Managing Time
The course mentions giving time management ideas to students. What would you consider to be some useful and more importantly, workable ones?
Sending out 3 messages a week. The first when the content becomes available. The second in the middle of the session as a reminder and a final message to remind of the deadline. It is so true that the Competitive learner finishes early. The dependent learner barely meets the deadline and the avoidant learner turns in work late or not at all.
I like that approach. Everyone should take a little time to relax so that they do not feel overwhelmed.
I try to encourage my students to set a certain time to get there work done at least three times a week and stick to that schedule. If you have small children the best time might be in the evening after they have gone to bed or early in the morning before they get up. I find that it works much better when I have a set time every evening that I get my work done.
The one thing I always tell my students is that it is so important for them to make sure that they give themselves time every day to relax. It may sound strange, but if a person does not have a little time set aside every day to relax and regroup they will eventually feel overwhelmed and they will not succeed in their classes. This surprises most of my students, but after they have tried it and scheduled themselves time, they agree that it is a good idea.
Terry Armentrout
It is the unexpected that can really throw a wrench in things, you are right Lydia. And, as you point out, that can happen to any of us. That is a great idea suggest to your students to plan for the unexpected.
Students often think that anxiety caused by time management is isolated to them alone. I tell my students that life is unpredictable, as we all have experienced. There are times when unexpected emergencies or situations occur. And, these unforeseen situations throw a kink into our schedule and can create havoc. Therefore I have them think about how can one be prepared for the unexpected? Is it possible to schedule time for these unknown emergencies?
-Determine a set study time and location
-Set study goals for each session
-Plan to complete each assignment at least 24 hours before the due date, to leave time for unforseen difficulties
Breaking the course into sections does help students manage their time more efficiently--at least in my experience. Thanks for your comments Raquel.
That is a great idea Adib. Thank you for sharing it with the group.
Breaking the course into sections would be a helpful process for the students
I also encourage some of my students to purchase an agenda or use an electronic calendar to keep track of guidelines for upcoming assignments.
I like this suggestion. I also post exemplars of assignments for students to review as well. This usually is good for my visual learners.
I like to have a discussion with students in the online classroom to discuss what they consider to be some time management strategies. This gives me an idea of how many of my students "ideally" manage their time. Also, this discussion gives me an opportunity to share some strategies and techniques with students.
Great suggestions of your own Gina! It is a good reminder that sometimes our students haven't been in school for many years, so it is nice if we can provide them with some guidance as they are coming back to school. Thanks for your post Gina.
Very good suggestion. Managing to sit and organize thoughts into an outline and a draft is the biggest, sometimes most important part of the assignment, and communication this to them is crucial. Breaking the components down can reduce having to do a quick job all at once; but the student must begin the process early enough in the week. In addition, many online students have not been in school for MANY years. Having some citation, essay, and research writing guidelines in the Class Content is a great way to get the students refreshed and ready. That can really help the students with the new barrage of writing they are about to experience and polish the skills they will need.
I would suggest planning ahead and leave extra time to complete a task.
It’s very easy to under estimate time needed to do a project.
It’s better to have extra time to complete your work.
Amazingly, many students do not keep a calendar or date book! They actually depend upon their memory! (And guess what doesn't work very well...) How many times have I received a late paper with the comment, "I thought this was due NEXT week!" So I do encourage students to use a planner of some sort.
Practice on the machine every day just to open up the pathways! If you cannot do a long session,
just picture the writing in your head.
I agree with Mark on the techniques he offered to aid students in using proper time management skills.
I have created a calendar. It shows students when their assignments are due and they can write in other events they may have planned.
Also, some have Black Berry's and they can use that calendar and set the alarm to remind them days before the assignment is due.
They can use outlook to input their important school data and set reminders.
Time Management is one the skills that if used properly will be very beneficial in obtaining goals. Also, by setting priorities it can ensure students do the most urgent task before the deadline approaches.
