Management

Introduction

In the previous section, you learned about tools and tricks for studying efficiently.  This section will provide you with tips for managing your studies.  After all, you can have all the tricks in the world, but you need to know how to manage them in order to effectively utilize them for your success.

Setting SMART Goals

Setting goals is key to doing well in your online courses. Goal-setting is a conscious act. Setting short-term and long-term goals will help your stay on track in your online courses. At the same time, it is important to set realistic goals to reach your objectives. Instead of "I am going to pull an all-nighter to study for that exam," you have a better chance of doing well on your exam by setting small achievable goals, i.e. "I am going to review my notes after every learning module for 15 minutes, and I am going to spend four hours a week divided over two sessions reading and studying." Setting smaller achievable goals will yield better results. 

A useful framework for setting goals is to use  SMART Goals. At the most basic level, using SMART goals encourages you to be very specific about what you want to accomplish over the course of the semester while also asking you to provide concrete steps to achieve your goals.

Active Studying

Studying in college is both exciting and challenging. It is exciting since you get to learn new ideas, particularly in your major! It can be challenging because you have to manage your own learning. 

An important part of learning is to understand the process of studying. This is different from strategies, such as time management, organization, and motivation, which can impact studying but will be addressed elsewhere in this section. The good thing is you already have a process for studying in place, and it is really just a matter articulating what it is and then fine-tuning it for college online learning.  

Reflection Follow-Up

A lot of you probably wrote down that you reviewed notes, reread your reading assignments, made flashcards, studied with friends, did practice problem sets, and searched on the Internet to fill in knowledge gaps. What you  want to avoid is rote memorization and re-reading course materials without a plan or framework in place. 

One useful framework is the Study Cycle which is detailed in the following video:  

You can see that you are already engaged in parts of the study cycle:

• Preview your course materials

• Log in to your class and take active notes

• Review your notes

• Study in focused sessions 

• Assess to see if your study methods are successful 

You just need to add in the missing pieces and "close the loop."

About Multitasking

Your phone pings. Your best friend is texting you. You are online shopping.  You are streaming your favorite show. And you are working on your online course. Great multitasking right? Actually, no. There is significant evidence that demonstrates that multitasking increases study time and lowers grades. In the age of the smartphone and the Internet the competition for your attention is fierce. It is important to recognize that multitasking is a myth. 

Reflection Follow-Up

To some degree, most people have the ability to multitask. You can go on a walk and talk to a friend. You can eat and watch television. However, when it comes to things that need deliberate attention like studying, multitasking is highly inefficient. Keep in mind that when you multitask you are not doing two (or three!) things at once. You are switching your attention from task to task. And each time you switch tasks you lose time because you have to get back on track. And this constant switching of tasks can be exhausting because you lose your focus. Rarely does multitasking save time. In fact, multitasking while studying ultimately requires more time. Multitasking can also contribute to a larger pattern of procrastination. Sound familiar? 

When you are taking courses online, the temptation to multitask is significant because you are already online and it is further compounded by the easy availability of your smartphone and other distractions. Research also tell us that students in online courses are more likely to multitask than in face-to-face courses. This makes sense. You are more likely not to text or browse the internet in your face-to-face course because of social pressure. Here are some strategies to help you stay task focused to make the most of your study time in your online courses:

• Focus on one task at a time

• If you are in your online course, only have that window open on your computer, laptop or phone

• Train yourself to work in clearly defined blocks of time---work for 25 minutes at a time

• Schedule breaks between blocks of study time to check email, social media etc. 

• Use productivity tools like the pomodoro method or the forest app to limit multitasking 

• Put your phone on silent and/or turn off all notifications 

This will seem strange at first if you are a multitasker. But after practice, you will discover that you will be able to focus more effectively and maximize your study time. 

Time Management

While college is an important part of your life, you have a lot of other responsibilities too. So, it's important to manage your time efficiently. Research tells us that minimizing distractions, avoiding multitasking, and good time management skills contribute to better academic performance and lower levels of stress. 

Reflection Follow-Up

Hopefully, you have a balance of both things you have to do and the things you enjoy doing and that there is overlap between the two! Adding a full load of classes to your schedule isn't easy but you can make it work if you manage your time effectively.

Time Management Strategies

1. Establish a baseline: Over a 48-hour time period, track what you do with your time. Note the number of hours spent sleeping, working, eating, surfing social media, etc.

2. Identify where you can carve out time to study: Too much social media? Too much texting? You don't have to eliminate social media or texting, just reduce your time engaged in these activities so you have time to study. Identify the times you are free to study.

3. Set your study goals: Set short-term and long-term goals for the semester and identify the steps needed for you to achieve your goals.

4. Keep a calendar: Plug all important due dates and schedule all study times.

5. Establish a routine: Get in the habit of working on a schedule. Determine when you are the most productive. Give each class an assigned study time on your calendar every week. 

6. Take time off: Make sure to schedule downtime so you can recharge and rest.

7. Use daily and weekly to-do-lists: Use to-do-lists to manage daily and weekly assignments. Break down big tasks into smaller ones. For example, if you have a 10-page paper due at the end of the semester, break the assignment in to doable components and assign them a due date.

8. Take active notes: Taking active notes will save you significant time since you do not need to re-read, re watch, etc. all your course materials. Additionally, using your active notes to study and review allows you to steadily build on your knowledge over the course of the semester. This saves you time when preparing for quizzes and exams because instead of cramming a large amount of information, you are reviewing information that you have been steadily incorporating.

9. Don't multitask: When you are studying don't multitask. Keep in mind when you multitask you are not working on two or more tasks; you are switching between them. This wastes time given that you have to constantly reorient yourself to the task at hand. Instead focus and complete one task and then move on.

10. Use productivity tools: Use productivity tools to manage your time. Work in 25 to 50-minute, focused intervals. You can accomplish a lot in short concentrated bursts of work.

Productivity Tools

Here is a list of useful productivity tools to manage your time:

Time Tracking

• Tomato-timer

• Forest

Work Flow

• 2Do 

• myHomework

Website/APP Blockers

• Freedom

• 1Focus

• FocusMe

Staying Organized

Staying organized in your online courses is an important skill to have since being online requires much more self-direction. Being organized allows you to study more effectively since you don't have to waste time searching for things. Being organized can even reduce your stress levels.  

Reflection Follow-Up

There are two areas to pay attention to as you organize---your study space and  your online course materials.  Here are some helpful strategies to stay on track: 

Organizing your Study Space

• Designate a study space for yourself. Be creative. This could be a desk in your bedroom. A corner of your kitchen table. Try to study in the same location whenever possible. Ideally this would be a quiet spot but if you have roommates or live with family, invest in earplugs to make sure you study space is distraction free. 

• Keep all your course materials and school supplies in the same place. This could be your desk or your backpack. You can even store all your things in a plastic bin. The point is to keep everything together in one spot.

• Have folders for anything you may print out. Designate a folder for each class.

• Keep school supplies (pens, highlighters, calculator, ruler, etc.) in one location.

Organizing your Online Course Materials

• Download and/or print you your syllabus. Read it carefully to make sure you understand how the course works and what the course expectations are.

• Download and/or print all course materials. This is important if you should find yourself without Internet access.

• Create a file naming system for all digital files. For example, for your US History course--HIS 101, create a naming convention---HIS101_Assignment1, HIS101_notes, HIS101_maps, etc. This will allow you to easily find and access your files. Create a digital folder for each class and make sure to store all your data in a cloud drive or external drive. You can also email yourself all your course work by copy, cutting, and pasting or attaching files so you will have a back up if necessary.

• Use a calendar, paper or digital, and plug all due dates for the semester.

• Commit to one word processing program (Word, Google Docs, etc.) for all written assignments.

• Always copy and paste all written assignments into Blackboard from a word processing file so you don't lose any of your work.