| Online learning is an excellent way to further your | | | | actually get around to becoming study sessions. Head |
| education. It can be done from anywhere: you can | | | | this off at the pass by setting a specific start and end |
| connect at any time you feel like connecting. You don't | | | | time for your group meetings, and follow an agenda |
| have to schlep books across campus; you don't have | | | | with time limits. |
| to put up with drafty lecture halls, or professors who | | | | For example, you might agree to ten minutes at the |
| turn up late. Just about the only thing you might miss | | | | beginning of your meeting to recap the last session, |
| out on is collaboration with other students. If you're | | | | followed by forty-five minutes to discuss a reading, |
| having trouble motivating yourself to work, or if your | | | | giving everyone time to contribute thoughts. Finish up |
| online degree requires you to assimilate a lot of | | | | with ten minutes to plan the next agenda and discuss |
| information, consider forming an online study group with | | | | whether or not you thought the session was |
| other students. | | | | productive, and what to do next time. |
| Working with a well-organized study group offers | | | | 3. Assign roles to study group members |
| many benefits. You can compare notes with your | | | | While you're all equals as students, setting up roles |
| study partners to ensure you've covered all aspects | | | | within your group can save a lot of time and |
| of your material. You can collaborate on projects, get | | | | headaches. A group of four students might include a |
| help with drafts of papers, and discuss difficult material | | | | leader, a recorder, a moderator, and a spokesperson. |
| productively. Study groups can keep you accountable | | | | The leader sets the agenda, the recorder saves chat |
| if you're procrastinating-knowing that you're going to | | | | transcripts and distributes meeting minutes, the |
| talk about chapters 9-10 in your economics text on | | | | moderator keeps the group on-topic, and the |
| Monday will help motivate you to read it by Sunday. | | | | spokesperson approaches professors with questions |
| Finally, study groups offer you the chance to practice | | | | from the group. |
| working in teams and networking, both of which are | | | | 4. Find a comfortable online meeting place |
| skills that can be profitable in your day job. And you | | | | One of the problems with online learning is where you |
| may just make friends or valuable business contacts, | | | | can "meet". Many instant messenger programs |
| too. | | | | (Google Chat, AOL Instant Messenger, etc.) will let |
| Here are some guidelines for forming an online study | | | | small groups chat simultaneously, although this can be |
| group. | | | | confusing. There are some web-conferencing tools, |
| 1. Limit the group's size | | | | such as Skype, DimDim, and Yugma, that are free for |
| To ensure that everyone has a chance to contribute, | | | | groups of less than 10 people, and offer more than |
| and to keep logistical headaches to a minimum, try to | | | | chat-video chat and desktop sharing are available in |
| restrict your group to no more than four or six people. | | | | some cases. If you're lucky, your online university will |
| Big virtual groups can be just as unwieldy as big | | | | provide you with a "virtual campus": dedicated web |
| site-based groups. It will be easier to coordinate | | | | space to discuss your work in real-time with other |
| schedules and conduct discussions with a smaller | | | | students, as well as message boards to post files to. |
| group. | | | | Make sure that all your group's members are |
| 2. Set an agenda and a schedule for every session | | | | comfortable with whatever setting you choose for |
| One of the major pitfalls of study groups is that they | | | | your virtual meetings. |
| can become chat sessions (even online) that don't | | | | |