Independent Study Of Free Online Courses - How To Design Your Personal Study Plan

I know you are excited to get going but if you will take the time to create a study plan, you will be glad that you did. Knowing what, where, when and how you are going to tackle the subject material is just as important as knowing what you are going to study.

Describe what you hope to accomplish with your studies in one short descriptive sentence.

Example: I want to learn French well enough to be mistaken for a native speaker.

Example: I want to be able to manage my freelance writing business in a professional manner.

Using this statement, you will be able to figure out what you need to learn.

Now is the time to research the available courses and decide which ones you are going to take. If you choose to take a free college or university course, you will probably have to buy some text books. Send for them now so you can organize and create your study plan while you are waiting for the books to arrive.

Look the courses over carefully to see what is available to you and what is not. Sometimes you won't have access to all the materials or instruction offered in the paid course. In that case you will have to supplement from other sources.

Also there will be no instructors teaching you and no diploma or certification from the colleges and universities for using the free courses. This will add more time on your part to research and find the necessary information you need.

You should plan to study at least three days a week. Time periods ranging from 30 minutes to two hours are the ideal but remember to take a break or two if you choose the longer time period.

Using your list from your first search of what you will need to study, note each item's importance. This will determine how much time to allow it each day. From this rough estimate you can choose your end goal date and put it all together in a schedule.

Be sure to allow enough time at the end of your 'class' to set up for the next one. Make a short report of what you got done and any thoughts you want to remember. Use this time to outline what you will be doing if you did not already lay it out in your master schedule.

What learning aids will you use? Depending on the course, you may have flashcards, videos, audios, e-books and written materials available.

How will you test yourself? Are there exams online? If not you may want to create your own tests and puzzles that will help you evaluate how you are doing.

Search for forums and discussion groups that are studying the same subject you are. Choose one that seems active and where the participants help each other out. It is also valuable for you to try to explain what you have learned by helping someone else.

Is there any way that you can start using what you learn in your daily life?

Go over your course piece by piece arranging how you would like to study the information. Put it in the order that will work best for you being sure to include the study aids. Consider using a cooking timer to keep you moving in the direction you want to go. Once you are satisfied, put it into action.

Try out your schedule with an eye to balance. If, after using it for a few days, you find that you have to keep going back to a certain area, give that subject more time. Then lessen the time for an area that you are retaining better than you thought you would. If you find that you are trying to get too much done in one 'class', adjust it - you don't have to study each subject each day.

Do not overextend yourself - if you want to retain what you are learning, you have to give it time to stick - trying to learn too much too fast will only allow it to fade away as the new info comes in. Trying to learn too many subjects in a short period of time will burn you out, so only schedule the most important ones first.

If you have not done so before, figure out what your best learning style is and favor that. Do not neglect the others however, as the more senses you involve in the learning process, the better the chances of retaining it. Try to get a good variety of learning styles in to each study period.

It seems like we always expect more of our own self than others do, especially in learning situations. If you find that you are being mean to yourself, take a break. Remember, doing independent study is something to pat yourself on the back for! With all these free online courses available, you can keep learning for a lifetime.