Expert Advice on Remote Learning from Jordan Lei, University of Pennsylvania, M&T Class of 2020

Quite frankly, it’s difficult to know where to start. The impacts of coronavirus are far-reaching, and education is certainly no exception. I spent my last semester of classes the way I think we all did; like a cautious driver who was lost in the woods, one eye on the GPS and foot hovering above the brake, I was more concerned about how to make it through to the next fork in the road than how to cruise in style. 

But times have changed, (some) things have settled down a bit, and many students – myself included – are thinking about returning to campus in the fall remotely. I’m not a perfect guide for how to handle remote learning – quite the opposite, really; my most recent semester could be the poster child for “what not to do while learning in a pandemic.” However, since then, my productivity has improved – I’ve done research and taken summer classes and I’ve been pleasantly surprised that my learning has increased. You could say I’ve experienced both the upsides and downsides to remote learning. So here are my thoughts on what worked, what didn’t, and what I’d like to change. 

Structure your Learning.

This one seems obvious but it’s really hard to follow. Here’s my best advice for this: we all know that one friend that we have who (pre-COVID) went to the gym religiously, meal prepped in advance, and had weekly goals for how to achieve their larger fitness aspirations. Remember how they wouldn’t go out on Fridays because they had Cross-fit at 6pm? Remember how annoying that was? I have some bad news for you. It’s time to learn to be really, really annoying.

Block out your schedule in advance and commit yourself to working without distractions for those time periods. Plan breaks in between. Take notes and consult them often. Start out with modest weekly “sprints” and don’t crowd your schedule with more than 3 overarching goals for a given day. If possible, have regular check-ins with your peers and study together. In short, apply an athletic mindset to your learning regimen. Slowly but surely, you’ll find that things get done. 

Be as Analog as Possible.

This might seem counterintuitive, but when learning is remote, it becomes easy to set it aside and instead focus on things that seem more present in your life (your phone, for example). Having an analog connection to your learning can help tie it back to earth and make it feel more tangible. Sometimes that might mean showing up to office hours with the prof to chat with them face-to-face. It might mean setting aside a dedicated (physical) workspace that you only use for work or academic-related business. For me, I like to have a physical notebook where I’ll jot down notes and thoughts, a constant reminder that learning is happening in the here and now. 

Take Care of Yourself. 

This is the most important one by far, and it’s one that people are most likely to ignore or forget. You learn far better when you’re happy and healthy. One of the best ways I’ve managed to stay productive is by being more thoughtful about the things I do in my off hours. I’ve deleted Instagram from my phone and I’ve blocked notifications from 10 PM to noon the following day. I block out time for exercise and I try to regularly reach out to friends to stay updated on what’s new in their lives. Taking care of yourself might be the single most underrated thing that you can do to improve your learning experience. So go out there, take a day off every once in a while, read a nice book, find a way to unwind. You’ll be so much better off for it. 

There isn’t a hard and fast recipe for how to make remote learning work. I can’t say that I’ve mastered it myself, but I’m learning just like everyone else. In my humble opinion, the best way to move forward is to think about how to bridge the gap in productivity with small nudges that make it easier to wake up in the morning feeling excited to learn. With that mindset (and all the little things that allow it to come to fruition) we can approach remote learning with a fresh perspective and learn how to better adapt to uncertain times.