University of Hamburg - to research, to teach, to educate and form, to homepage
eLearning portal
E-Learning-Portal

Photo: UHH/Denstorf

E-Learning-Portal

Strategies, learning formats, virtues

The following tips for studying digitally are based on a concept by Prof. Dr. Gabi Reinmann (Hamburg Center for University Teaching and Learning, HUL)

Are you studying online? Take charge of your online studies!

Digital courses offered as part of your degree program can be educational opportunities if you apply your personal skills, approaches, motivation, and abilities well.

We have put together a couple of suggested values, a few strategies and some learning formats for your online studies.

Set yourself a clear set of rules to make your online studies easier. A few individual STUDYING STRATEGIES are usually enough.

They are based on two simple, generic rules (and virtually all strategies for reducing stress, boosting motivation and managing your time come down to these two rules).

You will succeed in your online studies if you can

  • structure them – in particular, you need to structure
    • the time you spend studying,
    • the space where you study,
    • the tools you use for your studies
  • communicate – in particular, you need to communicate
    • with your teachers,
    • with your fellow students,
    • with administrative staff, friends etc.

Two rules are easy enough to remember, and they can be interpreted flexibly. Experiment with them whenever you can!

In terms of the mental activities required, studying online is very similar to studying on site at university. Ultimately, your own learning processes are what matters. While they can take many formats, you can bundle them into compact groups of LEARNING FORMATS.

In your online studies, you need to

  • receive information: read carefully, listen closely, read attentively. Inform yourself in many ways.
  • practice: revise individually, train and apply new skills. Test your abilities again and again.
  • produce: write, find solutions, research. Be creative.

Imagine a receiving person as an intellectual (informing themselves), the practicing person as a musician (rehearsing), and the producing person as an artisan (creating).

In your online studies, be an intellectual, a musician and an artisan at the same time!

Studying online is a unique challenge. It requires you to commit yourself completely and apply certain characteristics, which we call VALUES. These are valuable characteristics anyone can develop. They are extremely helpful when it comes to studying online successfully. In brief:

Studying online

  • requires discipline: work on yourself and your habits!
  • is easier with optimism: believe in yourself and your abilities!
  • benefits from calm: do not take things more seriously than they are!
  • works better with honesty: do not try to fool yourself or others!
  • depends on mutual respect: be mindful of yourself and others!

Remember the acronym CHORD – with the following sentence, for example:

If you go about it the right way, studying online may well strike a CHORD with you!