How to be Successful in Your Online Learning

Have you been approved to immigrate to Canada but cannot immigrate because of travel restrictions or some other reasons? Now is a good time to take a pre-arrival online program like SOPA*, to prepare yourself for your settlement in Canada!

Online learning is something you can easily do from the convenience of your home while you wait to leave for Canada. Taking an online course can also be a great activity to keep busy while you are in self-isolation due to COVID-19.

It can be a little intimidating to take an online course. Not many of us have a lot of experience in online learning, although the pandemic is changing that! So whether it’s your New Year’s resolution to complete your online course or you are only starting an online course and looking for ways to be successful, we are sharing some of our best tips below!

Create a routine

First, schedule time to work on the course on a regular basis. It’s easy to say you’ll work on it whenever you have time, but it’s also easy to forget when you’re busy with preparing for your immigration. So put time aside to give your courses the attention they deserve.

Stay motivated

It’s easy to lose motivation during distance online learning, without a classroom and other students next to you to chat with. It is up to you to find the motivation! Maybe you will reward yourself with a treat when you finish an assignment or unit, or take a five-minute break for every 30 minutes of work you do. Find whatever can work for you and use it!

Stay in touch

Take advantage of discussion forums, post questions and reach out to others. Keep in contact with your facilitator, too. At SOPA, you can email your facilitator or message them through our in-course instant messaging system. The facilitators are always happy to support you.

Think ahead

Create a space to do your work effectively. Much like working from home, having a space to focus on the course and to leave it when you are done, will help you succeed. Plan your weeks, too. Some weeks might be different from others and you will need to adjust your schedule. If anything comes up, talk to your facilitator. They can work with you to plan your course to ensure you get the most out of it.

Stay organized

Often times the virtual content of the courses is accessed through a platform and might not be available for you to review once you complete the course. Therefore, it is very important to save all the important documents and feedback files to a folder on your desktop. That way you can make the learning last and review the materials before a job interview or your first day in a new workplace.

SOPA Teams across Canada

We are here to help you in your transition to life in Canada. We have a variety of online employment courses you can take part in before you arrive in Canada. Check out your options today! Arrive Prepared! www.arriveprepared.ca

*SOPA (Settlement Online Pre-Arrival) provides online pre-employment support, customized resources and workplace readiness training for immigrants destined to Canada. All SOPA courses are available at no cost to newcomers who meet eligibility requirements.

Prepared by Kristy-Lu Desrosiers (edited by Anika Sweet)

Resources:

https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/tips-for-taking-online-classes/

https://carleton.ca/online/online-learning-resources/how-to-be-successful-in-an-online-course/