Finding It Difficult to Keep Going and Complete Your Course?
Some Advice from Other Students Might Help
An online course allows you to set your own study schedule, work at your own pace, and learn from the comfort of home. And usually at a much more affordable price than a college or residential course. But it’s not that simple!
We know that it is more difficult to complete an on-line course. If you want to be successful studying on line, you have to set boundaries, limits, and goals for yourself, but the initial excitement and motivation can fall away for many reasons:
- Finding the time to study in between work and life is tricky for a start!
- Then there's getting motivated when there are so many distractions, or reasons for doing it "later".
- Studying on your own, can feel lonely! it's not so easy to discuss ideas with other students, or get timely answers to your questions from the instructor.
- Frustration with internet and the way the on-line tools work.
You paid for your course and you wanted to learn these things! And the CD.Training team want ALL our students to complete their studies, get the skills to write Better Software Faster.
Want This to be You?
“A great feeling of achievement”
“This course is awesome!
"I can't recommend this course enough! Can't wait for the next one!"
"It has helped me to know what great looks like and come up with a plan to get there".
“Amazing life changing content."
“Confidence in using the tools and techniques in my career as a professional software engineer”
“The course made me feel energised, and inspired me to be optimistic about what is achievable.”
How Did They Do It!
We asked 50 successful CD.Training students to share their experience and advice on how to get to the end of the course, and sprinkled in some advice from on-line learning experts.
Here’s Their Top Tips for Getting Unstuck
1. Remember Your Reasons for Starting the Course
2. It’s OK to Take a Break
3. Build a New Study Plan
4. Don’t Go It Alone
5. Do You Know Where You Learn Best?
6. Study Something Else. (Wait…WHAT?!)
7. Ask For Help
1. Remember Your Reasons for Starting the Course
Take a little time to think about what you wanted from this course? What were your goals when you started? Take another look at “Your Learning Objectives”.
Sometimes people whizz past this important bit at the start of the course, in their enthusiasm to get going. So if you missed out this step, go back and complete it now. It’s not too late to find that focus and restart your studies.
“Go back to read the course objectives and what to expect from the course, to find your motivation again.”
“Keep reminding yourself of the benefits you will get from learning these skills, and use that motivation to fuel you through the entire course.”
2. It’s OK to Take a Break
Just because you’re not studying at the moment, doesn’t mean you have given up. You might just need a break.
Most people complete the course in a few weeks. But many take a longer break, often for work reasons, and return later. Revisit the Review Questions, to check if you need to return to any of the lessons and refresh your memory. This is not going backwards. Repetition is a great way of learning and you will probably retain the information for longer.
Unlike going to college, the full on-line curriculum may be at your finger tips from the outset and you may be tempted to ‘binge’ the lessons to complete the course in record time. But this could mean that you are not allowing time to think, or reflect and embed the learning. So you may not be getting the full benefit of the course and quickly become burnt out.
"Don't try to hammer through in a single session.”
Studying too hard, for too long, can cause insomnia, eye strain, poor knowledge retention, and other problems. Taking a break is not a weakness! Talk a walk, play with the kids, grab a snack, work out any stiffness in your muscles and clear your head before you return to the material.
“Focus on other parts of your life that involve different parts of your brain. You’ll thank yourself later.”
“Allow yourself to work at your own rate of speed. You’re not in competition with anyone else.”
3. Build a New Study Plan
There’s no right or wrong study plan. The right one will work with your schedule and allow you to fulfil your other responsibilities and obligations.
So, if your first plan of good intentions isn’t working, write another one!
Things to take into account when creating a schedule you can commit to:
- Your weekly work and domestic routine.
- You don’t have to study every day.
- Are you a ‘lark” or a “night owl”?
- Set specific goals (with to-do lists, deadlines and reminders - if that’s your thing).
- Try a Time Management App, or just a wall calendar.
- Allow for unexpected setbacks. Stuff happens.
“What works for me is to reserve a couple of hours a week, say one hour every other day for reading and studying.”
"if you think you can complete part one of a course within three days, give yourself five. You might meet your three-day goal, in which case you can pat yourself on the back”
4. Don’t Go It Alone
Studying on your own, can feel lonely. Do you have someone, at work or at home, who can provide any needed encouragement, and check in with you regularly to ask about your progress?
If you have a colleague who would like to join you on the course, CD.Training offer a “Refer-a-Friend” discount.
All CD.Training courses have a “Discussion” Forum where you can reach out to other students with questions, ideas or to see how they are tackling the same problem.
If there are no live discussion topics for the lesson your are stuck on, why not start one?
When you discuss course material with other students, you often learn more than if you were to rely on the provided study materials alone. And the sense of community can make online learning more enjoyable.
5. Do You Know Where You Learn Best?
Do you need a change of scene? Don’t assume that you learn best in silent isolation. Experiment with a different environments to figure out what suits you best.
Do you prefer peace and quiet? An ‘office’ space, or comfy chair and laptop? Background noise, or your favourite music? To eat while you study? Your coffee machine close at hand? or try an internet cafe.
If your internet connection is flaky, there are many different ways you can fix that before you get frustrated and give up completely.
6. Study Something Else. Wait…. WHAT?!
Throughout all our courses, CD.Training include links and suggestions for additional reading, viewing and learning. If you are feeling stuck or demotivated with your lesson plan, branch out and learn about related subjects that pique your interest.
Or learn a completely new skill, and then return to the course when your brain feels refreshed.
7. Ask For Help
It can be hard to ask for help. However, if you remain stuck during your online course, find a way to speak up.
If you’re feeling frustrated or confused, you may need to vent to a friend for a few minutes, or ask a loved one to help you find motivation when you can’t generate it on your own.
Always getting interupted, or making excuses not to study? Ask your colleagues, family and friends to give you space and help you to avoid distractions.
Ask fellow students or the instructor for advice on the Discussion forum.
Maybe you know someone who has experience with the course material that you can talk to.
Or, please email us at [email protected] and we will do what we can to help.