How To Maximize Learning During Short-term Courses

The 21st Century is regarded as the age of information and technology. Hence, learning frontlines the array of existing self-development and skill-acquisition processes. Learning occurs through various means. It could take the traditional learning methods or more innovative means that could take place during the day or at night.

Academic courses have long made clear contributions to the learning process. In recent times, short-term courses have taken the front seat, becoming a highly preferred way of learning. This article details what short courses entail and how to maximize your learning. 

What Are Short-Term Courses? 

Short-term courses are learning courses that occur within a short time interval. Often offered in cyber schools, they’re less extensive than a full-fledged degree program that allows participants to acquire new knowledge or enhance their existing field. Typically, short-term courses take a few hours, weeks, or months to be completed. They can be in the form of workshops, in-service training, or classroom-based learning. You can take them as a part-time course or a regular course. 

Short-term courses are less connected to the regular academic curriculum yet offer relevant knowledge for the modern-day world. The courses are often abridged learning programs for a wide range of topics. They range from simple introductory courses to complete overview and technical training. They cover mainly practical knowledge rather than theoretical knowledge. Short-term courses are one of the many ways to advance your skill and achieve your academic goals within a shorter time frame.

Effective Ways To Maximize Short-Term Courses

Every learning process costs resources. Hence, you must make the best of it. After enrolling for short-term courses, your next priority should be how to maximize your learning. Here are proven strategies for getting the best learning experience from your short-term course:  

1. Establish Learning Goals

Goals are specific outcomes you intend to achieve at the end of a task. Before commencing your short-term course, it’s necessary to set goals. Goals help you stay focused on achieving what you want to achieve. A goal could be as simple as scoring ‘As’ in all your core subjects. Goals can either be short-term or long-term. 

To have a higher chance of accomplishing your goals, you should specify them. Rather than saying, ‘I want to pass my English,’ a specific goal says, ‘I want to score 85 in my English.’ As you specify your goals, ensure you document them. Writing down your goals makes them concrete and memorable. 

2. Focus On Relevance

According to research, when learning is relevant, students can connect new lessons to what they already know and build new neural connections and long-term memory storage. You may want to keep this in mind while learning. Rather than adopting a passive attitude to learning, establish the relevance of your course early on. That way, you’ll find learning engaging and remember lessons in other contexts. 

3. Make Inquiries 

Taking a short-term course can be a unique new experience, especially in a different discipline. In such instances, you must make necessary inquiries about your work and subjects. Classroom time gives you the chance to ask questions from your teachers. Your teachers are there to help you figure your way around your course. So, don’t hesitate to ask as many questions as you have. And when your teachers aren’t available, you can always ask your classmates. Inquiries acquaint you with the information you need to have a productive learning experience. 

4. Schedule Your Time

Short-term courses may not take so much of your time. Nevertheless, you should ensure to schedule your time appropriately to accommodate learning. Improper time management impairs effective learning. Not having enough time to take classes and study makes for poor performance. One of the ways to schedule your time is having a timetable. Often, you’re given a timetable after you register for a course. Ensure you work with the given timeline. Beyond that, having your timetable offers an extra advantage, especially when you have a lot of other things to do. A personal plan will help you organize your activities and ensure you invest adequate time in learning/studying. To have a higher chance of accomplishing your goals, you should specify them. Rather than saying, ‘I want to pass my English,’ a specific goal says, ‘I want to score 85 in my English.’ and to achieve this goal you study English. As you specify your goals, ensure to document them. Writing down your goals makes them concrete and memorable. 

5. Get The Needed Materials 

In most cases, the institution wherein you’re learning will recommend the learning materials you need for your short-term course. You should take note of the materials and ensure you have them. In cases where you don’t get a list of materials before time, you should ask for it. Having suitable learning materials enhances learning. It allows you to participate in the learning process and make necessary references. Besides having the right materials, you should also ensure your learning materials are always in a good state. If you’re using digital devices, ensure they work well so that you don’t spend time learning to resolve technical issues.  

6. Adopt Different Learning Media

Another way to maximize learning during short-term courses is by adopting different learning media. How you learn is as important as what you know. In some cases, the way you learn seems more important than what you’re learning. To understand better from short courses, you should use as much different learning media as possible. You can have a range of available options, from text and imagery to video and audio. By using a variety of learning media, you can combine the strengths of each media to facilitate effective learning. More so, when the brain receives information in different formats, it retains information more quickly and for longer periods.

7. Identify Learning Gaps

Learning has to be complete for it to be effective. Without understanding the concept or information you’re learning thoroughly, retaining and transferring it into new contexts will be more difficult. With this in mind, it’s crucial you identify any gaps in your knowledge and then strengthen your weaker learning areas. One way to do this is through practice testing. Practice tests will show you the topics in your course that you’ve mastered and those you need to work more on. By observing the types of questions you consistently get wrong, you can tell the areas you need to focus on. 

8. Apply What You Learn 

Effective learning requires more than the passive accumulation of knowledge. To maximize learning, you need to find ways to apply what you learn. For example, if you’re learning how to prepare intercontinental cuisines, you should find ways to prepare them even when out of class. If you’re studying a new language, you should make a conscious effort to speak it to people who understand it. Practice enhances perfection. The more you apply what you learn, the better you know and relate.

9. Practice Self-Discipline

Self-discipline is a significant factor in determining the output of a course. To remain on track, you must ensure you stick to the demands of the course regardless of its nature. Different courses have different requirements. As you take up a course, check out what you’re expected to do and commit to doing them. Much as learning can be exciting, it comes with stretching demands that’ll take self-discipline to meet. Discipline yourself to attend class, turn in assignments, and complete projects on time. If you move out of the track, ensure you get yourself back on the learning track. 

10. Conduct Regular Revisions

Regular revision helps to recollect lessons and enhances your knowledge of the subject matters. Even when it appears you understand a lesson clearly, sometimes, we forget specific tasks. So, be sure to always conduct revisions so you won’t forget the lesson that was discussed.

To make revision effective, you can break the classes into smaller concepts and concentrate on each part. Taking information into smaller chunks aids understanding. More so, endeavor to create your keynotes while revising. Writing lessons in your own words also helps you to understand and remember them better. 

11. Study Intensively

It’s good to be intense when studying short-term courses. You’ll accomplish more if you study intensively. Intensive study sessions are often short and allow you to get a lot of work done without wasting much time. Rather than study for an excessively long time, you can practice intensive study by distributing your study over multiple sessions. By doing so, you can learn with greater focus and energy. Long-term studying can be exhausting, especially when you’re not good at it. But you’re more likely to maintain your attention and retain information when you study in little chunks of time. 

12. Teach What You Know

This has always proven to be an excellent way to retain and enhance learning. Teaching what you know makes you a better student. As you learn, try to explain the lesson in your words to your colleagues, as if you’re the teacher. You can do this in a study group, with a study partner, or on your own. As you explain the lessons, use connections and examples just as teachers do. If you can, use an outline. You can take things a notch higher by creating exercises from what you’re teaching. This will help you to think like a teacher. Besides, it’s also a highly effective study method.

Differences Between Short-term And Long-term Courses

Compared to long-term courses, short-term courses have unique differences. These differences include the following:

Time Interval: This is the most apparent difference. Short-term courses require a shorter time frame than long-term courses. You’ll complete a short-term course faster than a long-term course.

Commitment: Considering the time involved, long-term courses require more commitment from learners than short-term courses. Due to its long-time-interval, long-term courses make greater learning demands on students. You’ll need more time and effort to complete your long-term studies. 

Workload: Less learning time means fewer learning tasks. Since short-term courses happen in a short time, they don’t accommodate too much workload. Instead, they focus on the essentials. Long-term courses, on the other hand, have the luxury of time and can accommodate more learning projects. 

Cost: A course that lasts for two years will most likely cost more than that which takes six months. Longer time means more comprehensive resources will be required for learning. The more resources necessary, the costlier learning becomes.

Focus and Priority: Every learning program focuses on achieving specific outcomes. However, learning focus varies. The focus on short-term courses is usually narrow. This is because they focus on the essentials. Meanwhile, long-term courses cast their learning net wider to accommodate more information. 

Benefits Of Short-Term Courses 

Short-term courses offer a wide range of benefits such as the following:

Short Duration and Ease of Study: Short-term courses can be completed within a short time. This means you can gain practical knowledge without spending years behind the four walls of academic institutions. More so, the study syllabus is accessible compared to that of full-fledged degree courses. 

Effective Use of Free Time: Taking a short-term course allows you to use your free time effectively and beneficially. Since the courses don’t take short time intervals, you can leverage your holidays or other available time to take them. That way, you get a better return on your time investment.

Increases Your Competitive Advantage: In today’s job market, it’s difficult to get a job with only a degree. The competition for jobs increases daily. However, by doing short-term courses, you become a good competitor for your job field. 

Boosts Skill and Offers Professional Development: Short-term courses are a great way to bridge the skill gaps you’ve identified in yourself. They allow you to refresh or brush up on areas you need to improve. Additionally, short-term courses can boost your CV or portfolio in significant ways. 

Conclusion 

Short-term courses have evolved to become a more straightforward and time-saving way to learn. Different disciplines offer these courses to students and experienced professionals. From acquiring new knowledge to upgrading your skills, short-term courses prove helpful. As you take a short-term course, seek ways to maximize your learning, so you get the best returns from your investment. The steps recommended in this article are a good starting point.