Academic Probation, Time Management, and Time Use in a College Success Course

Abstract

Effective time management often undergirds students’ success in college, and many postsecondary learning centers offer services to help students assess and improve this aspect of their learning skills. In the context of a college success course, we gathered insights from assignments to consider various facets of students’ time-related behaviors and attitudes. Specifically, we examined a range of indicators of time management (i.e., setting goals and priorities, mechanics of time management, preference for organization, and procrastination) and use (i.e., total hours tracked in various categories, patterns of time use during a seven-day period). Implications for practice derive from the tendencies for the group of enrolled students as a whole as well as the differences between students who were and were not on academic probation.

KEYWORDS:

• college students
• procrastination
• self-regulated learning
• time management

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lauren C. Hensley

Lauren C. Hensley is Senior Associate Director of The Ohio State University’s Dennis Learning Center. She oversees college-success courses, supports retention initiatives, and conducts research related to these activities.

Christopher A. Wolters

Christopher A. Wolters is a Professor of Educational Psychology and Director of the Dennis Learning Center at The Ohio State University. His research centers on motivation and self-regulated learning, especially among college student populations.

Sungjun Won

Sungjun Won is a doctoral candidate in the Educational Psychology program at The Ohio State University. His research focuses on college students’ motivation and self-regulated learning.

Anna C. Brady

Anna C. Brady is a doctoral student in the Educational Psychology program at The Ohio State University. Her primary research interests are students’ motivation and self-regulated learning.