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Time Management |
Students come to college with different expectations for their college experience. Some arrive with a clear goal of obtaining a degree. Other students simply enjoy learning, and see the opportunity to learn in an atmosphere created for that very purpose as an important part of getting their degree. Others expect college to be a time to have fun, make new friends, and enjoy life without parental supervision. And some students are parents themselves, work full-time, or have other adult responsibilities and obligations.
Whatever your expectations, the reality is that being able to plan and prioritize activities is important so that you can complete class assignments and projects on time without denying yourself a social life, recreational activities, or other things that are important to you.
You will find some classes require more time than others. Studies have shown that the recommended "prep time" for every hour spent in class is two to three hours a week. This means taking 15-credits will require in the range of 45 - 60 hours a week to attend class and keep up with assignments and studying. This work load is heavier than that of many full-time jobs. In addition to study requirements, extra-curricular activities affect leisure time too. Both family and job also come with additional time demands.
Time management is a major concern for most of us. For a student, managing time has its own special twists and turns that have to be negotiated. Time management helps you to meet deadlines and be responsible. It helps you fit all the different pieces of your life together and complete class assignments and projects on time.
There will be times when you have multiple exams or class projects scheduled for the same day. Developing your time management skills by learning a few time management techniques will help you plan for events that you can foresee and cope with those you can't.
The overall goal of this module is to introduce you to time management terminology and concepts. Once you finish this module, you will be able to:
- Determine goals for a given period of time.
- Develop a strategy to achieve those goals.
- Lay out a timetable for a term or semester.
- Develop a weekly timetable.
- Develop a daily timetable and "To Do" list.
- Avoid common mistakes and pitfalls to time management.
Below is the recommended sequence for completing this module:
- Learn about what time management is and some guidelines for prioritizing your time.
- Estimate your time commitments for a week.
- Work through the six steps for developing time management skills
The materials for the iStudy for Success modules were originally developed at the Jack P. Royer Center for Learning and Academic Technologies.
Additional materials were developed and assistance was provided by the University Learning Centers (ULC), University Park.
The ANGEL version of the modules is being administered by TLT. For more information about iStudy for Success modules, please contact yxc8@psu.edu.
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