I ran across a decent article today on online learning and time management. In fact, this is one of my mantras that I preach to the students who I instruct online. Here is an excerpt:
Stick to a schedule.
In a traditional class setting, you know exactly which hours you’ll spend in a lecture each week. That kind of rigid structure might not fit into your lifestyle, but you still need to establish a fairly consistent timetable for your coursework. “Maybe your assignment isn’t due until Saturday, but don’t wait until the night before,” says Donald DeVito, campus director at Rasmussen College Online. He recommends allocating a few hours each week to your studies, and committing to that work schedule regardless of when assignments are due.
“This requires the support of all members of a household,” notes Dr. Brigham. Discourage family members from interrupting you by hanging a sign outside your office that says what you’re doing and how soon you’ll be done. “I told people my ‘schedule’ as if I was actually at school, so they wouldn’t be tempted to disturb me during that period of time,” says Judy Capritti, a mother of two who took courses online through Burlington County College (BCC) in Pemberton, NJ.
The full article can be found at: http://www.kristv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7819993