Study Guidelines
Take control of your learning!
Studying self-pace MOOCs is often experienced as a challenge. However, with accurate practice and support the result can be better than with traditional study techniques. There is nobody to rely on but yourself when it comes to taking responsibility for your own learning. Planning, controlling and designing your own unique learning process can be a stimulating and creative part of your education!
Studying MOOCs is a lot about taking responsibility. However, that does not mean that you are completely alone in your learning process. Even if this MOOC is a self-paced MOOC without any dedicated teachers or tutors active in real time, you may interact with former and potential students in the dedicated Facebook group. Learning together with others is often easier than learning by yourself. However, remember that it is you who choose the design and approach that best suits you.
It is important to develop independence and flexibility that helps you structure and prioritise your studies.
In the end, what really matters is that you feel that the MOOC is relevant and adequate for your purposes. If you choose to fulfil all reflective assignment, you will also receive a course certificate that stipulates that you have reached the course goals. In order to get there, it is crucial to become aware of your own way of learning and to be aware of what works for you.
It is important to be motivated as a student. Good well defined individual objectives for studying are important for you in your studies. In addition, it is equally important to have a realistic view of your life situation and plan your time accordingly.
Reflect upon your arguments to study.
It is important to be aware of your goals. It is good to have concrete goals in mind. It can be helpful to divide your aims into long-term and short-term goals. Long-term goals can take months or years to achieve and must be possible to change without a sense of failure if the prerequisites to achieve them changes. It is important that a long-term goal is possible to measure so you can evaluate if it is achieved or not. Short-term goals will help you to maintain on target toward your long-term goal. Short-term goals makes it possible to evaluate your learning process while in progress and becomes an important tool to get to know your weaknesses and strengths.
Reflective exercise:
- What is your long-term goal?
- Which are your realistic short-term goals?
- How will you evaluate your work?
Why not?
If you really want to achieve something, you most probably will. Although, you will always run into different obstacles on your path. It is easy to find arguments why you should not study. Many senior students are more interested in gaining knowledge than earning academic credits, and do not follow the course through. Our hope and aim is that every student complete all assignments and receive their course certificate.
Let us reflect for a moment on common arguments to quit.
Common obstacles:
- Lack of time
- Unfamiliar with studying in general, or studying alone
- Lacking previous knowledge of subject area
- Economical costs
Some obstacles are excuses. If you are thinking about quitting you should weigh your arguments before making a decision.
Organise your studies
- When will you study?
- Where will you study?
- Who have you engaged as your support?
Making a time plan for your studies is just as important as planning any other work assignment. As a MOOC student the difference between success and failure can often be explained with how the responsibilities to plan your own time has been organised. The key is to start in good time and use a realistic work schedule. Remember to budget for unexpected events such as sickness.
| Course moment | Planned to be finished | Actually finished |
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| Back up time | | |
Find out which days and times that suits you best and schedule them for studying. There are at least three elements of your education that needs to be scheduled.
- Engage in the MOOC material, texts and videos. Remember that there is a difference between engage in course material than reading a fiction novel.
- Time to reflect and work with assignments. Pondering is a time consuming necessity.
- To write your reflections, and engage in the MOOC Facebook group discussions. This is an important element! This is when you produce your reflections and the quality of your work is processed. You can test your ideas and questions with fellow students in the MOOC Facebook group. Schedule time to write reflections and communicate on Facebook. View these time slots as sacred!
Your schedule becomes a tool to evaluate if you have achieved your short time goals.
Study actively!
Orientation
- Read instructions and goal descriptions. Read how the assignments are constructed. Try to define for yourself what you expect from yourself.
- Get a general view of the course material and try to prioritize what seems to be of greatest importance for you and your goal.
Previous knowledge
Connect the course content to your previous knowledge. Especially concerning the context you are living and referring your reflections to. What in the MOOC is completely new to you and what is easy to relate to? Focus your energy on filling the gaps and use your previous knowledge to make a unique understanding of the course. Your previous experiences will always be an important asset!
Designing a unique structure
- Study with dept and with a holistic perspective. Try to understand connections and entireties instead of details.
- Try to understand the pilot illustrations and project level findings
- Search for general messages in the text. What is the message?
- Compare with your previous knowledge.
- Read with a critical eye, you do not have to agree with everything in the MOOC.
- Compare with other sources.
Conclusions and comments
- Write conclusions and comments.
- Structure the material and try to grasp the general content.
- Make notes. Define main points and write complementary comments, questions, thoughts and criticism
- Use mind maps
GOOD LUCK!!!