Course Delivery
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Faculty Time Management Strategies
Manage Time Spent Online
- Block out specific times and days to work in course and check email – establish a routine, including buffer time
- Monitor the course every day
- Work online for small chunks of time
- Use audio or video to provide feedback to students. (less time/high touch)
- Have students or student teams moderate a discussion forum each week
- Set expectations – don’t over-commit
- Cut off email and mute phone when doing focused tasks
- When checking email deal with each one immediately: file it, delete it, put in pending folder, or answer
Reduce Time Online
- Use an “Ask the Professor” or Q and A forum
- Post a discussion summary at the end of the week
- Keep a teaching journal with assignment tips and feedback to use again. (Note: Avoid using copy and pasted comments in feedback to students. All graded assignments should have personalized feedback from you to the student.)
- Do not set unreasonable expectations early in the course
Reduce Student Questions
- Reinforce ground rules in announcements
- Provide clear guidelines and instructions
- Establish clear deadlines using calendar
- Set expectations for when you will respond and grade
- Begin collecting a list of FAQs
Grading Time savers
- Do not waste time on careless student work
- Do not extensively mark grammar and punctuation, especially for drafts
- Focus on teachable moments for feedback
- Require that students organize their work (standard filename,date)
- Use peer review for assignments
- Use rubrics
- Allow for drafts
- Give feedback in a synchronous session or on a phone call when looking at drafts
Adapted from these web sites:
- 10 Time Management Techniques for Academics Scribendi
- The faculty series: Top 10 tips on managing your time as a PI
NatureJobs Blog - Tips for Time Management
Center for Teaching Excellence, Univ. of South Carolina