The key to managing time when teaching online is to be organized. Each week should be organized by day so all tasks can be completed.
Rafael,
You have to "train" yourself as well as your students. Take some down time. Do not be a 24-7 online instructor. It will come with time and best practices you learn along the way.
Thanks!
Workload and time management is such a difficult thing for me to keep throughout the week. I find myself checking and responding to email throughout the day. I reserve my "heavy" responses and grading for the evening. As a previous participant has mentioned, it's a good idea to work some downtime in. For me, that takes place during the weekends. I'll still answer emails, but heavy grading takes a back seat to family-time.
Flora,
And, isn't it true for the students as well? When they fall behind, it's so hard to catch up. We can emphasize this to ourselves and our students. Thanks!
The best way I've been managing my time for the online courses that I teach is by making sure I don't ever fall behind. By creating daily schedules where I set aside time focused entirely on the courses that I teach, I'm able to accomplish the main task which is keeping up with all my courses and not falling behind! Staying disciplined when it comes to maintaining these courses helps as well.
Ed,
Time management also turns in to priority management as well. We have to know what's the most important thing to get done at what time. This all leads to that manageable teaching. Thanks!
Time management includes creating templates and schedules-to-be-followed. Certain things must be done on certain days (task management). When that is done, online teaching becomes more manageable.
Joan,
I was the same. I loved playing school as a child and loved going to school. But, I too "strayed" for a bit and am now back. Sometimes we just need a break to realize how wonderful it was. Thanks for sharing.
I completely agree with you about having downtime! I love teaching. From my earliest memory as a child I knew I wanted to teach. Then one day I realized I wasn't very happy and I wasn't sure what had happened. I still felt passionate about teaching. so I knew it wasn't that I disliked my job. Somewhere, I had gotten so caught up that teaching was all I had. I wasn't taking time out for my family or friends. At some point, I had become very overwhelmed and instead of thinking of ways to relax, I just ended up working harder. One of my children pointed it out to me. I started using a calendar on my computer that would alert me when it was time to take a break, or time to switch to another task. I slowly got organized and learned how to better utilize my time. Now I am back on track, and I love teaching more than ever. You have to have some personal time. There's nothing worse than having a job that you hate, and if you get too busy and overwhelmed, it can turn a job you love into a job you don't. I'm grateful that I got it figured out before I got to that point. I still love teaching!
Wayne ,
Definitely. We have to make sure students understand the expectations and know how to achieve the learning outcomes. Thanks!
Establishing student expectations for interaction is crucial. I set specific office hours when I’m available for instant messaging, as well as a live session each week. I check email specifically morning and evening and inform students I may respond at other times if I see an email but that this is not to be expected.
I try – without publicizing it – to check email more often on the days just before assignments are due.
As the material in this course suggests, establishing published boundaries is crucial, and it benefits students to know exactly what to expect.
Thomas,
Developing a schedule for assessment and communication is great. We have to make sure we are consistent and timely in our actions and our students know when we are available. Thanks!
I set up a weekly schedule built around the course schedule. This ensures I have the time to do the work required.
Phyllis,
We have to find a plan that works for each of us. Some people are morning people and some late night people. But, the key is to set aside time for grading, communicating, and time for ourselves. The students must understand when we are available and when to expect a response. Thanks!
Eugenia,
Taking care of life responsibilities is necessary. We have to balance our work and lives. Making sure students know when we will be responding, is key. Putting this information in the syllabus and reiterating it in the announcements or something like that helps. A 24 or 48 hour response is appropriate. Just make sure the students/administrators know and stick to it. I tell students I answers the FAQ discussion board (because I tell them not to email me, but to list it on the FAQ DB for all to benefit) within 24 hours if posted Sunday - Thursday. Therefore, if they post a question Thursday, I can respond Friday, but if they post Friday, they MAY not get a response until Monday. I communicate this very well and this is understood by students and my administration. I also make all of my assignments due Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. Because making assignments due Sunday at midnight (like many new online instructors do), then you MUST be online Friday and Saturday and all day Sunday. See what I mean? Hope this is helpful.
To manage my time efficiently, I block out a couple of hours in the morning to specially handle grading. I do not check email until I have finished a preset goal for the number of assignments I will grade during the blocked off time period. After I have finished the grading, I attend to my administrative duties and answer email. This process helps me to meet my grading goals and not become overwhelmed in handling my other classroom management responsibilities.
Hi Steven, Tena and Class,
I find this to be an important reminder, but more and more difficult to execute recently. I used to make sure to take two days during the week to tend to grading offline and life responsibilities, while still checking for urgent messages at one point during the day. However, there are students who become very unhappy when they wait for a response. I've been discouraged recently when a supervisor assumed that I was not "keeping up with the class" because the student received a response the next day. I did try to clarify that my response time was well within the school's requirements, but the accusation was enough to cause some worry.
Have you ever encountered anything like this? How do you protect a modest amount of offline time while trying to meet the demands of an online class?
Beth,
Sure. Hope it works for you as well as it have for me. Take care.
I will be trying the student FAQ idea next semester. Hopefully, they will find it helpful! Thanks for the tip.
Beth,
Have you tried what I do? I tell the students NOT to email me, but to post their questions on the FAQ discussion board. I give minimal extra credit to students who answers other students' questions. This works well. I do, however, check the FAQ every day (M-F) and answer anything or clarify anything not already answered within 24 hours. I have online courses with over 200 students in the class and my email overload has drastically reduced. Secondary questions are typically answered by the same student who answered the first question. I have also required self- and peer-evaluation using the same rubric I use to assess an assignment/project and when that happens, I have to make less comments. Again, a time saver. Hope this is helpful.
