What's it all about?
Online classes will be an important feature of your learning during your first term and will allow you to explore topics as part of a group.
Large group sessions, like lectures, are likely to be pre-recorded so that you can watch them at a time that suits you. Your lecturer is likely to set some questions for you to explore based on the lecture topic and to share your thinking with them via online discussion boards or in a scheduled online group discussion with other students.
Smaller group teaching sessions will allow you to directly interact with your tutor and other students in online discussions, and to share ideas and links via a group chat.
Top tips
Participate
Timetabled online classes are intended to help you get involved. So, ask and answer questions and take the opportunity to speak if you can.
Prepare
Pre-reading will help you to feel more confident, so check your reading lists or go online to see what you can find out about the topic.
Watch back
Some classes will be recorded when the tutor has everybody’s permission, meaning you can watch them again. This can be a better time to take notes as you are not being required to participate.
Take notes
As mentioned above, this can be easiest when you are looking back at a recording of the session. However, there may well be times during a presentation when you can treat it like a normal lecture and take notes.
Challenge yourself
Before the classes start, think about what you would like to get from this experience. It’s certainly okay to set yourself the goal of asking or answering just one question during class – this can help you to take a small step towards building confidence for the next class. And it’s likely that other students will be thinking about the same question, so everyone benefits!