Online Learning: Tips, Tricks & a Whole Lot of Heart

“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.” These wise words of Sir Isaac Newton come to mind, as I stare aimlessly at my computer screen with 40 tabs open, ECG strips and scribbled notes scattered around me. I think of my online classmates, surely sitting in similar organized chaos.

Our efforts in this program are a continuation of the work of thousands before us – visionaries armed with little more than ingenuity and basic tools, venturing into unfamiliar sciences. The giants on whose shoulders we stand on were pioneers in their fields, sacrificing many sleepless nights to unlock the heart’s mysteries, just as we now struggle.

William Einthoven, often hailed as one of Cardiology’s founding fathers, didn’t just make contributions – his relentless research captured the heartbeat of an entire field, creating both a new discipline and a solely dedicated profession.

With such a monumental history, approaching this field can be daunting, but the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. As I plod along my path, my home has slowly transformed into a shrine dedicated to the heart. I started to worship the ECG scribbles that cover my walls like Egyptian hieroglyphs and pray for insight into their hidden meanings. Along the way, I’ve swum through waves of discordance, and by pausing to look back I can share some tips that you can hopefully take to heart!

Pace Your Rhythm (a little ECG humour)

If you’re familiar with the classic tale, The Tortoise and the Hare, I’m certainly the tortoise, sluggishly trying to maintain rhythm in this academic marathon of a race. When my productivity flatlines after a healthy dose of procrastination, it takes me several read-throughs and countless hours rewatching online lectures (a true lifesaver) before my intrinsic abilities finally start to set the pace again.

When tackling large volumes of material, I find it helps to map out a plan, much like charting a heart’s rhythm. Allocating time to each section allows you to absorb and retain knowledge without succumbing to burnout. Carefully orchestrating your day allows it to function like a well-calibrated pacemaker, setting steady intervals that create time for revisiting past content. Even just a few spare moments, those small-scale review sessions, really help reinforce material before exams sneak up like an unexpected arrhythmia catching you off guard.

Imagine meticulously planning a road trip, only to be relentlessly derailed by one detour after another, encountering constant bumps along the way. Eventually, you burn through all your gas and deplete all resources – food, water, and luck. Stranded in the desert, you’re left with nothing but the crushing weight of isolation.

Similarly, dividing the material into bite-sized chunks and setting a time limit for each section is like rationing the right amount of fuel for each part of the expedition. Trust me, you don’t want to be the car stalled on the highway with its emergency flashers flickering like a heart in arrhythmia. The goal is to keep your engine running smoothly, at full capacity – no sudden ventricular standstills or irregular beats.

Success is not a function of speed, but steady, unwavering perseverance. Like a tortoise with a well-paced rhythm, if you stay on track and keep your pulse steady, you’ll reach your goals without missing a beat!

Throw Your Heart Into It! 

Drowning in a sea of textbooks, PowerPoints, and notes, cycling endlessly like a reentrant circuit loop (more ECG humour) can quickly become stale and mind-numbing, especially with the added pressure of deadlines beating down on you. To ablate this cycle, I’ve found that personalizing your learning experience by syncing it with what you love makes all the difference. Afterall, an efficient study routine, much like a well-functioning heart, beats with purpose and passion.

At this point, I’ve invented more ridiculous anagrams, metaphors and stories than I can count, along with a few raps that are too embarrassing to recite in front of an audience! Be funny, be spontaneous, be creative, that’s how we learn best! Colour-code, highlight, use visual aids and memory tricks! Unleash your inner owl and Kahoot yourself silly. Turn your study sessions into a cardio workout for the mind with trivia games and a little friendly competition with classmates!

With online classes, although we are scattered throughout the country, staying engaged in forums and maintaining an online presence fosters a hearty learning environment. Take full advantage of this, learn from each other, ask questions, and commiserate with the only people who will understand your terrible cardio puns.

Eliminate Artifact & Assess Environment.

Your workspace often reflects your headspace. When you’re feeling discordant and unable to conduct your studies, take a quick look at your study space. If you’re anything like me, it might look more like a disaster zone than a study haven. Taking a few minutes to tidy up and reorganize everything can be equal parts useful and cathartic.

In my experience, watching my workspace shift from chaos to order feels like pressing a mental reset button. Seeing the space transform into a more orderly state helps calm me down and figure out what must be done first and what can wait. If you have trouble concentrating at home, try taking a stroll to a quiet coffee shop or library. Staring at the same four walls day after day can blunt creativity, so try changing up your scenery. Having a fresh perspective and being surrounded by other people working concordantly can spark inspiration, allowing you to synchronize your efforts.  

Measure Regular Intervals for What Matters

It is instrumental to recognize the need for a pause in order to reset and maintain productivity during intervals of work. There will undoubtedly be nights when the weight of your workload will feel as heavy as the bags under your eyes, as you lose sleep editing the same paragraph for the hundredth time to get it right.

Try as we might to get ahead and stay ahead, we are only human. And while it may not always be possible to achieve a perfect balance, it is possible to balance self-care. Whether that is an occasional night out with friends ordering exotic foods, indulging in that summertime warehouse sale, flipping through photo albums with family, or snuggling up on the couch with your fur babies, all of these are vital to staying sane.

But just as the heart needs a brief rest between beats before ventricular ejection, so too does your mind in recovery. Filling your needs and regularly checking in with yourself will allow you to come back to your studies refreshed and with a new focus (hopefully not an ectopic one).

Final Interpretation?

Progress, contrary to our expectations, is rarely linear. Much like a patient’s ECG strips, there will be unexpected rhythms – fluctuations, periods of stagnation, and fleeting moments of doubt. Yet, just as a heartbeat returns to its steady pulse, so too do we recalibrate, rediscovering our own cadence. As we march down our paths, slowly becoming giants ourselves, we leave behind a legacy of footprints that allow others to stand taller, reach farther and see beyond what our hearts could ever encapsulate during systole, pushing the pulse of progress far beyond the limits of our own cardiac capacity. 

Before you plateau, remember that Flow = Pressure / Resistance. When the pressure from school seems overwhelming, the flow rate of support from your classmates, teachers, friends, family, and loved ones – also intensifies. Their love, guidance, and encouragement become a current that also increases and will be enough to help you overcome the resistance and help return hope to your heart.

Heartfelt Wishes,
Vanessa T.

Vanessa T. is a graduate of the Stenberg College Cardiology Technology program. She is now a proud Cardiology Technologsit working in an Acute Care Unity at a local Vancouver hospital.