PrintManaging Your Time in an Online Learning Environment
Know your time limitations and plan accordingly when scheduling your classes. Sure, we all understand that you're eager to complete your degree and have it behind you as you embark on a new career - but you want to get your money's worth out of the courses you're taking, and you want to be prepared for whatever job you take when you graduate and, if at all possible, you should enjoy the process - so that means having some time to really devote to the class.
Know your other limitations as well. It's not enough to just have the time to complete the work for the class, but you also need the brain power. If you work in a particularly intellectually challenging job were coming home in the evenings means that you might not be mentally fresh enough to handle a 4 credit calculus course, another course, and still be with it enough to help your kids with their homework, then don't tempt fate - schedule accordingly! Your academic adviser will be happy to help you devise a plan for scheduling the courses that will help you complete the degree requirements in a way that doesn't overextend your ability to think about your courses! There is no “normal”. Some students take one course a semester. Some take a full load. Only you know what you can handle.
Set realistic expectations of yourself. And of your instructors. Your instructors recognize and appreciate that you're likely doing this work at odd hours throughout the week and may have limited pockets of time to complete assignments. That's why they all do their best to respond to inquiries quickly. But no one is completely tethered to their e-mail, so it's a good idea, even if you don't have the time to work on an assignment near the beginning of a week, that you at least look it over and anticipate any questions you might have.
Give yourself (and your family) a schedule. Let's say you decide to take two, 3-credit classes next semester in addition to working full time and having family obligations. Pick a time that you can devote to your coursework and try to stick with it. Maybe it's Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays after your kids are in bed, from 8-11 pm, and then finish up remaining assignments on the weekend. By setting a schedule, and communicating it to your family, you set expectations about the time you'll need to work on your classes.
The last minute can be pretty short. We've seen this happen multiple times in many different classes. DO NOT wait until the very last second to log in to submit something before the deadline. It's never a good idea to race against the clock to submit an assignment or exam. You're almost certainly guaranteeing that your computer will freeze, your Internet connection will fizzle, or that some other technical glitch will prevent you from submitting on time. You may find your instructors rather unforgiving and unwilling to waive point deductions for assignments that are submitted late - even if only by a few minutes. If it's due Sunday night at 11:55 pm, give yourself at least an hour's wiggle room, if not more, to ensure that your assignment reaches its destination before the deadline.
Seeing is believing. Canvas puts all the due dates for all of your courses on one calendar, use it.
Tools
There are lots of tools out there to help you set yourself up for success. Here are a few:
How to Create a Study Schedule by wikiHow
Tips and tricks for time management are also outlined on the World Campus' Time Management webpage.
You can use any of the templates available from Bucknell University website to help you schedule your time more effectively! Scroll down to the Resources for Students section.