Online Student Survival Guide

Archive for the ‘Balancing Life and School’ Category

Online Student Roadmap

WGU on August 19, 2008

Would it help to step through an example?

What I do is write each goal on a 3×5 index cards, then lay them out together on the table to see what patterns and strategies appear, what needs to be broken down further, what should be done in some sequential order, what has a fixed deadline, what you need to study next, what should come later. It’s very easy to prioritize from there – I know what’s important for me, I know how much time I have, I have a pretty good idea how much time each one of these is going to take, and this way I can work in all the other commitments and expectations, and fill in the voids with goals that are not time critical. That gives me a working model – or at least a model I can work with. I pencil in the start and completion dates on the index cards as I go along.

Having done that much, I start putting the start dates on my desk calendar. A flag automatically goes up if I have to flip back on the calendar – sometimes it’s not going to paint me into a corner, but sometimes it might so I have to rethink a little, and see what might be a better sequence or start date. Once everything is set on my calendar, I go back through it one more time, this time putting in the target dates for completion. Again, a flag goes up if I have to flip back – yada-yada-yada.

For me, this is always a process, not an event; so I might do this at the beginning of the term and several more times before the cycle begins again at the beginning of the next term. Usually, though, I mark the index card with the final grade on completion and move it to the back of my card index file. I don’t use color coded cards; but they might be useful for some. I do use monthly separators, and have two sets of those in the file for the next 24 months, moving them to the back as the calendar rolls over. Again, if there’s a card that shows up somewhere it shouldn’t be, that’s going to trigger another flag to find out why. [Anything scheduled beyond 24 months still gets a position in the second 12 months in the appropriate month. In time this will come to the front each year until it is current; each time, though, I evaluate whether it's still a valid goal, and move it back to the next year if it is; if it has been accomplished along the way, I'll move it to the very back with the other completed goals; it's it's no longer a valid goal, the card is tossed out.]

That part is ridiculously simply, but very efficient.

The part I especially like sounds like something straight out of B.F. Skinner and his research in operant conditioning – appropriate ‘rewards’ to reinforce behavior.

The ‘reward’ depends on how much time and effort I actually had to put into it, and how much I actually got out of it. If it was relatively quick, easy, and painless, it doesn’t warrant much, usually something I was going to buy or do anyhow. If it was more difficult, time-consuming, and downright painful, I’ll think I’ve earned a moderate splurge.

Whether goals are short- or long-term really depends on your perspective. For example, for our purposes getting through the coursework and getting the degree might be a long-term goal – but only a short-term goal, a milestone in your career. With distance learning, we’re mostly taking one or two courses at a time, and those short-term goals leading up to completing the degree requirements can be further broken into weekly and daily goals. If you’re like me and have several shorter study sessions throughout the day, I think it helps to stay on track and on schedule to focus almost exclusively on getting through whatever it is you have as the goal for that session. I like a nice, even, steady pace throughout the term, with no last minute binges or all-nighters; I’d rather take the week before finals to review and this way I don’t have to make up for goofing off all semester.

Setting Goals

WGU on August 12, 2008

What better source than a PhD candidate who has ‘been there, done that’ to help you through the fine points of goal setting? More than anyone wants to know about SMART and goal setting.

By now, it should have occurred to you that all these topics about college reading, writing, study skills and strategies are interrelated. Google one thing and take what you need; but if you miss it, it will probably come up again before you’re finished.

Randy Pausch has been a bit of hot topic on campuses around the country this past semester. Google that, too, because there are presentation at several venues available. I would recommend watching one of the longer ones – it’s worth the hour or more; the excerpts leave out 90% of what he has to say. [Randy Pausch died Friday, July 25, 2008.]

Another excellent one is The Top 10 Steps to Set and Achieve Your Goals – Every Time! by Dr. Philip E. Humbert. So is Creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals at the same website.

What is always implied and too often left out of the discussion is the physical act of writing it down – arguably as crucial as any strategy for getting from point A to point B. As with taking notes, there is a lot more going here than meets the eye. Writing down you goals somehow hard-wires it into your brain, probably somewhere deep within the subconscious mind. (I’m not at all certain the concept of subconscious mind is still valid. I sort of dropped the subject entirely when the only dude who made any sense to me started ranting about getting his insights from three spooks who lived in the hallway. I foolishly thought this was supposed to be ’science’ – but now days, science is primarily used as a weapon to scare the hell out of everybody.)

Other aspects that are too often overlooked and effectively undermines the whole process are commitment, determination, self-motivation, and self-discipline. All very good topics that really deserve individual attention.

You cannot go very far without running into SMART – the acronym for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely (or time limited).

What is always implied and too often left out of the discussion is the physical act of writing it down – arguably as crucial as any strategy for getting from point A to point B. As with taking notes, there is a lot more going here than meets the eye. Writing down you goals somehow hard-wires it into your brain, probably somewhere deep within the subconscious mind. (I’m not at all certain the concept of subconscious mind is still valid. I sort of dropped the subject entirely when the only dude who made any sense to me started ranting about getting his insights from three spooks who lived in the hallway. I foolishly thought this was supposed to be ’science’ – but now days, science is primarily used as a weapon to scare the hell out of everybody.)

What I do is write each goal on a 3×5 index cards, then lay them out together on the table to see what patterns and strategies appear, what needs to be broken down further, what should be done in some sequential order, what has a fixed deadline, yada-yada-yada. It’s very easy to prioritize from there – I know what’s important for me, but this way I can work in all the other commitments and expectations from others.

Other aspects that are too often overlooked and effectively undermines the whole process are commitment, determination, self-motivation, and self-discipline – but those are topics for future blog entries.
 

 

Flexible Scheduling

WGU on July 18, 2008

Along with making adjustments for your new priorities, enrolling in a degree program will necessarily mean some fairly broad changes to your daily/weekly schedule. Some of your current commitments are immutable; others will give you some flexibility. Since these tend to be primarily time spent with your family and friends, it’s probably a good idea to get their help in setting up your new schedule – you’re certainly going to need their co-operation later.

The most effective and efficient approach is to do a little bit each day, rather than allowing it to accumulate until the weekend. Something invariably comes up, then what happens to your careful planning? Besides, weekends are supposed to be “your” time to use however you choose – for rest, relaxation, and recreation, not slaving over textbooks and tethered to them and your computer all day. I know you think now that you’re different, that you’ll be able to pull this off, but I’ve seen that quickly degenerate into full-blown resentment and unnecessarily blaming coursework for nothing but misery and torture; that generally won’t last more than one term, then you’ll drop out of college.

What I would recommend is starting with three or four hours a day, and leaving one day during the week and one day over the weekend ‘open’ for family and friends, but be flexible. Similarly, you need to spread your time evenly across the weekly schedule for exercise, chores, and ‘alone’ time. You can find forms online for printing out a weekly schedule, or pick up printed appointment books and desk calendars in a variety of formats. [I prefer the desktop year-at-a-glance type.]

What I have found most useful is to read through the entire syllabus or study guide first thing to get an overview of what to expect so I can adapt my schedule to it as necessary. With the competency-based model at WGU I don’t have classes or cohorts, so when and how I go about preparing for the proctored exams and performance tasks is entirely up to me. That’s the ultimate “flexibility” and “convenience”! But it does require an uncommon amount of self-discipline and self-motivation.

Fortunately, a lot of the lower division work, the traditional freshman and sophomore years, is simply an extension of courses you had in high school, so these may go significantly faster and smoother than the upper division courses that are completely new territory for you. Better still, the study guides are almost always designed around a weekly schedule, which helps enormously to keep you on track and keep you moving toward your goal without it becoming oppressive.

Establishing A Routine

WGU on July 15, 2008

The World’s Most Boring (but Successful!) Student

When I was an undergraduate attending college in a traditional institution, I’m convinced that the only reason I got anything done was because I had a pretty standard routine. I wasn’t the world’s most exciting college student, but I got good grades and kept from going insane as opposed to my dorm-mates who were always scrambling to get things done.

The traditional college student has a lot more freedom to be successful without such a strict (or boring) routine. They have the benefit of being in an academic environment for the majority of the day; everyone they’re around is attending school too. They have a library a bike-ride away, meals are prepared, and just the nature of sitting in the classroom for hours each day makes it almost impossible to forget you’re there to earn a degree.

Online learning is a whole other ball game. The majority of you have very little in your life reminding you to earn your degree! Family, work, friends, and the “real-world” are all vying for your attention. To keep your sanity, establishing a routine is almost as important to your success as an online student as studying. Establishing a routine can be as simple as setting aside time every day or every week that’s specifically for school. But for many of you, establishing an actual schedule may be even more  important. Try these few steps:

  1. Think about what you do on a daily basis. Do you work out every morning? Do you make meals for your family? Do you go to work? Do you attend any other activities?
  2. Look at how much of those things you can make a daily routine. The more that you can build into habits, the better. What do you want to do more frequently in your schedule?
  3. Write it down. Take some time to look at the time in your week that isn’t flexible. I’ll bet you have more time left over for school and fun than you thought. Then pencil in school as much as possible.
  4. Buy a calendar! I can’t emphasize this enough. It doesn’t matter if it’s a planner, a weekly calendar, a daily journal—whatever it is, it needs to be able to help you and your family keep the routine straight. Consider whether it will be most helpful to post a schedule or calendar where the family can see it, or do you just need to keep a personal planner?

Then finally, be prepared to let it slip every once and awhile. I might have been a boring undergrad most of the time, but I certainly enjoyed myself and took time for friends and fun. Do the same. Routine will keep you sane, but being prepared to let it go now and again will make it worthwhile.

Quiet Time

WGU on July 11, 2008

Quiet time. It doesn’t happen often and it doesn’t last for long. How do you find it and what do you do with it when you DO find it? The key, to me, is to find things that are NOT going to add additional stress to my already hectic life. In this way, it is different from just finding the balance between work, school, and family life. I do find things to do with my family, like running everyone over to the dollar movie to see Mim’s Island. It was fun. It was family time. But it certainly wasn’t quiet time or stress free with 4 kids PLUS the neighbor girl. Everyone’s idea of quiet time will be different, but I thought I would share some of mine. (In return, I am looking for one of yours .) I do enjoy bedtime and bathtime with the babies. There is NOTHING more peaceful than holding an 18 month old baby asleep on your shoulder. Watching the 3 year old and the baby play together in the tub is another joy that is well worth the half hour that it takes to give them their bath. A few minutes worth of quiet music, like Audio Visions on XM is calming for me. I mainly read children’s books and young adult novels to be able to recommend books to my children and students. They are quick reads and 15 minutes worth of reading can get you far. The last thing that I enjoy doing for quiet time is exploring new software. Playing with new technology is something that invigorates me and gives me a break from my school work, but will enhance it in the long run. Where do YOU turn for solitude and refreshing?