Navigating Academic Technology at Semester Start-Up

After 25+ years in higher ed, including approaching my second anniversary of launching College Navigators, I continue to be amazed at the time required during “semester start-up” for students to get organized and understand all the moving parts of their courses.  It seems that each semester new technologies, new class formats, and new ways of assessing student learning are being introduced. Even for students with strong executive function skills and high degrees of persistence, getting organized and feeling “on top of things” can be overwhelming. More often than not, there is more than one mode of instruction among their courses and multiple technologies students must use to fully participate and successfully organize themselves in their courses. While technology certainly can enhance learning, managing it all can be a huge “time sink” and cause significant stress. More and more students’ heads’ overloaded just trying to figure out how a class is “set up,” what will be due when, and where to find up-to-date and accurate information as the semester progresses. Additionally, many courses now require students to download specific software or programs, access a variety of digital materials, and complete pre-course assessments. Sometimes much of this takes place the first couple days of the semester and on top of more traditional assignments that students can only complete once the aforementioned tasks are complete. It’s no wonder that an increasing number of students with whom I am working, both neurodivergent and not, are overwhelmed and feel behind before they complete their first week of classes.

Call me “old school,” but I believe the ever-growing (and dare I say lucrative) business of EdTech is at the root of much of this. While students must individually develop the skills to manage their academic experience, I also encourage folks at all levels within higher ed to be more discerning, intentional, and coordinated with regard to the technologies they are requiring students to use. The more seamless of an experience for students, the more time they will have for learning and engaging. I also believe this approach can help reduce stress. But knowing the realities of higher ed and the inherent challenges in this “dream”, I encourage students to dedicate time and energy (even if significant) during semester start-up to familiarize themselves with the layout of their courses, gain access to necessary material, and to get organized.  Time on the front end will pay off, and help them to be more efficient throughout the semester. I will use this post to share my experiences with one of my students as they get organized for the spring semester. Additionally, I am eager to provide some general recommendations to help students navigate semester start-up.

Get a Feel for the Lay of the Land

First, my student Elijah needed to log in to two different learning management systems (like Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard, Google Classroom, etc.) because his institution is in the process of moving from platform one to another. Two of his courses are on “the old” platform and three have migrated to the “new” platform. One instructor on the old platform chooses to break up the components of the syllabus into separate pages on the platform and use the calendar on the platform, which only shows up week-by-week to document all due dates, quizzes, homeworks, discussions posts, and exams. The only way for Elijah to get all of the important dates is to click through each week of the course. There is a separate tab that shows the grading rubric, another for discussion posts, one for submitting work, one with links to required readings, etc. The textbook and supplemental texts for this class are all digital. This instructor indicates that all grades will be tracked within the platform grade book and all communications for the class should take place within the platform. Students should “regularly” check the Announcements tab (Elijah thinks every other day is good), as that’s where changes to assignments will be made-they will not be announced in class. Students should not email the instructor, but rather send a message for the instructor or the course Teaching Assistants through the platform message tool. Additionally, there was an Announcement for students to purchase an i Clicker, a device they are to bring to class that will be used to track attendance and engage students by asking questions in real time to which students must respond immediately. 

The course for the second instructor who is using the same, soon-to-be “retired” learning management system only contained a PDF labeled “Syllabus.” Elijah needed to downloaded it in order to review (in the process he discovered his Adobe Acrobat needed updating, which required him to log into his institution’s IT website and download a new version…15 minutes total). Once Elijah was able to view the syllabus, it resembled a “traditional” syllabus- a single-spaced, six page document that went into detail about almost every aspect of the course. It included information for the required texts (available digitally or in hard copy), course components, grading rubric, and a class by class calendar of readings assignments, quizzes and exams. In the section about homework/assignments there was information about and a link to an online product through which students would be accessing and submitting their work. Elijah decided to create his profile immediately (took about 8 minutes to create an account and download to his laptop). In stark contrast to the previous instructor, this professor indicated on the syllabus that they will not be using the learning management system at all for the course, rather they were required to upload the syllabus so that it would be available to students in the course at all times- but other than that, the professor would not be using the platform. The instructor explicitly stated on the syllabus that students are to speak with them after class, come to office hours, or email them with the subject “student in CLASS###” for any questions or concerns. I will not go into pain-staking detail about the disparity among the three instructors who were early adopters of the second learning management system. Suffice it to say that the ways in which the three instructors utilized it and the expectations they had of the students was just as varied as the first two instructors described above.

Organize “the basics”

So, after about an hour, Elijah had finally grasped what platform to use for which class (or not, as the case may be), understood the nuts and bolts of all of his classes and had downloaded required texts, programs, and technologies. He was eager to get himself organized in order to create a routine, plan his time effectively week to week, and quickly access support if needed. I could get into the various apps and technologies available to students to help them“get organized” and be efficient, but the number and variety is daunting. In my experience, it really comes down to trial and error (CAUTION…this can be a huge time sink!), and personal preference. 

First Things First

Again, being “old school,” I suggest students create a document with important information for each course that is readily available. It is helpful for students to have a “Quick Hit” doc so they know how and where to quickly access important information for each course. For example, this is a sample of what Elijah created as a note on his phone (other students opt to create a document saved on their desktop):

Spring Course Quick Hits

Put it on the Calendar

Once Elijah created his “Quick Hit” doc, he created two calendars: a master semester calendar and a weekly calendar template. The master semester calendar allows him to quickly look and see when all of his major “assessments” are due (e.g., tests, projects, presentations and papers). Done well, this visual quickly captures the likely “flow” of the semester- when the intense weeks may be, which weeks may be less demanding, what will be due immediately following days off, and what a student’s final exam period may look like. Overall, it can serve as the foundation of a student’s weekly planning and prioritization and help them have a good understanding of what’s on the horizon at any given time. 

• Tips for creating a “master calendar” for the term. Invest the time (and it may take an hour or more) to go through each course syllabus (or equivalent) and create a single sheet that shows key assignments and exams as a snapshot week-by-week for the whole term. Color code it by class. Print it out and put it up in some place visible (e.g., make it the background for a phone/laptop, or place it on the desktop of a computer so that it is easily accessible. Review/update it weekly, as things will change. Oftentimes the schedule for finals is not announced until part way through the term, remember to add information about your finals once available. Below is a sample of a master semester calendar (not Elijah’s).

Next, Elijah created a weekly calendar. This helps students see and understand how busy certain days may be, days when there may be no break for lunch, days that may be available for other activities, appointments or daytime study sessions. 

• Tips for creating a skeleton color-coded, weekly schedule with standing commitments. Enter classes, regularly-scheduled meetings, work, extracurricular commitments, and even office hours/tutoring if they will be attended on a regular basis. This can be done on paper, in Google calendar, or with other tools/apps.***Make an initial “weekly calendar” and keep it as a template that is copied each week and completed specifically for that individual week. Again, here is what a weekly schedule might look like (not Elijah’s).

Master the “To Do” List

Finally, Elijah and I discussed various methods for him keeping track of all “stuff” he has to do and figuring out when he will do things each day. Maintaining and working off of a “to do” list can certainly be done either digitally or via paper. Task managers app, note apps, and calendar apps can be beneficial in keeping track of assignments, deadlines, and important “to dos” and dates…some, like Google Tasks integrates really nicely with Google Calendar. And…as students may have discovered, the number of apps and all the options within certain apps can become overwhelming. Be mindful that using too many tools or tools with lots of options or “bells and whistles” can be a huge time suck and a procrastination trap. Again, sometimes simple may be better…a good old running list on a document on a laptop or note on your phone.

• Tips for developing an organizational system for your day-to-day obligations. Commit to keeping a running list of “to dos,” and tasks.  Whether it’s scheduling a dentist appointment, reading for a class, filling out an application or going to office hours; the number of tasks one can amass in any given 24-hour period can be significant. It’s not reasonable to expect to keep track of it in one’s head. I encourage students to free up their short memory and overall headspace by writing things down, as soon as they think of them! I also encourage students to have a running task of checking email and their learning management system, which should be done deliberately as the student determines necessary (likely daily, at minimum). Then, students should find ~20 minutes each night before going to bed (or first thing in the morning) to go through their “to do” lists, review their academic assignments and then create and prioritize their “to dos.” Next, they should figure out when they will do each of the tasks within the next 24 hours. Keeping in mind, allocating specific times for checking and responding to emails and checking on their courses should be included. For some, it works best to indicate morning, afternoon, evening rather than identifying specific times when they will complete individual tasks. For others, scheduling each of the prioritized tasks at a certain time on a specific day is better. Using a copy of the template weekly calendar developed above can be used to assign tasks to a general time of day or to a specific hour(s).

As more and more technology is introduced into students’ academic lives, it is more critical than ever that they are intentional about finding systems to quickly access information, as well as get and stay organized. While it may take a few hours, investing time as soon as possible each term to become familiar with the layout and expectations of their courses, understand what a typical week of classes is going to be like, and document significant assignments on a semester calendar can go a long way in setting a good foundation for the semester and giving a student a sense of control over their academic experience. It is also important for students with disabilities to work with the appropriate office on their campus to ensure that academic technology is accessible and to obtain the appropriate accommodations, as needed.

For Elijah, he estimates he spent about 5 hours during the first week of his courses orienting himself to his courses through the learning management systems, creating his semester calendar, and creating a template weekly schedule. Additionally, committing to writing down their “to dos” as they come up, investing 15-20 minutes every day to prioritize their “to dos,” and deciding when they will do them provides students with the basis for more effective time management. Elijah sets an alarm for 12 midnight Sunday-Thursday and 12 noon on Saturday and Sunday to prioritize and schedule his “to dos.” Starting the semester strong in this regard can go a long way in helping students feel more confident about what lies ahead each week and for the semester, tasks to prioritize each day, and how to navigate the weeks ahead.

About

Beth A. Howland is a higher education consultant and college student success coach based in Ithaca, NY. She is the founder of College Navigators, LLC. Check out Beth’s previous posts about college student success.