Best Practices: Emphasize Time on Task

Encouraging this is your classes is is one of Chickering & Gamson's "Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education" What is It?

Time on Task in short is supporting time management. Crucially, it is defining, communicating and reinforcing time expectations for students.  As Chickering and Gamson put it:

"Time plus energy equals learning. There is no substitute for time on task. Learning to use one's time well is critical for students and professionals alike. Students need help in learning effective time management. Allocating realistic amounts of time means effective learning for students and effective teaching for faculty. How an institution defines time expectations for students, faculty, administrators, and other professional staff can establish the basis of high performance for all." 

(Emphasizing Time on Task, Chickering & Gamson)

How Do you Address This/Use It?

Fink's Integrated Model of "Holistic" Active Learning incorporates the literature to diagram an effective active learning activity as having three components:

Tips/Techniques:

• Break Down Larger Assignments into Component Deliverables

  • For each assignment, break it down into "building block" components that have separate graded due dates. This can help keep focus and stay on task.

• Use E-mail and or Blackboard Announcements

  • You can send regular reminder to your students of weekly/upcoming due dates either using NCSTUDENT email (if your student check theirs regularly) and or Blackboard's announcements.

  • Note that Blackboard announcements can be setup in advance and display or come down on time delay, as well as be e-mailed to students.

Tools to Support Time on Task:

• Setup a class calendar in Google Calendar 

  • This is a free tool you and your students can use. You can setup automatic reminders via e-mail, text messaging or pop ups.

• Use/promote/assign extra credit for using Assignment Calculator

  • This is another free tool that allows students to break-down an assignment into tasks with a working backwards timeline. 

Additional Ideas/Tools:

• Audio Podcast on Ideas/Strategies for Emphasizing Time on Task from UNC-Charlotte's Center for Teaching & Learning

• The TLT Group's Time on Task Page

What are Potential Issues/Downsides to Be Prepared For?

In general, students appreciate any tools/attempts to help them stay up to date with due dates and assignments. However, depending which tips/tools you use, you can encounter some issues...

• • Deadline Fatigue

  • If you break down your assignments into too many components, then you can overwhelm your students with 

  • Reminder Fatigue

  • Sending or giving students too many reminder, either in class or electronically, can numb students as the quarter wears on, where due dates can blur together or be equally important.

Examples How This Might Be Implemented in a Distance - Online/Hybrid/Video Conferencing Courses

All of the tips and tools listed here can be utilized in either face to face or distance formats.