COVID-19 has forced almost all classes online, and adjusting to a remote learning environment from home can be difficult. Without campus amenities like libraries, student unions, quads, or coffee shops, you might find it difficult to accommodate your individual study style when you are forced to do it at home—with your whole family around. But there are ways you can make the workspace you have feel just like the one you left behind on campus.

Dorm Room

Make your new study space feel just like you’re back on campus by:

• Organizing your supplies the same way
• Hanging your dorm room decorations around
• Putting up pictures of friends

Campus Library

If the campus library was your favorite place to study, then consider making your home workspace feel more like it by:

• Picking a workspace away from the flow of traffic in your home
• Putting up a "Do Not Disturb" sign
• Surrounding yourself with bookcases--or even just stacks of books
• Setting up an individual cubicle with materials you have on hand

The Quad

Sunshine can be a great mood booster. Make yourself feel like you’re back on the quad by:

• Grabbing a picnic blanket or folding chair and heading outside to study
• Setting up your workspace near a window
• Finding some small plants to decorate your workspace

Coffee Shop

If you’re used to working in your campus coffee shop, there are ways to make your space feel like one, like:

• Brewing coffee to get that familiar smell
• Playing ambient coffee shop recordings found online
• Curating a playlist of music similar to the music played in your favorite coffee shop

Although these might seem like trivial adjustments, putting some thought into your home workspace can really do wonders for your productivity and ensure you stay on track with your studies.

Here’s how some of our Student Partners have been creating great workspaces for online learning:

Ashley, Camosun College

Tiffany, Benedictine University

Helen, of Loyola University of Chicago, Lake Shore

For more tips and tricks for succeeding in your online courses, visit our Student Center.