Ten Top Ways Learners Hack Learning According to edX

IBL News | New York

As instructional designers, do we really engineer massive courses with the users’ interests in mind?

An edX instructional team took to social media to ask learners how we can make the most of their learning and studying experience.

Responses suggested ten learning hacks:

1. Break large concepts down into smaller, more digestible pieces. Bite-size learning improves comprehension and retention.

2. Feature podcasts
, audiobooks, and ebooks relevant to the area of study. This will enhance the learning experience and provide a well-rounded perspective.

3.
Enhance interactions and discussion forum participation among students. This is a great way to solidify concepts and gain different perspectives on the topics.


4. Simplify course topics
so students will be able to teach them to others.

5. Regularity and repetition is key to keeping learning consistent and more effective. Students advance when they add time to study in their schedule on a regular basis.

6. Learners operate on a different clock, which means that it’s important to find the right time of the day to study. Some students work better in the morning. Others will do some of their best work in the later hours of the day.

7. Ask for help. Find peers or fellow learners who are knowledgeable on the topic or ask your instructors. This is a great way to clarify concepts that may be difficult to grasp.

8. Real-world practice. Putting learning into practice through projects, case studies or real-world scenarios is a proven way to advance their comprehension, rather than just theorizing and memorizing.

9. Making mistakes and learning from them along the way is a natural part of the process. Don’t shy away from mistakes.

10. Taking notes and revising them are two essential components of learning. Color-code, bullet lists, or draw maps and graphs to make learning stick.