Watching your child go to college is a proud and often emotional time for any parent. But, with online education rising in popularity, more and more students are choosing to remain at home for their studies instead. There are many ways in which your child can benefit from studying online; tuition fees are lower for online programs and they can design a flexible study timetable that fits in well with their current commitments. But, at times, your son or daughter may need your support whilst they study online. Here are some of the best things for parents of online students to do.
Offer a Private Study Space
If you have a spare room in your home, offering it to them as a private study space is a great way to give your support and assistance. For many online students, a quiet, private study space that’s free from distractions is essential. Even if you don’t have a spare room that can be used, setting up a quiet corner of their bedroom, the kitchen or even the living room with a desk for them and enough room for their books, notes and laptops will surely motivate them to work hard and do well.
Give Encouragement When Needed
When studying for a difficult program such as an online medical sonography degree, the lack of a physical tutor can sometimes become frustrating for students. If your son or daughter has never studied online before, they may find the self-study aspect of an online degree difficult to begin with. In this situation, you can offer your support by being there for them, giving encouragement, and perhaps working with them to test their knowledge using their course materials, flash cards or notes. Even if you don’t know much about the subject, getting them to explain it to you will help them learn and retain the knowledge.
Source Cheap Materials
Although one of the best things about studying online is that a huge amount of the necessary resources such as books, journal articles, and lecture materials are available for free when you enroll, online students do sometimes need to purchase their own textbooks, additional learning materials, and technology items. Taking the time to search for a specific textbook on Amazon at a bargain price, for example, will be really appreciated by your son or daughter who can use the extra time they’ll save to study.
Encourage Extracurricular Activities
As a parent, you will want your child to succeed and reach their best potential in life. So, when they are studying for a bachelor of science in diagnostic medical sonography, for example, it’s a good idea to encourage them to take part in various extracurricular activities along with gaining relevant work experience. Although they will receive encouragement from their online tutor in this area, the encouragement and support of a loving parent will certainly motivate your son or daughter even more.
Is your son or daughter currently studying for an online degree program? Or, have your parents been amazing whilst you study online? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!
(Photo Source: TheNews)
