Tips for learning from home

Learning from home | Top Tips

If you’re considering embarking on one of our health and safety e-learning courses, you may have concerns about how you are going to study independently and fit your learning around your work and other commitments. While it’s normal to feel apprehensive when starting a new course, if you put some thought into how you can get the most from your learning, there really is no need to worry.

To help you maximise your efforts when learning from home, we’ve set out some top tips: Make practical preparations

Before you begin your programme, it’s a good idea to make sure you have everything you need to tackle your studies successfully. If you’re taking an online programme, make sure you have access to a reliable internet connection and a working computer. It’s also worth thinking about where you’re going to study. To avoid distractions, choose a quiet part of your house where you are unlikely to be disturbed. If you are having trouble concentrating at home, consider going to your local library.

Create a routine

To be successful on your course, you must make learning a habit. This means setting aside time to study regularly. At the beginning of your programme, set specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-targeted goals and devise a study timetable accordingly. Identify the times of the day when you’re most alert and try to plan your work during these hours.

To get the most out of your plan, review your progress in line with your goals regularly. Be honest with yourself too – if you’ve missed a couple of sessions here and there, there’s no point in burying your head in the sand. Ask yourself why you’ve fallen behind and if your goals are really realistic. It might be that you just need to be more disciplined or maybe you need to adjust your targets.

Communicate with your tutors and classmates

Learning from home might seem lonely but it really doesn’t have to be. Your tutors and fellow students are on hand to offer guidance, support and advice. If you are having trouble with a particular topic, you might benefit from a phone call or an email chat with your tutor to help you to get to grips with any issues. Likewise, if you need to bounce ideas off a like-minded person or discuss theories in more detail, you can always join in an online chat with your classmates. Who knows, they may also be able to offer tips on how to handle distance learning.

Reward yourself

Independent learning takes a lot of discipline. Being solely accountable for managing your own workload is hard work and it’s easy to lose your drive now and again. To help yourself stay motivated, why not give yourself added incentives? Make a bargain with yourself that if you meet a particular goal, you can have a night out with friends, a trip to the cinema or even your favourite food. Treats like these can act as great motivators and help you to stay positive when you’re lacking motivation.