Improving Online Time Management
Suggestions for Success in Distance Education Courses
How students can enhance their performance and chances for success in online college-level classes.
Time Management Tips
Many semester-long classes are now at the half-way point. This is a good time for college students to reflect on their current study habits in their online classes and see where their performance and motivation can be improved.
Time management skills can enhance a student’s success at staying on top of due dates and completing online classwork. Here are some suggestions.
Preparation
Students should realize that online classes require as much time and commitment as traditional face-to-face classes. Certainly they require a lot of reading. Pupils should set aside three to five hours per week for reading the online lecture material, participating in discussions, and completing tasks. It may be easy for class participants to lose focus on the class material when they don’t see the instructor or their classmates every week and don’t have the same motivating face-to-face factor that is present in a traditional class, but preparation for class is a priority.
Buy a notebook or binder for important class materials like the syllabus. Print out the class schedule and keep it in the front; check it frequently to focus on major assignments due the current week. When the instructor introduces new assignments, students can note the day and time of deadlines for these exercises and either mark them on a calendar or post them into a cell phone.
A specific time period should be set aside at least twice a week for logging into the class website. Setting an alarm on a cell phone is a helpful reminder.
Print out class notes and lectures and take them along to read. Take advantage of any free time spent in waiting rooms or waiting on a queue to review the material.
Avoid Distractions
Work on the class during the hours of the day when you are most receptive to new material. Morning people can make time in the mornings; night owls can focus on tasks in the evening. While working, avoid distractions like online shopping, playing games, texting, or IM-ing your friends. If music is a disturbance, turn it off. If the TV is a distraction, turn it off.
Find a Colleague
Friends that have met one another in the class can set up a buddy system to email one another with reminders of due dates and help on assignments. Create a study session with a friend even if she isn't taking an online class. While she spends an hour reading, work nearby on a laptop and stay focused on the online material.
Request help right away if you think you need it. It may take a few days to get an appointment with a student services counselor or a tutor. Certainly the instructor will want to know of problems students are experiencing.
Take an Active Role
Class participants should expect to succeed by taking an active role, by turning in assignments on time, and by participating in the readings and discussions. This may seem obvious, but the class will move ahead quickly with assignments building on one another, leaving students feeling overwhelmed should they begin to fall behind. They can avoid frustration by asking for help from either the teacher or classmates. The instructor might encourage student exchanges by setting up a “Water Cooler” or “Questions” discussion forum for just this purpose. If not, students should suggest it. Chances are the instructor will welcome the suggestion and appreciate hearing from the students.
Source: Online first-year composition course developed by Suzanne Hill.
