Preparing for IGNOU Psychology Exams - The Challenge of Studying from a Distance

Students often complain of lacking the discipline needed to study from afar. They present a pathetic picture of themselves - the poor, helpless souls who are at a complete loss if not dealt with a rigid hand from the outside. Students who need to complain this way need to remember that there are a large number of fellow students who complete correspondence courses successfully, acquire knowledge at par with those studying in the classroom, and utilize this knowledge to make a successful career.

Common Complains of Studying from a Distance

Some of the common complains of those pursuing independent courses, including competitive ones like the SET/NET/GRE are:

• they have no idea where to begin and how to continue
• they have no idea how much time to devote to each topic
• they don't know which learning methods to adopt
• they get bored and distracted easily, since the external environment of study is generally the home - they end up procrastinating
• they lack time, especially if they are working or pursuing some regular course with the distance study
• they don't know how to check their progress
• they don't know which sources to refer to for explanations beyond the notes provide

 These are the common complains I've heard, but I'm sure everyone has their own long list to add.

Common Issues with Distance Students

The list I presented above is from a student's point of view. Let me now present a picture from a teacher's point of view of the same problems listed above. I hope to make clear that most of the complains by distance students are not exclusive to them.

• Any syllabus is so structured, that it has a definite beginning and end. So there is no obscurity in deciding where to begin or where to move ahead. It is as simple as completing the understanding and practice one topic and moving to the next as prescribed by the syllabus.

• How much time is to be devoted to a topic cannot be determined in general, for every student has his/her own pace. Also, some students will grasp some topics quicker or slower than others.

• The learning methods to be adopted in a distance course are no different from those adopted in a healthy classroom. The only difference is that the teacher provides a structure in the classroom, whereas the distance student must structure themselves, if not opting for tuition. However, since this structure is not made explicit to students, this is one genuine area of concern where the student can benefit from guidance.

• The home can be hindering as well as facilitating for learning. The classroom student also does all important learning at home, for self-study is indispensable. The student must learn how to take advantage of the home setting, for it actually proves to be the best place to study.

• A lack of time should not be an issue for distance universities are primarily targeted at students who are busy otherwise. If you check the learning hours needed to be dedicated to each topic, as outlined in the prospectus, you will find that it is sensitively decided to be easily accomplished. More than a lack of time it is the frustration caused by lack of correct guidance that wastes away the hours.

• IGNOU provides for student assignments that help the student stay on track, and should ideally provide feedback to the students on their progress. Unfortunately though, I find this system does not work well, since the marking of assignments is practically much delayed. The main cause of concern though, is the way students deal with the assignments. In reality, students end up mindlessly copying the answers to questions from various sources, sometimes even from the University provided notes themselves. They end up harming themselves by wasting precious time that should have been utilized better. Adopting correct learning methods deals with the problem of progress check.

• The last point of complain from IGNOU students is intriguing since the University provides very simplified, structured notes for study. I understand the problem of comprehension, however, for it is sometimes difficult to see the how and why certain topics are introduced in different sections. Also, though simple, the notes are sometimes hasty for the aim is to cover every topic in pre-determined scope. Importantly, however, most students are accustomed to guided learning and sudden independence at higher levels can prove challenging.

Solutions to Common Problems

As I mentioned earlier, for every student overwhelmed by the learning required from him, there is another who is smoothly gliding through his preparation. There are some easy solutions to the above mentioned real and perceived problems of students. Let us look at them in order:

• Beginning is not an issue, anything new is exciting - continuing is, for it is the issue of motivation. Identifying this can make it easy to deal with the problem for everyone knows their own motivators best. In general, motivation comes from keeping the larger goal in mind and recognizing that every small effort moves towards this final goal. Why did you take up the course? To perk up your resume? To complete a dream you could not fulfill some years back? To pursue learning while being actively engaged in a career or some other learning? Think about how not putting your sincere effort can shatter that goal.

• In the IGNOU Psychology course, there is not much difference in the time between one topic and another. For the coverage and difficulty of each topic is well balanced. The issue of time comes when previous topics are not learnt completely, and there is thereby no strong base to understanding the next topic. This leads to swinging back and forth between topics, and movement ahead is halted. After this, it seems like no amount of time is sufficient for a given topic. Poor study habits lead to questions like devotion of time per topic. This is not a real issue if a good study plan is in place.

• Learning methods are a concern for every type of student in the world. This concern requires coverage by a different post altogether. To put it quickly, though, active learning is the key to success. Reading, re-reading, and repeating this cycle over and over is not only futile but frustrating and thereby detrimental. Students who engage in this cycle often feel victimized, having spent so much time on 'learning', yet failing to succeed in the examination. This has led to the whole popularity of the 'smart work' dictum. I would like to call it mindful learning, though, as against mindless 'learning.' A good teacher can give you a learning structure besides explaining difficult material. If you need such structure, tuition is a good option. It is no matter of shame.

• Think about potential facilitators of studying at home. If it seems difficult, let me share my experience briefly. Most students have either don their self-study at home, or in public libraries, or in small peer groups. The public library becomes a place of addebaazi (for lack of a better term). Students there gossip and go for time-to-time 'chai breaks.' Yes, there are rare students who have no good place at home, and therefore go to such libraries out of no choice, and put their best effort into studying. Think about which environment they have to face, though. Peer groups are even worse, students there spend time gossiping (more furiously since they generally belong to the same classroom), planning for holidays and pajama parties and making plans to cheat in the exam. My view might seem cynical, but you can check this out for yourself in ninety percent of such groups. Now, if we look at the home in contrast, it is generally peaceful, with most students privileged enough to have their own study table, or at least a corner where they can study. Parents or the spouse are more than happy to have the student busy in preparation. Yes, there are potential distractions at the home, but the student has control over much of these, for it is not other people who are being stressful but the student's own desires such as wanting to surf the internet. Added to this, if a tutor is available to come in the home, then even a group of students at the home can enjoy these benefits.  

• I most certainly empathize with students who are more restricted by their schedule than others. A study plan  is most crucial for them. They can benefit from making small goals and ticking off their completion to assure no loss of time - for they won't be able to compensate for lost time in future. Chiefly, they need to curb the time lost in searching for additional explanation of material, structuring everyday learning, and performing trial-and-error to come down to their personal learning style. Since such students generally have the resources, a tutor can perform these tasks for them, giving them the opportunity to dedicate their entire learning time to understanding and remembering material.

• There is only one option to checking progress, like it or not - testing yourself at regular intervals. IGNOU makes this easy by providing 'test yourself' questions after every section, and providing past papers online. These are meant to be used and not ignored like pebbles on the road. They are there for a purpose. Many students cringe at the sight of such questions, and some surprisingly call it 'waste of time.' This 'waste of time,' actually prevents hours of frustration of having to turn back to prior material since it was not mastered and future learning seems impossible. Also remember the viscous reading re-reading cycle I mentioned earlier. A tutor can check your answers to these tests and give you feedback if such a learning style is suited to you. Regular checking can prevent the shock of being unprepared right before the exam. Student assignments should also be approached authentically.

•  Lastly, it is true that large amounts of material are available freely and for purchase for any topic in the course. Besides, every person has a different advise regarding the 'best' book or 'best' source for a given topic. In reality, everyone's 'best' source differs depending on his/her ability and learning style. The solution to lack of resources for reference is guidance. Not by a fellow or ex-student, but an expert who can understand your potential and requirements. Not everyone finds it easy to self-learn, and this is no shortcoming. Taking help is never a matter of shame. The ultimate goal is successful mastery of the course, some achieve this through their own ability, others through references and yet others through one-to-one guidance. Identify your learning style, and take a decision that will work best for you.