Posts Tagged ‘Time Management’
Today my daughter told me she was taking three online classes so she can work almost full time this summer. She is doing this to graduate in December, four and ½ years after she started. While I am grateful financially that she is motivated to finish up; in the back of my mind I am wondering if she can handle the intensity of three online classes. She is quite organized so she has that in her favor, but I am not sure if she can handle the demands. She has taken an occasional online class with her on site classes, so she does have some idea of what she is getting into. Online classes require a lot of response, which is visible or invisible to the instructor. She tends to get overwhelmed and I am wondering if online classes condensed for a summer session might be too much for her. She did not inherit her mother’s need to stay busy.
If you work full time, online or on site classes, eat most of the free time you have after working an eight hour day. You need to have a lot of energy to do either types of college education. If you have children they still need a piece of your day too. The advantage of online classes is you can complete a lot of your assignments on the weekends before your assignment is due. If you are the first to post, you have the advantage of starting the discussion and understanding all the threads that follow.
Success in online classes belongs to those with a lot of energy and good organizational and time management skills. The ability to work ahead before the deadlines helps a lot in the online environment. If a student lacks these skills it will be difficult for them to achieve in the online environment.
Posted by Jeff Davis on March 4th, 2009
To procrastinate or not to procrastinate? That is the question. College is not easy whether you attend online or on campus. But then again, is it really supposed to be? It is just one class after another and deadlines to meet and class participation and both group and individual assignments. Whew! It is a procrastinator’s worst nightmare! Lucky for me that I do not fall into that category.
One thing about the online classroom environment and flexibility is that they tend to go hand in hand. My online classes at the University of Phoenix were very flexible in my opinion. They allowed me to get my work done ahead of time when I had family or work commitments and we all know how life can often get in the way of pursuing our goals. Although I liked the flexibility that was provided, it might not be suitable for just anyone. There were often times when it was difficult to stay on focused and on track, but I managed and without missing out on the important things in life. Yes, there were some last minute assignments and many a sleepless night but it was all worth it in the end.
This is one online school where deadlines had to be met. The class syllabus always informed the students of all due dates for assignments from the very beginning on the first day of class. I always appreciated this so that I could better manage and schedule my time between work, family, and school. If I knew of a family obligation coming up, then I could simply make sure that my class work was done ahead of time.
It used to be that the University gave us one week off between each class and I liked this because it allowed me to regain my sanity, if only for a brief time. Unfortunately, that has ended now and there are no breaks between classes. When one class ends, a new one begins the very next day. Working on my Master’s degree, I am used to this schedule now and actually glad about it since it will allow me to graduate a few months earlier than it would have previously. If you gain nothing else from your online experience, you will gain a new appreciation for time management.
Tags: flexibility, flexible, masters degree, online classes, online classroom environment, Online college, online experience, procrastinate, Time Management, university, University of Phoenix, UoP
Categories: Flexibility of Online Programs, Student Voices
Posted by Jen Zeman on January 30th, 2009
Time management is not as difficult as many people believe it to be. I admit not having children made prioritizing and managing time a little easier for me; however, those readers who have children can hopefully take some of this advice and tweak it to their specific needs.
When I attended UMUC for my online degree, I also worked full-time while taking three classes a semester. I knew I had a lunch hour, some evenings, a full weekend, and vacation days I could leverage in completing my school work. My employer offered flex time, so I also had off every other Friday which helped tremendously. If your employer doesn’t currently offer flex time, perhaps now would be the ideal time to propose it your boss. Before the start of each semester I would map out the major projects that were due and scheduled off accordingly. For example, if in mid-October a major paper was due, I would schedule a couple of days off a few weeks prior to allow me time to complete the paper, without stressing out. The less stress, the more successful you will be!
Before starting my classes I decided to come up with a game plan in order to quash my fears and guarantee my success. The game plan was simple: organized time management. Being organized is by far the number one way to guarantee success with an online college and to effectively manage your time. It is essential to devise a plan of how you will study and complete assignments. Here are the five tactics I used:
- Plan your semester prior to the start of the semester. If you work full-time, schedule days off strategically so you can give yourself enough time to complete major class assignments/projects without scrambling at the last minute. This will alleviate a ton of stress.
- Assign a separate binder for each class you take a semester. Print the syllabus and put it in the front of the binder. This eliminates confusion and a constant search for important documents. Even though all your required documents will be available to you online, having them at your fingertips makes life less stressful.
- Assign a designated room in your home as your “school zone”. Make it a place where you can close a door and have privacy for studying and completing assignments.
- In this room, hang a large white board on the wall. Use this to write down assignments and major projects for each class, along with corresponding due dates. It is a great feeling erasing completed projects off the board! This was a lifesaver for me.
- Stick to your allotted school hours. If you plan on using Saturday morning for studying and school assignments, let everyone know not to bother you – you will be unavailable. Sit down and complete school work first before anything else! The laundry can wait! In fact, while in school, to make the most of time management, reschedule your household chores to make the most of your off time. For example, if you always do the laundry and grocery shopping Saturday morning, start doing one load of clothes a night Monday through Thursday and do the grocery shopping Friday evening.
Time management is crucial for success in an online college situation. Master it now for a stress-free college experience now through graduation!
One of my favorite pieces of playground equipment was the teeter-totter. I used to spend hours going up and down with my siblings or friends. Occasionally we would stop moving by sitting in such away that the long board of the teeter-totter was balanced, and we could relax and talk. Relaxing was good but the ride was better.
I thrive on activity. The more the teeter-totter goes up and down the happier I am. There is a down side to this love of activity. I am the queen of overcommitting. One day someone from church called and asked me to be on another committee. My husband answered this call and I heard him say, “If she signs up for one more thing I will have to put her in a psychiatric hospital. “ He didn’t pass the phone to me and pretended I wasn’t home.
There were two things that really worked for me in regards to the time management of my over committed life, early mornings and weekends. I scheduled my assignments and preparation for my own students so that I did the bulk of this commitment leisurely on weekends. I bounced out of bed every day an hour or two before my two children to check my online classes and to respond to emails or posts from other class members. I didn’t always need all this time, but it established a routine. I worked ahead in the class if I finished before I needed to get my children going and me to my job. I saved my work in Microsoft Word to post later on. At the beginning of each online class I entered due dates into Yahoo calendar. I scheduled the calendar to send me an email two days before the assignment was due, and then another email reminder the day it was due.
Evenings were reserved for my children. I wasn’t going to entrust them to others all day and leave them with babysitters at night, although they were in school full time before I took online classes. My eldest was a night owl and it was difficult to get him to calm down and even more difficult to get him up the next morning. I would often fall asleep on the couch before he was quiet for the night. There was no way I was going to do online class work at this time. Even if I did outlast my son’s ride on his teeter-totter, I was too exhausted to keep playing on mine.
Parenting means that you have to put your own needs on hold. I didn’t play bridge or have much of a social life. My children quickly morphed into productive and happy adults. I am glad they were my priority during their formative years. I can’t get those years back. The online classes are still there.
The teeter-totter of my life now involves a full time teaching job and private tutoring at night to pay for my daughter’s college tuition. Because of a predisposition to high cholesterol and my body’s rejection of statin drugs, my morning computer time has been replaced by 45 minutes to an hour of working out on an elliptical machine in my basement. I watch the morning news and after my old muscles have warmed up I actually enjoy this new routine. Now I work on any classes I take, for an hour or two in the late evening or early evening on the days I don’t tutor. I usually don’t work in the summer so it is prime time for me to schedule online classes. Without my children the teeter-totter has slowed and I still enjoy the ride.
Posted by Jeff Davis on January 28th, 2009
Time management is probably the biggest challenge you will ever face while learning online. Trying to balance school, work, and family along with whatever else is occurring in your daily life takes a lot of dedication, self-motivation, and prioritizing.
Often it seems that there are just not enough hours in the day to fulfill all of our personal and work-related obligations. Many times it seems that we are too busy to even analyze how we are really managing our time. It can also take way too long to develop a plan of action, especially when this time could be better spent on finishing assignments, studying, or even catching up on lost sleep.
In my opinion, an online course requires even more work than a traditional course and therefore, managing one’s time should probably be considered as the most important skill needed for success in this online learning environment. Often times, many deadlines for school work will occur at the same time, and unless you plan ahead carefully, you will find yourself in a bad situation.
For me, prioritizing my tasks was the first step I knew that I had to take in order to manage my time more effectively. Believe it or not, this was not easy for me, as I am the world’s greatest procrastinator! In my first few weeks of online classes, I did find it a little tricky to manage my time, but through trial and error, I managed to find a nice balance.
I believe that learning time management skills is one of the most important things that you can do in order to improve yourself both personally and professionally and is also necessary in reaching all of your goals and being successful not only in school, but in life. In turn, effective time management will free up your quality time so that you can spend it with family and friends. After all, isn’t it activities such as these that make us the happiest?
Time management is an oxymoron. We don’t manage our time, we manage our tasks to fit the time available. In doing so, we often are trying to fit more tasks into that finite amount of time.
When I started school, I convinced myself that it was the perfect timing. I was young(er), single, no kids, settled in a job, etc. My plan was that I would start and finish my PhD by the time I was 30 (in 2003).
I was determined not to let school get in the way of my life - I didn’t want to change any habits. I still wanted to work full time (plus overtime), hang out with my friends, date, spend time with family, etc. I actually didn’t talk much about being in school, keeping it quiet meant that it wasn’t intruding into anything.
I found that I was able to plan ahead for my classes. I often spent lunch hours doing reading or participating in online class discussions. That way I was able to enjoy my free time.
As time went on, school took up more time. I found that when the end of the term came, I needed to take 1-2 days off work to finish the final projects for the term. That process actually worked well for a while.
I really needed (and appreciated) the structure of the coursework. I needed deadlines.
As time went on and I progressed, the work became less structured and required more self-discipline. That’s where I’ve fallen short. It is now 2009. I finished my comprehensive exam in 2006 and officially became a PhD candidate. For the last 2-3 years, I’ve been working on TDD (That Damn Dissertation). The self-paced nature of this work has been a real challenge for me, and I hope to make significant progress with this throughout this year.
I would encourage everyone to become aware of how you best accomplish tasks and try to make the most of your time.
Many of us remember preparing to return to school for the New Year. You were excited about the new supplies and clothes, and who would be in your class or your teacher. The only difference between beginning school then and now is your age and you won’t need those new clothes. But you do need the required supplies to make your college experience as successful as possible.
Most online schools will have particular requirements beyond the Internet that you will need to complete your assignments. Before enrolling in an online program you should find out what software, textbooks and time will be required. Some online courses are now integrating CD and DVDs into the curriculum, so a membership to your local library or video store might come in helpful.
The common thread that all online schools have as mentioned earlier in the article is the need for a reliable internet service. Some people may feel that if they have access to the internet by either going to the library, a relative’s house or having a laptop and hanging out in a nearby hot spot this will be acceptable to complete their degree; this may not be the best idea. With technology there can always be the possibilities of your computer or internet access being “down”. Secure an online connection offered by an experienced Internet Service Provider. The likelihood of your connection be unavailable is minimal. Depending on a family member to home and allow you to use their computer can be more problematic than an advantage while relying on public connectivity at your local library or coffee house with Wi-Fi can conflict with your schedule and posed other problems. With the current weather trends and gas prices being able to commute to various places for internet services may be more of a detriment that a benefit.
You should also have a clear understanding of what software is being used to complete assignments. Most school requires the use of Microsoft Office applications. This software package will include Word for completing your essays and other written assignments. It also includes Excel and PowerPoint, two applications that are being used more widely in the education world to display student assignments. Confirm what software is needed and what version you are using. If you do not have the appropriate software; check with your academic advisor before purchasing it. Many schools offer the software at a discounted price.
Textbooks are usually not the concern. Within your tuition, books are usually included and will be mailed directly to you. Ensure that your mailing address is correct. This will help you to receive your books in a timely fashion. Once you receive your books, check the syllabus to confirm that you received the correct book and edition. If you do not receive your books by the start of the course inform your instructor and academic advisor immediately. They may be able to assist in the process and expedite the delivery.
You may not feel that time is a supply, but it is a commodity that you use up and never get back. Although the school can not mandate the time needed to complete your task for class you can schedule out your time to allow you the appropriate amount needed for YOU as a student. You should try to schedule between 5-10 hours per week for your classes. This should be sufficient in helping you to cover your reading, discussion, real-time discussions and additional research that might be required.
Prepare for school in the beginning and you will have less confusion and set backs later on. Once your class begins, your focus should be on content and not how to execute it. Proper planning has always been valuable.
Posted by Phyllis Stith on July 30th, 2008
Students enrolled in online classes have the responsibility of managing their time effectively to ensure success in higher education. Adheringto the following measures will help students meet course requirements and deliverables:
Preparation
Students should make a checklist of needed textbooks and supplies before the start of class to avoid falling behind. They should alsolog into classes at the beginning of each week to preview the assignments and course related messages. In addition, a hardcopy of the scheduled assignments should be made (preferably in a planner) so that they can be completed in a timely fashion. Once a task is completed, it should be checked off. It is important to note that students should spend at least 2 to 3 hours per week on each assignment; additional time may be required to complete difficult tasks. And last but not least, non relevant Internet surfing and personal emailing should be avoided.
Avoid Distractions
Distractions can cause students to lose focus and noise control methods should be implemented as a means of prevention. As such, students should study in an environment that is conducive to learning and does not leave room for disturbances. In addition, cell phones and instant messaging should be kept at a minimum during study time because these tend cause students to move away from the study materials.
The Advantages of Down Time
There are times when students will have the potential to use down to their advantage such as when they are doing laundry, waiting on the bus, etc. As a consequence, this time should be spent doing things that are relevant to educational pursuits. For example, students may choose to log into their online class to set up the week’s study agenda when they wake up on Monday morning. In addition, the student may choose to read during bus rides or while doing laundry; all of these will serve to help the student make the most of their time.
Many people feel that enrolling in an online program is not compatible to an on-ground learning experience. Yes, there are many differences between the two methods of instruction, but one thing that does not differ is student participation. In the online environment it is more critical to participate in the discussion- it is usually a significant part of your grade.
Discussion boards helped to foster a community of learners that share ideas, knowledge, suggestions and debate. The conversation in a traditional classroom can range from spirited to low-key or non existence and so can the discussion in an online classroom. The average online course will have weekly discussions that require students to participate by submitting a reply to a posted question or scenario and then responding to their classmates’ posted answers to the same question. This process allows for the students to share their learning as well as comment on others by offering positive feedback. Positive feedback can be in the form of encouragement and agreement to a classmates posted retort or it can be by sharing an alternative perspective. One thing that all classroom participants must understand is that it is okay to disagree or have a different opinion from their classmates. Usually classmates tend to agree on the discussed topic, it is common that the instructor has the diverse opinion. But remember, the instructor and students must use the course material as a guide and resource.
Another important part of the discussion board is to frequently visit the forum. The student will be given a deadline to post and respond to the unit’s discussion board. Within that time frame it is recommended that a student visit the discussion at least three times. This may not always be an easy task to have the accessibility or time to accomplish this, but as a commitment to yourself and your classmates, if all involved attempt to frequent the board and share, the dialogue will remain engaging and educe others to contribute.
If the online learner can schedule three times out of the unit to post to the discussion board, the dialogue between classmates and the instructor will be constant and on-topic. A way to ensure your participation in the unit’s discussion is to:
- Read and Post to the discussion within the first 24 hours of the unit’s opening.
- Return to the discussion board within 48- 72 hours of your initial post to answer others that may have commented to your response and reply to your classmates’ original post.
- If possible, return to the discussion within the last day or two before the unit ends. At this time you will share any further thoughts you have developed from the readings, seminars, essays or other resources you have experienced throughout the week.
This formula for “active participation” may not be an easy task to commit to. If you are able to meet these minimum recommendations, you can gain so much from the experience. Give it a try! There are probably many ways to stay abreast of the discussion and be a part of the classroom conversation.
Tags: class work, Colleges and Universities, coursework, discussion board, expectations, Online Education, online learning, Organization, Time Management
Categories: Colleges and Universities, My Online Experience, Online Education
Posted by jstoppi on July 11th, 2008
Many prospective online degree program students are under the impression that the time commitments of an online degree program are lower than their traditional-on-campus equivalents. Even though commuting time is eliminated, my experience has been online degree programs are actually more time intensive than traditional ones. This is especially true during the first couple courses, when the online student is acclimating him/herself with the course web interface. The main reason an online degree is more time intensive is because learning concepts independently takes longer than receiving more exam specific course instruction from a professor. The extra benefit of learning concepts independently is that overall subject matter knowledge is retained–not just that required to pass an exam.
Because family members and prospective students may not realize the large time commitments an online degree program requires, students and family members may not realize the huge sacrifices everyone will have to make in order for the students to be successful in their online academic endeavor. In order to prevent unrealistic expectations and future disappointments, I recommend the following steps be taken before embarking on your online educational journey:
- Speak to family members and explain to them in detail why you want to obtain a degree via an online program. Tell them about your hopes, dreams, and how the education will enrich your life overall after completion. Tell family members how large of a time commitment undertaking an online degree may require (to get a good estimate of this, you can email professors and ask them how much time their current students are putting in).
- Negotiate a schedule with family members that will dictate when you will normally study. Keep in mind that this schedule is not set in stone, as periodically more time will be required for completion of assignments and exams.
- Open a forum to let family members voice any potential concerns they have about you enrolling in an online program.
Even after these steps are taken, there will, unfortunately, be painful moments when family and school time conflict. There will be times when you’re studying on a Saturday afternoon and your daughter wants to play with you. There will be times when your wife asks you if you want to go do something fun and you have an exam to do. There will be times when other friends and family bemoan the fact that they haven’t heard much from you lately. Deal with all of these potential situations in stride. And sometimes, on that Saturday afternoon, go play with your daughter and go back to studying after she goes to bed!
