Online studies
Completing your Bachelor’s degree through online studies is an interesting alternative if you want to study without participating in face-to-face instruction on campus.
At Laurea, you can earn several degrees completely or partially online. Some of the students in the online study groups are employed and some are in the process of returning to the labour market. Some live abroad. Common to everyone studying online is that participation in daytime instruction or blended learning is not possible due to work, place of residence, family situation, hobbies or other limiting life situations.
What is it like to study online?
Studying online differs from daytime studies in many ways. Online studies follow the same pace and schedule as daytime studies and blended learning. Thus, flexibility regarding the study pace is limited. Self-management skills and discipline are highlighted when studying online. Online studies require a lot of independent work, but you still won’t be doing everything all alone. You will participate in online discussions and complete group work through remote connections. However, you can choose at what time and where you study.
What do online studies require?
1. Technical requirements
In order to study online, you need a computer with a good network connection and you should have basic IT skills. Laurea uses the Canvas online learning environment, which is your primary study environment. Online studies may include a variety of ways to study:
- Assignments to be carried out independently
- Group work
- Workplace-oriented development projects
- Online discussions
- Online meetings, which may be briefings, guidance discussions, mini lectures, etc. related to the studies
Although there are not many face-to-face encounters, the studies include plenty of online meetings. They are carried out through the Zoom video conferencing service. For this purpose, we recommend you to acquire a headset.
2. Self-management and internal motivation
Online studies are best suited for students who show initiative. You need to be self-directed and have appropriate self-management skills. This includes systematically arranging time for your studies nearly every day. Internal motivation is also important. It is our inherent tendency to seek new things and challenges as well as apply our skills and learn. Research in internal motivation has shown that it is more important for realising one’s potential than, for example, goals that are set based on external reasons.
3. Time and commitment
Think about what you are willing to give up when you study online. Prepare to spend time daily on your studies. Many may think that studying online would somehow be easier than traditional studies including lectures. This is not the case at all. The content of a degree completed online is the same as the degree earned in daytime studies, and you also need to independently ensure that your studies progress appropriately.
Practical tips
- Set tangible goals
- Prepare a schedule
- Break larger entities down into smaller parts
- Reserve several blocks of time in your calendar for independent studies every week, on top of the online meetings.
- Talk about your studies in your workplace and find out if it is possible to use development tasks in your work as part of your studies
Set your goals high and challenge yourself to reach them. Then work in a systematic manner.
Laurea’s blended learning includes regular face-to-face instruction, whereas degrees completed fully online have 1–2 days of face-to-face instruction at the beginning of each semester. There are more face-to-face-instruction days in the degrees with an online focus (for more detailed descriptions of the degrees, see the studyinfo.fi website).
Each degree includes a minimum of two work placement periods.