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fim
Active Contributor

Recently I completed a course “Implementation Made Simple for SAP Successfactors Solutions” at openSAP. It was my first attempt at the forum and an amazing learning experience. While benefiting from the course, I had decided to share my experience as soon as the course is over to help those who are taking (or planning to take) such course(s). Now as its finished already, I’m here to provide you with the tips which could help you in your learning.

So first thing first

The whole SAP Team and in particular those who developed, arranged & offered the course did a great job. From designing & developing the course content to preparing & delivering the presentations while considering varied audience, everything was organized well and helped participants greatly in understanding the subject. Congratulations everyone! : )

Now the specifics

  1. Background: Even though the courses are structured to independently provide required information, it’s quite helpful if you have some background knowledge. Just check the prerequisites before you decide to enroll yourself in a course. If the requirements are optional, you still can learn the skills taught in the course, however, with some extra effort.
  2. About: The next thing which could help you in organizing your learning work is to know precisely what the course is all about. Its mentioned in course summary and objectives. The course summary provides the bigger picture and is given within the course information. The objectives, on the other hand, are mentioned at the start & tell what you could expect in specific unit of the course.
  3. Material: In addition to the videos, the openSAP team has done another great job to add transcripts to each presentation. Do refer them if there’s any ambiguity in understanding a topic. It is also useful if you follow different accent.
  4. Interrelationship: To ensure you learn what is intended by specific part of the course, focus on the information delivered by presenter, relate it with the objectives and pay particular attention to the questions asked in self-tests given at the end of each unit.
  5. Notes: Taking notes, howsoever rough they are, help a lot in understanding the points. I know, while listening it’s not easy to capture all points and to be neat, however, if you manage to write down some, you could relate aforementioned 3 things together i.e. objectives, content and tests.
  6. Linkage: To relate the information much of which in beginning looks like a puzzle, mark the points (with highlighter or different ink) which are direct answers to the learning objectives. Now use these notes as reference when you revisit the unit to attempt self-tests. You’ll see the whole thing making lot of sense at the end.  
  7. Reference: If a unit refers to an external source of information, do visit even if you don’t understand it. The reference could be used later on when you are required to apply your skills in a practical environment. However, by having some familiarity of the referred information, you’d be able to benefit from your current learning better.
  8. Demos: The demos (which are necessary parts of some units) are of particular importance, just as other information presented in the course. If you have relevant system environment available, do repeat the steps yourself to have clear understanding.
  9. Assignments: The weekly assignments will confirm your understanding even more. If you attempt the tests without any difficulty, it may mean you’ve understood the topic well. However, even if you score less, you can still gain the required skills by focusing again on the topics which you misunderstood.
  10. Discussion Forums: Another good source of information is the discussion forum which you could use to seek help. The course organizers attend the queries and you get answers promptly by one or another instructor.

Example:

I know my writing isn't good, however, I've still added an image below to demonstrate how I was taking notes. Its Unit 1 in Week 1 of the course.

It'd be good to hear about your learning experience so please do share your comments.

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