Pitfalls
The number one pitfall I see with all online students is time management. Many students have other responsibilities outside of school and they don’t set aside the necessary time for completing assignment on time and prepare for test. I help students by providing a due date calendar and posting email reminder two days before assignments and tests are due.
Shundra Mosby
Chantee ,
You are on the right track you must hold them accountable to those deadline. They have been educated in a culture where many times a deadline is just a suggestion. This does them no good in the real world when a deadline may mean you keep your job.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I agree that time management is one of the biggest pitfalls in online education. Although I set due dates, provide calendars, and send out weekly reminders I still have students who do not complete the assignments by the deadline given.
Mischelle,
I like the idea of having them sign a statement. It set their responsibility. I know several instructors give an exams over syllabus and other important documents. It is also a way to have students practice taking a test online.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I too give my student several strategies when they enroll in an online course. I give them a blank calendar, a list of due dates, a best practices worksheet, and they must fill out and sign a time management form after we discuss their upcoming schedule.
Finally, I have students sign a responsibility and technology specifications form, which serves as a reminder that they have committed to this course.
Jean,
Agreed. I actually started you using remind.com to send texts to my students. They will check their phone before their computer.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I also post the due dates for the course as well as weekly reminders of assignments that need to be completed. I have found in an online environment many students tend to forget the due dates.
Jean
Tina,
I do the same thing, I use Outlook but students can put an Outlook calendar on their MAC, Google calendar or they can print it. It is a great way to try to teach time management.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Shundra,
I think that its great that you provide a due date calendar for your students. Is this a generic or personal calendar? I usually post an announcement reminding students of certain assignments, not all of them. Does this really work for you, given that some students do not take the time to read the announcements? Thanks for the idea, though.
Angela,
I am with you; I LOVE calendars! I have actually started pushing an Outlook calendar to my students. If I save it as an .ics file students can open the calendar in any platform. The biggest advantage is they can put it in their phone.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Shundra,
I find this really helps. I always take advantage of the calendar within the LMS. A also put reminders in the calendar. I post a reminder for everything 24 hours before it is due. This also gets rid of several excuses and helps with submission rates.
Shundra,
You are so right! You are on the right track to help students plan their work by using a calendar. I try to have students think of assessment as projects and to help them manage their projects. They tend to really underestimate the time it takes to do their homework.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
