Welcome to Digital & Study Skills Support Course

This interactive course unlocks as you complete each activity, task, and quiz. Work through the sections in order, open the accordions, and complete the short activities. Your progress will be saved automatically so you can return at any time.

📖 Aims and Objectives (Click me to expand)

By the end of this course you will be able to:

• Use effective note‑taking and highlighting strategies.
• Study confidently on a screen while reducing fatigue.
• Access learning materials in a range of accessible formats.
• Use assistive technology to support reading, writing, and organisation.
• Develop healthy digital habits that protect your wellbeing.

📖 What You Will Need

Suggested resources

• A laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
• A note‑taking app or notebook.
• Access to your course materials.
• Headphones (optional).
• 30–45 minutes per section.

🧩 Start: Begin the course

Think about how you currently study using digital tools. When ready, move into Section 1 to explore note‑taking and highlighting strategies.

Section 1: Note‑Taking & Highlighting

📖 Quick strategies for capturing key information

Highlight with purpose

Highlight only the most important words or phrases. Too much highlighting makes it harder to revise later.

Use headings and bullet points

Break information into clear sections so you can scan it quickly when revising.

Summarise in your own words

Writing short summaries helps you understand and remember information better.

📘 Example: Instead of highlighting whole paragraphs, a learner highlights only key terms and writes a one‑sentence summary underneath.

📘 Example: A learner uses colour coding—yellow for definitions, blue for examples, and green for key processes.

🧩 Activity: Try a new note‑taking method

Choose a short article or video and take notes using headings, bullet points, and one‑sentence summaries.

❓ Quick Quiz: Note‑Taking

Highlighting too much can make revision harder.

Copying text word‑for‑word is the best way to take notes.

Summarising in your own words helps you understand information.

Notes do not need any structure.

💭 Reflect: Your note‑taking

Which note‑taking habit could you improve to make your study sessions more effective?

Section 2: Studying on a Screen

🧩 Warm‑up: Think about your screen habits

How long do you usually study on a screen before taking a break?

📖 Tips for staying focused and reducing fatigue

Use the 20‑20‑20 rule

Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds to reduce eye strain.

Adjust your screen

Increase text size, adjust brightness, or use dark mode to make reading more comfortable.

Limit distractions

Close unnecessary tabs and silence notifications during study sessions.

📘 Example: A learner uses full‑screen mode to stay focused while reading online materials.

📘 Example: Another learner increases text size to reduce eye strain during long study sessions.

❓ Quick Quiz: Screen Study

The 20‑20‑20 rule helps reduce eye strain.

Keeping all notifications on improves focus.

Adjusting brightness and text size can make studying more comfortable.

Dark mode should never be used.

💭 Reflect: Your screen habits

What is one change you could make to improve your comfort when studying on a screen?

Section 3: Accessible Formats

🧩 Warm‑up: What formats do you use?

Think about whether you prefer reading, listening, or watching when learning new information.

📖 Using PDFs, audio, and alternative formats

PDFs

Use built‑in tools such as zoom, search, and highlighting to navigate PDFs easily.

Audio

Listening to audio versions of materials can help when reading feels tiring or when revising on the go.

Alternative formats

Some materials can be provided in large print, simplified text, or dyslexia‑friendly formats.

📘 Example: A learner listens to an audio version of a policy while travelling to work.

📘 Example: Another learner uses the search function in a PDF to quickly find key terms.

❓ Quick Quiz: Accessible Formats

Audio versions of materials can support learning.

PDFs cannot be searched or highlighted.

Alternative formats can make learning more accessible.

Only printed materials should be used for study.

💭 Reflect: Your preferred format

Which format—PDF, audio, or alternative—could help you learn more effectively?

Section 4: Assistive Technology

🧩 Warm‑up: What tools have you tried?

Think about any digital tools you already use to support reading, writing, or organisation.

📖 Tools that support learning

Text‑to‑speech

Reads text aloud, helping with focus, comprehension, and fatigue.

Speech‑to‑text

Allows you to dictate instead of typing, useful for long assignments.

Organisation tools

Apps like calendars, reminders, and task managers help you stay on track.

📘 Example: A learner uses text‑to‑speech to listen to long articles while taking notes.

📘 Example: Another learner uses speech‑to‑text to draft reflective accounts more quickly.

❓ Quick Quiz: Assistive Technology

Text‑to‑speech can help with reading and focus.

Speech‑to‑text is only for people with disabilities.

Organisation apps can support study planning.

Assistive technology should not be used for learning.

💭 Reflect: Your tools

Which assistive technology tool could you try to support your study habits?

Section 5: Healthy Digital Habits

🧩 Task: Review your digital habits

Think about your screen time, breaks, and posture. What could you improve?

📖 Protecting your wellbeing online

Take regular breaks

Short breaks help your brain reset and reduce fatigue.

Set boundaries

Decide when you will study and when you will switch off from screens.

Look after your posture

Use a comfortable chair, adjust your screen height, and avoid long periods of sitting still.

📘 Example: A learner sets a timer to take a 5‑minute break every 30 minutes.

📘 Example: Another learner studies at a desk instead of in bed to improve posture and focus.

❓ Quick Quiz: Digital Wellbeing

Regular breaks help reduce fatigue.

You should study for hours without stopping.

Setting boundaries helps maintain healthy digital habits.

Posture does not matter when studying online.

💭 Reflect: Your wellbeing

What is one healthy digital habit you will start using this week?