or have responsibility for young children. Online training gives you the flexibility to study without necessarily taking you away from work or other responsibilities you may have. However, before you rush to start an exciting new course and new career, there are some things you need to consider as online study is not for everyone.
Here are 10 important considerations before you launch into your next course. Even if your course is blended learning with some days in-class to learn techniques as with our therapy diplomas, you still will have online modules to complete at home, so it is worth considering and ensuring you have all the information to succeed.
1. How confident and familiar are you for working alone online?
Have you completed any online courses before and are you self-motivated and driven as these are the personal skills you will need to survive. You also need to be passionate about the subject – it must really inspire you, or you will just give up. Some people think that studying online is easy, but it isn't at all. It has the convenience of allowing you to study at your own pace, but you must be very focussed and self-motivated. Online learners are usually balancing part-time study with work and/or family. You choose to study online because you are busy! So, there’s an issue with time management from the start. Guiltless study is essential for a great distance learning experience. It’s painful and distracting to constantly have to justify study time and it can be hard. Rally your friends and family into supporting your studies and eventual goals and explain that when you are working at your computer you are doing serious stuff and not just browsing the net or available on Facebook. We recommend turning your phone off when you are studying as it is so easy to get distracted by notifications and end up in a conversation with a friend or family member. Afterwards, you have lost your train of thought, and it is hard to get back into the flow. So be strict with yourself and reward yourself when you achieve your goals of submitting coursework.
2. What technologies and online tools are you used to?
Some people are more adept than others on the computer. You really do need a personal computer or laptop for online study, and we would not recommend just using a tablet. If you work on computers, then you are more likely to feel confident with different online tools and programs. Microsoft Word is commonly used for completing coursework with us and when we mark it and add on the developmental feedback, we convert it to a PDF document to send it back to you. This makes it easier to see the comments on any type of computer.
We use an online learning platform for our online courses and theory modules called Moodle. We will give you a logon and temporary password when you first access it and then you will see your courses listed. Click on the course and it opens the workbooks and coursework sheets as well as loads of support materials to help you with your studies. These will be in the form of links to websites and research material, videos, and sometimes we have PowerPoint presentations for you to go through. Basically, we have something for every type of learner, whether visual, auditory, reading/writing and for the kinaesthetic learner, we have activities for you to try and of course, in class when learning therapy techniques, there is mostly kinaesthetic learning hands-on.
If you are not used to browsing the internet or watching videos, you can type in Google Scholar and what you are looking for to access good research papers. We always give links to reputable websites within Moodle to help you find good information and we also have handouts for you to use. We also use online quizzes where appropriate to help you learn and revise.
3. Can you open videos?
If you are not used to opening videos, we suggest you spend some time browsing YouTube. You can search for pretty much any content and open the video by clicking on them. In some of our postgraduate courses, we have recorded videos for you to watch where we demonstrate how you can adapt existing massage skills for various environments and conditions. These are usually in an MP4 format, so you need to be able to open MP4s. Where the files are large, we have a private YouTube channel that we will give you access to.
4. Can you type easily and use common programs such as PowerPoint, Microsoft Word and convert files to PDF?
If you do not work on a computer in your job, you may find that you type slowly but practice will increase your speed. It is worth practicing typing out some text to get your speed up! However, speed is not necessary to complete coursework. We will always ask you to use Microsoft Word for completing coursework and we like you to use the Arial font size 11. If you are not sure how to change fonts of font sizes, ask someone to help. Once you know, it is really easy to do! Sometimes, we might ask you to write a PowerPoint for coursework, especially if we ask you to create a talk that you might give on a specific subject. Both of these programs are part of Microsoft Office and are very intuitive and easy to use. Have a play around with them before you start coursework. You can add in images and sounds to your PowerPoint and change the backgrounds and styles. Before long, you will become quite adept at making professional presentations.
5. Are you confident with video calls?
One of the questions we get asked frequently by potential students is whether they will need to participate in group online video calls and the answer is no. We only do 1-1 video calls with our students. This gives you the opportunity to discuss any issues with your tutor. We recommend that you write out a list of questions before your video call so that you can make the most of your session. Our tutors are all therapists themselves and have been teaching for many years. They are friendly and will put you at ease. Remember, they want you to succeed as much as you do, and they will help you in any way they can – and they have lots of tools up their sleeves to support you.
We can use any method of video call that you are comfortable with but ideally on the computer rather than the phone, so WhatsApp is not suitable. Facebook messenger is okay at a push, but Zoom is good as we can view files together on screen when discussing. We can also use Teams. Zoom is free to download, and we can send you a zoom link once we have agreed a mutually convenient time for the call.
You can schedule a video call with your tutor as often as you want but you can of course also email or text them if you have a quick question. You might have to schedule a phone call as if they are on video calls, they will switch their phones off. We aim to respond to you within 24-48 hours. We find that discussing case studies is better on a video call and in each diploma course where we do not have an in-class session as well, such as our Essential Oil Diploma, then it is great to have a video chat regularly.
6. Are you confident in accessing webinars?
From time to time, you may get invited to a webinar or even be able to access a pre-recorded webinar. These are done on the internet and quite often, we do them via zoom. We are accredited by Complementary Health Professionals (CHP) and they offer all members (including student members) access to what they call an online forum 3 times a year. This is free CPD (continuing professional development) for their members and takes the form of a presentation first and then a discussion after. Here you will be in a group chat with many people, but it is up to you whether you participate anything verbally. If you wish, you can just enjoy listening and taking notes.
Each year, CHP sponsors National Complementary Therapy Week and during that time towards the end of March, many of their accredited schools offer free webinars. These are advertised on their social media on Facebook and Instagram. In the past, there have also been interesting videos created for the week on different therapies, and you can find these on CHP’s YouTube Channel.
7. Can you use searches on Google to find reputable information for your coursework?
This is a very important skill and requires you to be specific with your wording in your search. You may need to skip some of the first “hits” that come up because they are often paid for adverts or AI generated. What you will be looking for is reputable information, so what does this mean? It means that you want accurate facts, not fiction, myths or unchecked facts and this is why Wikipedia is never a good source because it is not fact checked or audited by anyone. Websites you can reply on will be the NHS website, major UK charity websites and information from official government sites. Sometimes, you may find exerts from books and these are fine to use as long as they are all properly referenced. We will teach you how to reference your resources when completing coursework as this prevents plagiarism and ensures you understand what you are writing about. This is important for all the courses and especially in the essential oil studies as there is so much rubbish written about aromatherapy! Our aim to help you learn and know the facts so that you can be an outstanding, confident therapist.
8. Are you able to be strict with planning your study time?
We recommend that you have a timetable, just like you did back at school, for planning your study time. It sounds daft but in reality, if you fail to plan then you plan to fail, as the old saying goes. In our busy lives we do have to prioritise the demands of work and family, so write out in your timetable all of that first – everything you HAVE to do at each time of the day and then see what you have left. That is your study time. It may not be much, but this is all about working at your pace, so whatever you have, it is enough. Prospective students always ask how long an online course takes, but we cannot answer that easily as everyone works at different speeds and some people have more free time than others. You may have to give up going out with friends from time to time, but if you explain then they should understand and want you to succeed. If you are doing a bodywork diploma with us, then you can always tell them that they can be a case study later! Remember that your study plan must be personal to you. Reflect on how your time is spent and prioritise what is important. Add in study time that is reasonable and realistic. For example, allocating very large chunks of time to online study might end up having a demoralising effect. You should aim to do at least 3 hours per week.
9. Are you able to set goals and visulaise success?
Part of your planning and timetabling needs to be a set time for when you will submit coursework. Again, make this realistic so you do not constantly deflate yourself. Good students set long-term and short-term goals. A longer-term goal (for your course) might be to complete all reading and exercises before coming in for the in-class tutorials. A short-term goal might be to work solidly for the next hour before you take a break. When you achieve a goal reward yourself! This could be a night out with friends, or just your favourite cake or bar of chocolate!
Also, visualise yourself completing your course and working as a successful complementary therapist!
10. Can you work alone without being prompted by your tutor?
At Natural Therapeutics we do not chase our students for your coursework. We are here on hand if you need a boost of motivation or have questions, but we will not email you asking where your coursework is. We tried that when we first opened the online training and found that it really annoyed people! Therefore, we leave you alone to work at your own pace. Sometimes, life gets in the way, and you may need to drop us a line and ask for an extension and we will of course help you. Life has a way of throwing us off balance through no fault of our own and we are mindful of that. All we ask is that you keep us updated with how you are doing and when you can resume your studies. However, we cannot reiterate enough the need for self-discipline and planning should you decide to take on a course.
We look forward to working with you in the future. We have an amazing array of complementary therapy diploma courses that are all accredited by one of the most respected professional associations in the UK, that will take you to a new career or expand your existing practice to new heights. Browse what we have on the website at www.naturaltherapeutics.co.uk or download our PDF course list.
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