Part 4 Learning to Manage Your Time

Online learning requires effective time management skills. You may not have the structure of a weekly class to help you organize your time and prioritize your assignments. If you are in a self-paced online course, you will be responsible for creating and sticking to your schedule for studying and assignments. In review, self-paced means you are given a suggested schedule and study guide, but it is up to you to make choices and alter it to work for your life within your contract dates. You will notice in a self-paced online classroom that you and your classmates are on different parts of the course at different times. For example, students will complete a forum discussion where they participate based on when they have self-scheduled their coverage of the content. As you may recall, there are also paced online courses, which means you have a set schedule to follow where you and your classmates work through the online content within the same contract dates. For example, forum discussions will have set weeks to participate.

You may also remember that, within the FHD, learning takes place asynchronously and synchronously. Asynchronous examples include forum discussions and written assessments. Asynchronous means you and your classmates are not required to be online and in conversation at the same time. Synchronous learning opportunities include online learning opportunities such as Microsoft Teams sessions, seminars, and labs. Some programs also require in-person clinical experiences. Synchronous learning requires the learner to be present at a specific date and time to engage with educators or classmates. Synchronous learning has high and immediate engagement with instructors, preceptors, or classmates but requires learners to adhere to set times and dates. Asynchronous learning is more flexible around the learner’s schedule and is designed with high engagement with the course content but requires the learner to have independent self-study skills. Thus, it is important to know how your courses are set up so that you can be an effective learner.

How will you manage your time? In this part, you will explore strategies for organizing work throughout your courses, developing a realistic study schedule, and balancing your online learning with your work or other commitments.

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