Managing your time and workload
- The importance of time management
- How much time do you need to spend on each course?
- Tools to help you plan
- Finally…
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The importance of time management
As a graduate of the University of South Australia you will have opportunities to develop the independence and autonomy by being able to manage your time and workload effectively. This is one of the qualities you are expected to develop as a graduate of UniSA.
Managing your time, workload and learning can be challenging for all students. This is especially the case if you have not studied at university before or are juggling work and family. Regardless of whether you are studying part time or full time, on campus or off, this guide offers some practical suggestions to help you manage your time and workload as a student studying on campus. For other strategies for effectively managing your time and workload see Making the Transition to University Studies.
How much time do you need to spend on each course?
Each course at the UniSA is allocated a particular number of units and the workload is designed around this. Each unit is worth approximately 35 hours of student work which (for students studying on campus) is made up of 'contact time' with staff in lectures, tutorials, practicals and 'non-contact time' when you study independently.
Example:
A course worth 4.5 units equates to approximately 157 hours of work over a semester. Divided over 14 weeks (that is, the number of weeks per study period), means that you would have approximately 11-12 hours a week of student work (made up of contact and non-contact time). So, if your course has 3 contact hours with lecturers then you may be expected to spend up to 9 non-contact hours on that course per week.
Being a full time student is similar to being in full time work. This workload requires you to make a big commitment to your studies, in both time and energy.
Tools to help you plan
The following tools enable you to plan across an entire study period or on a hourly/weekly basis.
The Study Period Planner
An easy way to keep track of when all your assignments and other pieces of assessment are due is to use a study period planner to map your overall commitments over the study period. You can mark in
- the due dates for assignments, practicals, tutes with the value of each one towards the final grade and the word limits
- any social or work activities such as weekends away, major celebrations or activities which might take up most of a day.
Colour coding each course is helpful
Next, and most importantly,
- put your planner in a visible place, where you will be regularly reminded of what is coming up
- add up the values that each assessment task contributes to the final total. Do these tasks come to 100% for each course? Have you forgotten any tasks?
The Weekly Planner
Now that you know how much time you may be expected to spend on each of your courses, the next step is working out how to fit that together with your other activities. The following exercise is a good way of getting a realistic view of your commitments throughout the week. Two weekly planners (16 and 24 hours) are available.
Mark in any regular weekly activities. These will probably include:
- university commitments (lectures, tutorials, practicals, studio)
- work commitments
- sporting activities (training, games, gym)
- social and family commitments
- meals
- household chores
- travel to and from any of the above
- any other regular activities
Remember to allow some unscheduled time. This gives you a chance to swap commitments or to accommodate unforeseen events which might occur. You might also consider identifying times when study will have the highest priority for you and let your family and friends know that you are not available at these times.
Next see where you can fit in the hours required for your non-contact time study commitments for each course. Remember your program needs to be realistic for it to work. Consider factors such as:
- how do you work best—in short bursts or over a long stretch of time?
- do you study better in the morning or late at night?
- do you need a quiet place to study or one where there is some background noise?
- do you have somewhere to study at home or do you need to travel to the library?
Many students find this exercise surprising as it gives them a totally different view of what commitments they have and how busy their days really are. It also gives them a chance to set up some goals to complete the study period successfully.
Finally...
If you do not have enough hours in the day to do what you need to do, see what you can change.
- Are you expecting too much of yourself?
- Have you over-committed yourself?
- You might have to consider reducing, postponing or giving up an activity to re-allocate this time to study.
Time management is a complex skill. You may find it tricky to manage your time and workload especially in their first few weeks at UniSA but through trial and error you will achieve a balance. Remember there is no one pattern of study that suits everyone. This guide’s main purpose is to increase your awareness of what campus life at university might involve and some strategies which will help juggle your commitments.
Additional reading
Burdess, N 1991 The handbook of student skills. Prentice Hall, Australia.
Marshall, L 1999 A learning companion. Your guide to practising independent learning. Murdoch University, Australia.