Succeeding in Grad School, Part 1: Learning and studying remotely

Online and distance learning are becoming increasingly common, a trend that was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, the CSU system offers numerous , and several more programs offer online courses or hybrid options. 

However, online and distance learning may pose challenges for graduate students. Many students have a hard time avoiding distractions when forced to do their academic work from home. In addition, many have difficulty maintaining a consistent work schedule or finding a healthy balance between work time and leisure time, while others are simply exhausted by spending hours on video conferencing apps like Zoom. Furthermore, distance learning students may have difficulties making academic progress without easy access to libraries, laboratories, archives, and computer labs on campus.

Obviously, there is no 鈥渜uick fix鈥 that can resolve all the difficulties you might face as an online or distance-learning student. However, there are some strategies you can use to make these difficulties a little easier to manage. 

Practicing acceptance and self-compassion

For starters, there is nothing wrong with you if you鈥檙e struggling with the challenges of adapting to online or distance learning. In fact, it is natural to struggle with change or a new way of doing things. Furthermore, it is understandable that such struggles may take a temporary toll on your academic productivity. 

Rather than berate yourself for being less productive, it is important to practice self-compassion, meaning that you should treat yourself with the same compassion that you might show to a close friend or relative who is having a difficult time. The following 鈥渕antras鈥 might be helpful in this regard:

  • It is OK to struggle with a new mode of learning. 
  • I accept that my productivity may be lower at first.
  • I cannot abuse myself into achieving highly. But if I give myself permission to grow, experiment, and develop (which often requires making mistakes), I will get better as time passes. 

Accepting that you are having difficulty, and being compassionate to yourself as a result, can go a long way toward improving both your mood and your productivity. For more on maintaining mental health, see Part 2 of this series.

Beating 鈥淶oom fatigue鈥

Many people have found that they feel exhausted after attending video-based meetings for work or school. In fact, many find these video meetings to be more exhausting than in-person meetings, an experience that is often called  (although it should be noted that this fatigue is not limited to Zoom鈥攁ny video conferencing app can cause exhaustion).

Of course, Zoom and other video conferencing tools were indispensable during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The goal here is not to pick on Zoom or any other tech company. Rather, the goal is to identify, and learn to overcome, some of the challenges caused by video conferencing in general.

One such challenge is 鈥渘onverbal overload,鈥 which is described by the cognitive psychologist Jeremy Bailenson as the discomfort that results from the extended eye contact and large facial close-ups that occur during video meetings. In real life, these sorts of nonverbal contact鈥攍ong, steady eye contact and close facial proximity鈥攐ccur only in intimate relationships or physical fights. Thus, enduring long bouts of such contact during Zoom meetings with colleagues and classmates can be emotionally draining and can even stimulate the brain鈥檚 鈥渇ight or flight response.鈥 Needless to say, such experiences are stressful.

Fortunately, there are several easy ways to reduce or eliminate 鈥淶oom fatigue.鈥 You might consider:

  • Positioning yourself farther from the camera so that your own image is not too big and imposing (for either yourself or others).
  • Resizing the windows in your video conferencing app so that the images of people鈥檚 faces are smaller. You can consult the help files of your preferred app for instructions. For example, Zoom has multiple  that can be modified for your ease and comfort.
  • Asking your professor and/or classmates for permission to turn off your video camera and use audio only during the video conference.
  • Suggesting phone calls, rather than video conferences, whenever possible.
  • Limiting the use of video conferences during leisure time and instead keeping in touch with friends and family through other means, like in-person hangouts (if possible), phone calls, texts, emails, and social media apps.

Obviously, there is no perfect solution to the ubiquity of video conferencing in online and distance learning situations. But practicing some of the 鈥渧ideo hygiene鈥 techniques described above can help.

Maintaining focus

Another risk of online learning is the temptation to 鈥渕ultitask.鈥 For example, sending a text or email during a video lecture might seem like a good use of time. You鈥檙e accomplishing multiple goals during the same period, right? Unfortunately, . What seems like multitasking is simply the brain switching rapidly between multiple tasks. This rapid switching wastes time, decreases accuracy, and interferes with the process of forming new memories.

To make the most of online learning, avoid trying to multitask and instead:

  • 鈥淢onotask鈥 by eliminating distractions and focusing on one task at a time. For example, you can put your phone on silent or 鈥渄o not disturb鈥 mode for the duration of a lecture. Or you can use programs like 鈥鈥 to temporarily block out the internet or distracting apps for set periods of time, allowing you to focus on completing assignments.
  • Set boundaries to give yourself time for your online classes, just as you would for any class. Schedule time on your calendar for lectures, homework, and office hours, as needed, and let your family or housemates know that you won鈥檛 be available during those times. Whether online or in-person, your classes are equally real. They all cost money, count toward your degree progress, and require you to master advanced skills. As such, they should be taken seriously.
  • If you are distracted by noise, try investing in a pair of noise cancelling headphones or safety earmuffs, or try an app like  to drown out disruptive noise with soothing 鈥渨hite noise.鈥 You can also find free 鈥渨hite noise鈥 playlists on YouTube.
  • Redirect interruptions by using what Francisco Cirillo, the inventor of the 鈥減omodoro technique鈥 (discussed in the next section), calls the 鈥渋nform 鈥 negotiate 鈥 call back鈥 strategy. That is, when someone interrupts your work, let them know that you鈥檙e busy (鈥渋nform鈥), agree on a future time that you鈥檒l get back to them (鈥渘egotiate鈥), and then proceed with what you were doing until the agreed-upon time (the 鈥渃all back鈥 time). This strategy helps you minimize the length of interruptions and maximize your 鈥渢ime-on-task.鈥 

Managing time and maintaining a schedule

A related pitfall of remote learning is the failure to manage your time or create a consistent schedule. Procrastination is a common challenge even under the best circumstances. But if your bedroom also functions as a study hall, office, or lab, it is much easier to avoid responsibilities and lounge around in your pajamas all day. , studying at home makes it all too easy to 鈥済et sucked into a Netflix series, only to come-to 8 hours later in the same pajamas, with the same email draft open on your laptop.鈥 Maintaining a consistent schedule can help you avoid this problem.

To maintain a consistent schedule, try the following:

  • Do your best to get up at the same time every day. Routines help with productivity.
  • After getting up, follow your normal morning routine. Shower and change out of your pajamas, just as you always would. Such 鈥渞ituals鈥 can improve your mood and make you feel more productive.  
  • If possible, avoid working on your bed. Doing so can make you sleepy. It can also interfere with your sleep if you start thinking of your bed as a workspace.
  • Use the 鈥鈥 to plan work periods and break periods. For example: set a timer for 25 minutes, during which you ignore your phone and other distractions and focus on a single task (e.g. writing the 鈥淢ethods鈥 section of your paper). After the timer goes off, enjoy a 5 or 10 minute break period. Then repeat the process.
  • Use a calendar to keep track of assignments, due dates, and deadlines. One approach is to write down major deadlines and plan backwards from them (e.g., if an assignment is due on the 15th of next month, what do you have to do each day, and each week, to get the assignment done comfortably by the deadline?). Such backwards-planning is a useful habit to practice any time, but it is especially critical during online instruction.
  • Syllabi and class websites are an excellent source of information鈥攔ead them closely and take note of important information and deadlines. A pet peeve of many professors is being forced to answer questions whose answers are already clearly listed on the syllabus! More importantly, the better you keep track of expectations and due dates, the less likely you are to fall behind.

Accessing academic materials online

If you are completing an online degree via distance learning, you likely live far away from campus libraries and collections. This distance can make it difficult to access scholarly materials needed for your graduate studies. However, 好色先生 makes a wealth of online resources available through the University Library鈥攙isit the Library鈥檚 Research Tools page to learn about and access these resources. 

In addition, many publishers and platforms offer free, 鈥渙pen access鈥 materials and 鈥渙pen educational resources鈥 (OERs) that can be accessed by anyone with an internet connection.

The following resources can help you find open access/OER materials:

  • The 好色先生 University Library鈥檚  page.
  • The OER Commons 鈥鈥 page
  • The University of Pittsburgh 鈥鈥 page
  • The 
  • The University of Oxford鈥檚 
  • The Omicsonline 

These are just a small sample of the many resources available. Doing a web search for 鈥渙pen access journals鈥 or 鈥渙pen educational resources鈥 can bring up other materials.

Maintaining community remotely

Studying remotely means less interaction with classmates and peers. This is unfortunate, because peer interactions鈥攊ncluding friendships, mentoring relationships, and mutual academic support鈥攁re often among the most valuable aspects of a grad student鈥檚 career.

There are several things that you can do to try to preserve or maintain these valuable relationships:

  • Create an online study group through email, Zoom, Canvas, or another platform. Many students work best in groups. While it might be impossible to meet in person, you can still simulate a group atmosphere through a video conference, email thread, discussion board, or other virtual platform.
  • Keep in touch with classmates and instructors regularly. You can contact classmates through Canvas or student email. You can also attend your professors鈥 virtual office hours. Regular contact is good for both your progress and your mental health. And remember that, with online learning, we鈥檙e all in this together. Your peers and professors may also feel isolated and will value the communication.
  • Attend virtual workshops and other events to network and to foster a sense of community. The Graduate Center and Career Development Center offer regular programming. You can also check the website of your department or program for upcoming events.

While there is no denying that online or distance learning does not work perfectly for all students, applying the tips and techniques on this page can help make your remote graduate study experience successful.

Further Reading

Bailenson, J. (2020, April 3). Why Zoom meetings can exhaust us. Wall Street Journal. (available through 好色先生 Library OneSearch).

Burek Peirce, J. (2020, May 14). When you can鈥檛 send students to the campus library. The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Branstetter, R. (2020, April 21). How to reduce the stress of homeschooling on everyone. Greater Good.

Fosslien, L. & West Duffy, M. (2020, April 29). How to combat Zoom fatigue. Harvard Business Review.

Merner, A. (2020). Student notebook: Managing productivity in the time of COVID-19.

Stark State Digital Library. (2020). Study Skills: Adjusting your study habits to online learning.

University of Michigan Center for Academic Innovation. (2020). Adjusting your study habits during COVID: We鈥檒l get through this together.