An AIF student’s guide to passing your online course

I’ll be honest with you, I started my AIF Master Trainer Online Course a while ago; I was new to online study, was working full time, and didn’t consider how to fit it into my schedule. I also didn’t plan my assignments or make the most of the excellent support that AIF offers… so it flopped. I fell behind and ended up deferring. 

For a while, I felt like a bit of a failure! I saw so many AIF students absolutely nailing their online studies, chatting away in the Master Trainer Online Group about their course progression, sharing tips, tricks and asking for advice. There were so many people who LOVED the online modality, who actively attended the Friday tutorials and who chatted to the Coaches on a regular basis. 

I knew that if I were to try again, I had to do it all differently. After a break from study of around 8 months, I decided to actually read through the Online Master Trainer Group on Facebook and flick through the tips and tricks from other students. After doing so I thought, ‘Maybe I should give this another go and actually put in the work, and utilise the assistance AIF provides’… So I did! I found my groove, am nailing my assignments and am loving it. Now, I’m a couple of months away from completing the entire course (I still work full time, so chip away at it where I can!)

Here, I share a few key pieces of advice gleaned from my own personal experience so that when you dive into the course, it’s a success from day ONE.

1. You HAVE to join The Online Master Trainer Group on Facebook

There were times I was struggling with a question on an assignment, typed in a keyword into the search bar of the group and found a heap of other students discussing and unpacking the question together, with the Online Coaches commenting and giving guidance. When I couldn’t find the guidance I needed, I made a post myself and my peers and Coaches were so quick to come to the rescue. You can also find other people in your area to have study sessions with, or help each other film your assignments. This group was a lifesaver – current students can join here.

2. Email your coaches! 

Once I got over my ‘ahhh I don’t want to annoy them with my questions’ phase, things changed for the better (and by the way, you won’t annoy them – that is what they are there for!). I would email them any time I had a question about my feedback, assignment, a quiz or simply about anything I was struggling with. The online team are so speedy in their responses, as well as being very detailed and really helpful. You can reach them at Online@fitness.edu.au.

3. Have ‘filming days’ for your assignments

In my first attempt at the course, I would do each assignment one by one, not opening the next until I had finished the first (rookie error). Throughout the course, you have to film yourself conducting sessions and consultations with your friends and family playing the role of case studies. Doing assignments one by one made this super difficult, having to repeatedly try to round up enough people for the group assignments when everyone leads such busy lives. 

So, on my attempt #2 I did the opposite. I would work on multiple assignments at a time, so when it came to the filming components of those assignments, I rounded up the people I needed and filmed, sometimes filming up to 3 assignments in one day using the same person to play multiple roles. 

Extra tip: Have a run sheet prepared knowing what you’re filming and in what order, and tick it off as you go. Nothing worse than uploading the videos and realising you forgot to film a certain exercise because you were busy trying to be the ultimate multitasker.

4. Read & re-read your feedback  

The best thing about the AIF Online Coaches is that even when you pass an assignment, they still leave you a bunch of notes to read all over your submission. They will always provide tips to help you improve as a trainer and provide you with positive reinforcement on the elements of the course or assignment that you’re nailing.

At least 40% of the time, my assignment is marked as ‘unsatisfactory’, but this is because my coach has a change or improvement they want me to implement, so I am actively making the change and then I get to resubmit! It’s not all over red rover just because you make a mistake; they help you learn from it, and they help you pass. So don’t be scared to fail!

Just go back to these notes and feedback before you submit your next assignment, and make sure you learnt from them. 

Here’s some of my recent feedback from the Online Team: 

And some more:

AIF’s team of Online Coaches are unlike any other, making studying online just as enjoyable as on campus. 

I hope this advice helps you to overcome your fear of failure and anything else holding you back from starting this course.

Study hard friends!

– Molly