1.
Get ready as if you are going to class. If you usually bring a water bottle, coffee, or a snack to your class, prepare it and grab it before class begins. Keep your things within reach during class so you don’t need to get up to grab something from your kitchen. If you usually take a lunch break between classes, use that time to eat lunch, regroup and then log on to your next class. Try to keep your normal schedule and routine as much as possible.
2.
Be prepared but be patient
. Make sure you know how to use Zoom or any other online platforms, log in before your class, make sure the programs are downloaded and your camera and microphone work. Get comfortable muting/unmuting, turning your video on and off, and other features that you will be using during class. Also, understand that your professors might not adjust to using this technology as fast as you will.
3. There is no body language online. In a normal class you can show up early, sit in the front row, attentively take notes, and show interest in the subject. None of those things exist in an online platform. To show you are prepared you have to do the work and be prepared to
speak up. Professors can’t see that you are taking notes, or that you look interested, you have to compensate for your body language in other ways like written and spoken responses.
