14 Tips for Law School Online Courses

Introduction

Are you wondering how to study for a law school online class?

Curious how you can earn high marks and stay motivated?

Unfortunately, many law students that do well in a traditional classroom don’t do well

in an online class.

Having begun my teaching career as an online professor in 2000, today I will share with

you some of the problems with online learning and 14 ways you can overcome them.

Hello my lawlings, this is Professor Beau Baez.

If you find yourself taking an online class, keep in mind that your experience will be

different in each class, depending on the professor’s online experience, course design,

and the technology used in the course.

For example, your professor may be new to online teaching, which means they will generally

default to what goes on in a traditional face-to-face classroom.

Also, the course might not be designed to maximize the online environment.

And finally, the technology that your professor uses can influence how you learn.

Not everyone uses state-of-the-art video, decent audio, or multimedia.

Because none of this is in your control, let me shift focus and discuss what you can control.

Ultimately, your enemies are distraction and procrastination.

This is a biological problem called temporal discounting, where we prefer immediate rewards

over distant rewards.

So instead of studying, we spend hours on social media, cleaning the house, running to the

store, eating nachos, or just about anything else other than studying.

So to overcome temporal discounting, you need to develop strategies to keep you disciplined

so that you can succeed.

1. Work Triggers

A huge challenge is getting your brain to understand that class time at home is the

same as class time at school.

You need to ask yourself, what are your work triggers?

This could be something as simple as finding out what kind of clothing works best for you

when studying.

The answer isn’t always pajamas, though it might be.

Me, when I work from home I need to get up, I need to take a shower,

I have to shave and get dressed. Not in a coat.

There is something about the formality of getting ready for the day that gives me the

the energy I need to become productive.

If I stay in bedclothes, then I don’t work at my highest level.

If you don’t know what works for you, try both approaches and see

which one works better for you.

2. Space

Create a place where you can study without distractions.

This means taking your smartphone out of your room, clearing your desk, and taking other

steps to avoid any visual distractions that can derail your study and class time.

If you work best somewhere other than at home, then make sure the location is a distraction

free as possible.

If you want more tips on study spaces, you can watch my video on that topic.

3. Specific time to study

You won't see a change in your life unless you make a change in something you do every day.

You can find the key to your success in your everyday routine.

John C. Maxwell.

Differentiate between class time and study time—they are different.

Just because you spent three hours in one class doesn’t mean you spent any time studying

for that class.

This means blocking times on your calendar for specific tasks.

And when life throws you a curve ball, which it will from time to time,

what you need to do is move that studying to a different day or time.

Just don’t eliminate it from your schedule.

Always remember that you are the referee between immediate gratification and delayed gratification.

4. Planning

Successful students use calendars to plan and manage their time.

Decide when you are going to study, how long you are going to study, and what you are going

to study.

Then, at the beginning of each week, review what's on your calendar and work hard to

complete everything on time.

For each day, you might also want to create a to-do list to keep you motivated for that day.

More on this in my video on study schedules.

5. Guard your study time

At home, your friends and family need to know you are not available

for other things during study time.

Let them know by setting boundaries with your time, which might include closing a door or

maybe a sign near your desk that says “studying.”

6. How to study

Do not study any one topic for more than one hour, otherwise, our brains get bored and

they work less efficiently.

Cognitive science indicates that we learn best with variety, so after about an hour of studying

one topic, switch to a different topic.

7. Breaks

Your brain needs short rests so that it can keep working at its most efficient level.

The popular Pomodoro technique can be used to help you stay on track.

You set a timer for 25 minutes and you work till it rings.

Then you set the timer for a 5-minute break.

And then you set it for another 25 minutes,

you set it for another 5-minute break.

Well you do this through a set of 3 "pomodoros" or sets: 25, 5, 25, 5, 25 and

at the third break, you take a longer break: 15 minutes.

The breaks will help you operate at your optimal level.

8. Enjoy Your Study Time

You can learn at a deeper level if you enjoy what you're doing.

The material might be boring--maybe it's bankruptcy. I don't know.

But you can change some of the circumstances in your learning environment.

Take, for example, music.

I enjoy listening to Bach.

So I have some Bach playing in the background.

Your music will be different. You just need to make sure it's not distracting.

I also enjoy coffee, so before I begin studying I make a pot of coffee.

If you enjoy food, maybe a bagel, or a scone if you're at a coffee shop.

9. Communicate

When you have a question, reach out to your professor.

This is more critical in an online setting because you won’t have the luxury of asking

a question in class or having another student ask the question in class for you.

This means you have to be proactive and ask the professor a question, not ignore it hoping

it’s not important.

Even when your professor has a synchronous online class session, they may not see your

the question in the chat box.

When that happens, send the professor an email for clarification.

And when you get confused, see if you can set up a video call with your professor

10. Participate

If your class has a time when you meet, be there on time, have the right technology,

and participate.

Video interaction is best, as it allows you to fully engage with the professor and other

classmates.

And whatever you do, don’t be a lurker.

This is a sure sign that you are not engaged and you might be trying to multitask.

Sorry, but our brains don’t do multitasking very well.

11. School Email

Every day, at the very least, check your school email.

Some of you only check this every once in a while,

resulting in you missing an important email

12. Alerts

Set alerts to serve as a reminder of due dates.

This could be something like a dentist appointment or a class meeting time.

Depending on the time of day and the importance of the task, give yourself an appropriate

amount of time to prepare.

13. Exercise

There is a strong correlation between exercise and brain cognition.

This means building exercise into your routine.

It doesn’t have to be an hour at the gym and

it might be something as simple as a walk around your local park.

If you're in the city, go around the block or two blocks.

14. Rewards

After you meet a goal, give yourself a reward.

Maybe that means watching a movie, going to the coffee shop, or just having a snack.

The setting of a reward, in advance, gives you something to work towards.