As I mentioned in the last installment of my blog post, I spend most of my time teaching online classes to a very diverse group of graduate students. Many people have asked me to identify the factors that I associate with success in this environment. After working with thousands of students, I’ve concluded that it’s not IQ or the quality of one’s undergraduate college. The most important factor that differentiates between who will be successful and who will not is time management skills.

In this post, we’ll start with the basics. First, set up a schedule:

You will probably have some background reading to complete as well as a written assignment. Many on-line classes also incorporate asynchronous discussion boards or conferences where students can share their ideas on a specific topic during the week.

Work backwards, and provide extra time for unexpected events such as your computer crashing or a family member getting sick. If your assignments are due on Sunday at midnight, plan to have them completed by Saturday at midnight. The worst that could happen is that you end up with a day off relaxing!

Break the assignment down into pieces such as reading the chapters in the text, searching the library for additional information, posting on the discussion board, outlining your project deliverable, doing the writing, and finishing your final editing and proofing. Figure out how much time each task will take. Next, multiply your estimate by 150%.

Then, get out your calendar. Block out your existing commitments such as work, driving children to activities, going to the gym, and cooking and eating meals. The blank space is what you have to work with. Start on Monday and identify blocks of time throughout the week, with a minimum of two hours for each block. Assign a separate school task to each block of time. Do not leave all of the tasks for the weekend. Your schedule should remain the same during the entire semester. Do not allow yourself to be recruited to participate in other activities during these times.

Next time, we will talk more about how to keep to the schedule and how to enlist your family and friends to help you.