INTRODUCTION:

The Corona pandemic has made a global impact in the past weeks and continues to hit most of the sectors, with education being one of them. Students across the globe are facing a complete isolation from their educational institutions during the imposed lockdown amidst fears of pandemic. The situation has forced educational institution to shut down and the students to stay at home. No wonder, the children as well as parents feel emotionally and psychologically drained at this period. Stress is the body's reaction to a challenge. Stress will reduce self-esteem and may affect students’ academic achievement⁹. At such a time, the extended lockdown period forcing the education sector in India to rapidly evolve. Most institutions have come up with the idea of online classes for students to start their respective academic year, instead of wasting time due to the delay in reopening of colleges.

This is contrary to the conventional Indian education system that followed face-to-face or physical teaching, even though the drift of audio-visual aids in classrooms were introduced a decade ago¹.

Recently done survey by Times Higher Education stated that the leaders of well-known global universities were of the opinion that online teaching could never match with physical room teaching. When it is talked about how equipped Indian Higher Education System to handle the change, there is a need to keep in mind that the digital shift in India is relatively new. Not only in India, but also in Asia as well. Adoption of suitable educational strategies in line with promotion of achievement, motivation and self-efficacy is of high importance among student nurses¹⁴. It’s amazing to know that the first Asian Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) was developed by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in the year 2012².

Indian Colleges need time to handle the change and be open to the new methods to the approach of the education system. In the event of COVID-19, online teaching has become a necessity, for not only colleges in India but also worldwide to look for innovative solutions in very short period of time and to always have a Plan-B in place².

DIFFERENT WAYS TO STUDY ONLINE:

1. Systematic schedule of studies:

· Form a proper Study Space:

Nursing education is a challenge in developing country like India¹¹. Students study space needs to be as private as possible. Switch off devices that can distract your study and ask family members not to bother you when you are in your study space. The space should be comfortable and inviting so that it can become students “happy space”. Students can also test different locations to determine what suits them the best. Having a dedicated study space will help them to focus more. Try not to study on bed or other areas that are associated with relaxation and entertainment as the brain expect these things in this environment.

· A study space with proper reliable Internet access:

Students probably need to refer to online lectures and notes during the study Therefore, they need a study space where Internet access will not be interrupted.

· Set a time table for each day:

Strict schedule is vital to success in an online course, self-discipline is another most important factor. Work out a timetable and try to stick to it as far as possible. Account for extra time for subjects that requires additional attention set a time each week to login to the class and study materials. However, students should also make time for own review. This is especially important at the time doing assignment and seminar. Never forget to provide time to exercise and relax. Most importantly do not procrastinate.

· Make a calendar to follow:

Students should be asked to make a calendar for own reference. Always get notification through emails from instructor or from the institution about class. Mark down the dates of tests and quizzes in a note book. This will help students to know when they need to start committing to reviewing materials.

· Strive to maintain proper schedule:

Students feel it hard to stick to a schedule for an online course. Maintenance of a proper daily routine helps in living a stress-free life to a great extent. Therefore proper planning of daily routine activities will create positive attitude during stressful situation¹⁵ this is especially true if student are allowed to do things like watch lectures on their own time. Self-discipline is most vital way to success in an online course. Remember to treat an online course as seriously as you would treat a course you attend in person. During online classes keep your books and material orderly, so that you don’t waste time trying to find your books or study notes. Use sticky notes/ labels to easily find where you left off or where to find important information³.

2. Online material:

· Print out materials:

Sometimes computer can be a distraction during studies. So printed material and help student to study away from computer. Highlight printed materials and make notes in a systematic way. Students should read typed lectures which reduces eye strain compared to reading on a computer screen. Students should take print out of course schedule and syllabus. It's good to have a physical copy of content to refer throughout the course.

· Take notes on online lectures:

Students should take notes online as they would take during a physical lecture. Sit with a pen and paper and take careful, legible notes in front of your computer. Handwritten notes increase your retention of the material better than typed notes. Also use headings and dates to keep track of what study materials was covered in each section. So students can refer to these headings later when studying. Do not try to record each and every single detail an instructor said. Instead, jot down the general idea and any insights that help them to better understand the material. Later, when studying, students can refer to their notes to remember the covered portion Even if students re-watch lectures, taking notes is more helpful. It helps better remember the portion subsequently and they can also write down key material. If needed, students can refer to their notes instead of searching the video for the specific moment when dates are mentioned.

· Write down difficult study topics:

If students feel some portion is really difficult to understand then try writing it down. Students can try writing and rewriting anything to memorize. This can be a helpful technique for studying important topics, including online classes.

· Ask Questions:

It's important if students are struggling with a topic to be proactive and seek out help. Ask questions as soon as possible to your teacher. There's nothing more worse than convincing yourself that you will eventually learn the subject and then find out a week later that you still do not understand the topic properly. Generally online classes, one week will be the built off time of the knowledge of the past week. If students do not understand in week 1, then they will have greater difficulty in week 2, and so on.

· Read out loud:

Students if struggling to understand something, reading it out loud can help in online classes. When they will see and hear the material, it will help them to better commit it to their memory. If online topic is also available in printed form than, it can be proven to be very helpful. If student have written lectures which does not have audio by an instructor then pretend you are explaining a concept to another student³.

3. Effective study technique:

· Digital Masking:

It can be difficult for students to focus on online classes if they have a social media account open in another tab or are receiving notifications on their computer. A retrospective study was conducted among 150 nursing students of a selected Nursing college in Dehradun to determine the impact of Social Networking on psychosocial and academic wellbeing. Found that (32%) of the participants accepted that SNS consumes their study time⁶.

· Students while doing classwork, should avoid browsing the Internet, checking email and other distractions. As Internet use has been identified as having a detrimental effect among students which will affect the students concentration and promote distraction during studies⁸. Students can also install an app that will restrict their access to certain websites during a designated period of time so they can focus on studies.

· Formulate specific goals for each session:

Make specific goals and then divide the portion into small chunks and this chucks can be learnt one by one to make learning for comfortable. Make a systematic schedule for yourself, with individual study sessions divided by topic. Students should also remember the overall academic goals when they study. This can help in self-motivation.

· Regularly test yourself:

Systematic memorization can be effective means to memorize material by giving regular tests and quizzes to themselves. Quizzing can improve memorization because of a process called "retrieval." Every time a memory is retrieved, it becomes more accessible in the future. If there are practice tests and quizzes available online, take as many as possible. Prepare tests and quizzes for yourself³.

· Maintain friendship:

Students should maintain the same friendship that was before the lockdown with the batch mates. This friendship can help to promote the process of learning, organise a periodic group discussion on particular topics and initiate regular learning.

· Learning Quarantine:

Students should inform parents regarding the schedule of classes of the full week so that the parents will provide a full quarantine space to the children to promote learning without disturbance.

· Lockdown Recreation:

Online Studying for long hours can easily lead to burnout. It's important to take breaks. Take a break in between. Do something fun, like Play which has the power not only to aid in normal development but also to help alleviate emotional and behavioral difficulties,⁷ like watch TV for a few minutes or go for a brief walk. This will help them feel refreshed and recharged after a quick break⁵

DIFFERENT WAYS TO TAKE ONLINE CLASSES:

1. Treat an online class like “Real class”:

The changing scenario and educational reforms, teachers role need to be explored constantly to meet various learning needs and development requirements of nurse teacher's skills so that quality nursing education can be provided to nursing students¹⁰ When it comes to online classes, teachers need to have the discipline to sit down and say, “I am going to work on this,” the dedication to actually work through. They can be flexible as to choose when to complete their work during the week and can’t put it off indefinitely.

2. Hold yourself accountable:

Most educational systems evaluate students performances by cognitive objectives rather than the affective goals. There is specific relationship between the attitude learning and instruction which makes the instructors know more about the importance of instruction in the affective domain¹² so the teacher should set goals at the beginning and check in with its completion weekly. In a traditional classroom setting, teacher often receive verbal or visual reminders of classes upcoming. But in online classes teacher should make sure that they have allotted enough time to complete the work so that they are not starting class preparation the day before it’s due. By being organized, proactive, and self-aware, teachers can get the most from online class even when life outside of educational institution becomes chaotic.

3. Proper time management:

The challenge for every educator is how to prepare students best to work in their future profession. The concern of educators is to provide quality of learning experiences¹³ in present situation the teachers should have flexibility to create own schedule is often one of the biggest advantage of taking online classes. But that freedom can also be detrimental if the teacher do not have solid time management skills. Without time management teachers might easily find themselves cramming before classes or handing in subpar assignments.

Time management depends on various factors like schedule, learning style, and personality, so here are some tips to help to practice and improve time management skills:

· Look at the syllabus at the start of the class and make note of major topics. Mark them on a calendar and check regularly so as to know what workload is coming in the weeks ahead.

· Don’t forget to mention prior commitments that may interfere with regular class schedule, so teachers can give enough extra time to prepare for other classes.

· Create a weekly schedule, Commit to making online classes part of weekly routine, and set reminders to complete these tasks.

· When working for class presentation, try time-blocking, allotting themselves a certain amount of time for each task before moving on to the next one and setting a timer to keep them accountable.

4. Avoid online issues:

Teachers should use appropriate devices while taking classes. Inappropriate gadgets create unnecessary problems during the online class. Use of proper gadgets promote clear videos and proper audio clips which will help students to understand without distraction.

5. Promote Face to Face interaction:

Teachers need to promote face to face interaction with the students so was to create an atmosphere of class room learning in online classes, use good quality web cameras for effective visualisation during the classes, which will lead to proper supervision of students⁴.

6. Recording:

One of the best thing about online classes is to record the classes taken by the teachers, which will help students to review the video recorded if they lost connectivity during the class. This recording system will help students to clarify the topic and revise it effectively.

7. Feedback:

The teachers should always seek feedback after each class so as to make learning more effective, after taking correction from the feedback obtained from the students. This process of taking feedback will help to make online learning more interesting⁵.

CONCLUSION:

Present scenario is a big challenge for both the teachers and students, but human tendency to continuously learn and evolve through challenges has proven a boon to the human race. This current situation will definitely pay a way to a boom in educational system, which will transform it into a digital era from being a mere class room physical presence. Students as well as teachers need to change with the current need of the hour. With a ray of hope for better future let us strive to achieve a new way of life through social distancing and online learning. The teachers should understand the needs of students likewise the students should also understands the effort of teachers to make them learn and grow, so as to make online learning more interesting and meaningful.

It might feel overwhelming to study from home during the national lockdown but follow the tips above and you’re sure to make it a success. And remember the quote by Creighton Abrams: “When eating an elephant take one bite at a time”. Doing smaller chunks of work every day will help you remember the work better.

REFERENCE:

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2. Simran Saini, March23, 2020.How will COVID-19 Impact Higher Education in India? https://www.collegedekho.com/articles/covid-19-impact-higher-education-india/

3. Emily Listmann MA, April 25, 2020.How to study at home in corona. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/mar/26/how -to-study-at-home-during-coronavirus-by-online-students-and-tutors

4. 8 strategies for getting the most out of an online class, February 4, 2019 https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/tips-for-taking-online-classes

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Received on 08.06.2020 Modified on 04.07.2020

Int. J. Nur. Edu. and Research. 2020; 8(4):436-439.

DOI: 10.5958/2454-2660.2020.00097.6