Transitioning from in person to online learning during a pandemic: an experimental study of the impact of time management training

ABSTRACT

We argue that time management training can help develop students’ self-control, which helps students spend less time on leisure activities and more time on activities that are associated with student success. The imposition of measures meant to reduce or stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus provided an opportunity where the impact of time management training on student behavior could be assessed when there was a significant change in the learning environment, from in person learning to online learning. The transition to online learning was associated with an increase in unstructured time and the removal of time norms for students. Using an experimental study design, we find that students that receive time management training spend more time on activities associated with student success. Interestingly, when there was a transition to online learning, students increased the amount of time they spent on leisure activities. However, when compared to the control group, students that received time management training spent more time on activities associated with student success, such as studying and eating, and less time on activities that hinder success, such as video gaming and running errands. Our results suggest that time management training helps students work more effectively in online learning environments.

KEYWORDS:

• Online learning
• first year students
• post-secondary
• time management
• student success

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Research Ethics Board (REB) File Number 20-013.

2 As a comparison, for that data from Fall 2019 we ran a within-subjects analysis on those participants who completed assessments at all three-time frames (n = 57). Although there were slight differences in level of significance, results were similar across the daily activities. For the data from Winter 2020 we ran a within-subjects analysis on those participants who completed assessments at all three-time frames (n = 61). Although there were slight differences in level of significance, results were similar across the daily activities.