Study is blended in T1, but make sure you still attend your live online classes
Are you excited about blended study? Or perhaps you’re feeling a bit unsure about how to make it work. While it’s come about in challenging circumstances, moving to this new integrated model can actually give you the best of both worlds. You now get the social interaction and connection from on-campus group learning, and the flexibility of studying online.
One thing we learnt in 2020 is that it’s important to stick to your regular timetable and attend your live online classes as often as possible. So with most classes (lectures) still being delivered online in T1, we encourage you to take your place at the scheduled time rather than watch recordings late at night or other random times!
Why you should attend live online classes
Learning is basically a social activity – picking up on cues from others helps confirm and extend your understanding. So joining your online class will actually make it easier for you to absorb and understand the material. It also helps you to establish a routine and manage your time effectively, which is key to getting into your study groove.
Associate Professor Chie Adachi, Director, Digital Learning, says that live online classes are important to your overall academic success:
In digital learning environments, there are many opportunities and ways to connect with diverse others – your teachers, peers and, at times, industry members. Online classes present a fantastic learning opportunity for students while cultivating a sense of belonging and connectedness. Remember to stay curious, compassionate and constructive in actively engaging with your learning online.
There’s other benefits that come from learning in real time and collaborating with others:
- Live online classes give you the opportunity for Q&A sessions, particularly about assessment tasks. You can ask questions directly of your unit chair or teacher, and if you don’t want to speak or can’t turn on your microphone, you can use the chat function.
- Features like online polling, interactive activities and group discussions make it a far more engaging way to learn and enable you to get to know other students.
- You’ll be more motivated to complete study tasks if you know that you might have to talk with others about them.
- You get the chance to apply what you’ve learned through discussion and other activities with your peers, as well as ask questions and try out ideas you’re unsure of.
How to join your online classes
Each CloudDeakin unit site, which you access through DeakinSync, is a dedicated learning environment for that unit. It’s where you’ll find unit-specific information, your unit outline, Unit Guide, learning material and resources.
You also use your unit site to access recorded or live online lectures, usually through tools such as Zoom or Blackboard Collaborate Ultra. Your Unit Chair will let you know if you’ll be using another tool to access your lectures.
Recordings of classes, made using Deakin Video, are also available through the unit site.
If you have any questions about your online classes, reach out to your Unit Chair in the discussion forum for that unit or send them a polite email. And remember, if you get stuck with a technical issue, IT Help is always ready to come to your rescue!