UNIT 3: TIME MANAGEMENT FOR SCIENCE STUDENTS

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1 UNIT 3: TIME MANAGEMENT FOR SCIENCE STUDENTS 1.. Time Matters Efficient management of time is one of the key elements for managing independent study in higher education. Balancing and prioritising the things you have to do, and completing work targets on time, is essential for making you feel in control of your life. It is also important for academic success. Zeegers et al (2008, p.13) cite a study of college students in the USA that suggested the effective management of time for short term planning, and having a disciplined attitude to time keeping, were important determinants of high academic achievement. As you saw in Unit 2, students tend to have fuller, more structured timetables, compared to non- students. You will have set times for lectures, tutorials, practical sessions, and, if applicable, for field trips or work observation off campus. On average, you can expect to have around 20 to 25 hours of formal teaching contact time per week in your first year (see the example time table in Unit 2). The problems students encounter tend to concern managing their time for independent study and for non-academic related activity. Section 3, Time Management, in the main t workbook, goes into detail about managing time generally and includes a self-assessment exercise, time management techniques, and case studies. However, a time prioritisation exercise is offered on the next page, as students are often faced with decisions about the choices shown in this exercise. Two case new studies are also included in this resource. 43

2 Exercise: Prioritise Science students have competing tasks and deadlines to manage and will often be forced to decide which to do first. This exercise aims to get you thinking about how to prioritise tasks: how to make decisions and compare things that may all be important for different reasons. Read through this list of tasks and imagine that you need to put them in priority order to plan your workload for the week ahead. Number the tasks below, with 1 the highest priority, and 8 the lowest. Task Preparing your part of a group presentation to be given at the end of this week which will account for 30% of your marks in the module. Priority Reading a really interesting article in preparation for your lecture on the subject at the beginning of the week ahead. Reading an article that s short but not very interesting in preparation for your seminar on the subject in the middle of the week. Writing a short lab report (1000 words), due at the end of the week. Working on designing a webpage that isn t actually part of your course, but you discussed it with your tutor and she said she d be interested to see it. Doing some revision for your exams at the beginning of next term. Planning your research for an assignment due in three weeks that will count for 50% of your marks in the module. Typing up a scheduled financial statement for the university Mature Students Society of which you are the Treasurer. (Source: University of Reading 2011) 44

3 Your tutor will discuss your responses to this exercise with you. Alternatively, you can check out our responses to it yourself in the online tutor guidance notes for this Section and Unit. 2. Procrastination and Perfectionism The two Ps of procrastination and perfectionism are separate but often closely related traits. Procrastination You keep putting off starting a task. Perfectionism You spend far too long on a task because you want to get it perfect, even though you know perfection is an impossible goal to attain for mere mortals. You find reasons for not getting started, or you engage in distraction or time-wasting exercises to defer starting an unpleasant task. This can lead to procrastination, as you would rather defer a task than submit something less than perfect in your eyes! What can you do about it? There are two exercises in Unit 3 of the main t resource for students to help you deal with these two aspects of time management. 45

4 For additional help overcoming procrastination, go to the LearnHigher Time Management online resources at: her.ac.uk/students/time-management.html management.html The Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies at Brunel University, which has many and technology students, has produced a useful online Managing your Time Successfully self-assessment exercise, at: 3. Case Studies Please read the following two case studies. They present typical time management scenarios for new higher education students. As you read, think about how you might resolve the situations described if you were the students concerned Case Study 1: Jay Jay is in her first year on a degree course. She is the first in her family to study in higher education, so she feels under a lot of pressure to do well. But she is falling behind with her course work, and this making her feel depressed and anxious about the future. The problem is that she is spending too much time on her reading at the expense of writing up her lab reports and completing her essays on time. Jay has an extensive reading list of recommended reading, although her tutors have said that she should read selectively. Her practice has been to download and print off academic journal articles from the Internet and to read these in detail. However, this has proven to be quite expensive in printing costs, so she has started to try and read online. But Jay finds this difficult, as her attention span when reading online is quite limited. 46

5 What advice would you give Jay to help her manage this problem? Case Study 2: Zak Zak is enjoying his time on his degree course. He is interested in his chosen subject and wants to do well. He has also taken full advantage of the social activities at the university and also found many new online social networks that interest him. As a result, he spends a lot of his time online chatting with students all over the world, and meeting other students socially on campus. However, his social activities are having a negative impact on his course work. He is not reading as widely as he should, and tries to cut corners by reading secondary sources on the Internet, instead of the articles and chapters from his recommended reading lists. Subsequently, his assignment results are below average and he is worried about his first year results. Yet, his social life is also very important to him. 47

6 What advice would you give Zak to help him manage this situation? (adapted from Shahabudin (2010, pp: ) Your tutor will discuss these case studies with you. However, you can check out our responses to them via the online tutor guidance notes for this Section and Unit. 48

7 4.. Time Management nt Tips from Successful Science Students Organise your notes and handouts, so you don t waste time searching for them. Briefly review course materials regularly it keeps them longer in your mind. Count the hours spent on study in a good or typical week for you, so that you can identify what is realistic for you. Find a place for study that can be safely left and returned to. Limit your blocks of study to no more than two hours on any one topic stops you getting bored. After two hours take a break and do something else for a while; keeps your mind fresh. Don t under-estimate the time to write an assignment.. It ALWAYS takes longer than you think it will do. List your tasks according to their priority do the most important tasks first. (Students quoted in Zeegers 2008, p.18) 49

8 4. Useful Additional Online Sources The University of Reading have an excellent site aimed at new undergraduate students. The section on time management is excellent. Available at: managingyourstudies.aspx The University of Bradford have two colourful posters you can download to help you prioritise and plan your time: 1. Manage Your Time poster imea3.pdf 2. Get a Grip on Time poster df Napier University also has an interesting 15 minute self-assessment time management exercise for new undergraduate students: Brunel University study skills website includes students talking about their undergraduate time management experiences. You can find it at: The University of Guelph, Canada, has two useful time management planners that you can print out: a master planner, and a weekly planner. assistance/learning_services/undergraduate s/services_by_topic/time_management.cfm 50

9 References Shahabudin, K. (2010). 'Friend or foe? The impact of new technologies on student time management at university'. in P. Hartley, J. Hilsdon, C. Keenan, S. Sinfield & M. Verity (eds.), Learning Development in Higher Education, Palgrave Macmillan. University of Reading (2011). Managing Your Studies. Available at [Accessed 2 May 2012]. Zeegers, P., Deller-Evans, K., Egege, S. and Klinger, C. (2008). Essential Skills for Science and Technology. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. 51