Session+Six

= __**SESSION SIX: REFLECTION ON TIME MANAGEMENT**__ =

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As you think back to your previous facilitation experience, what has been your biggest struggle in terms of managing your time or organization. Share your challenge in the table below and offer suggestions for dealing with the struggles others have listed.=====

Managing my time is crucial for me between everything that I juggle on a weekly basis. I was talking with a friend about this subject just yesterday. She made the same suggestion that I read in the reading for this week---manage and organize your emails. I have my access account for all work related emails. I have gmail for personal email and my access account flows into the gmail account. THEN, the gmail account flows to my blackberry. So, a work email comes to access, then gmail, then phone....did I read it? did I respond to it? Should I delete it? Hmmmm....any suggestions?? Stephanie || Do you absolutely need to have your access mail forwarded to your gmail account and then to your blackberry? Gmail's Mail Fetcher is a neat gadget, but is it saving or making work for you? Pam
 * ~ Challenge ||~ Strategies ||
 * //Use the rows in this column to describe challenges you have faced with time management or organization when facilitating.// || //Use the rows in this column to suggest strategies for the challenges posted by others.// ||
 * I am a day early on this post, however am off work again today due to snow....so I am trying to make good use of my time today :)

I keep all work emails with access and use online access only. With the wvde server you can set up folders for emails. I keep all the wvlearns email separated by courses and of course anything sent in the wvlearns program is copied into the inbox. I save all the incoming and outgoing emails for a course in that file that is set up. That way if I have a question, I can go and find the email I need. I have a specific email file just for Donna also. I also keep all the course emails for at least 6 months after the course has ended in case there are any questions. It is also nice to have all the emails you previously sent for a course to adapt and/or revise for the next course. Jackie ||
 * One of my biggest time management problems involves participants who post late on Tuesday evenings or are late with their dropbox submissions. I nudge them with emails, news items, and discussion postings, but they have their own time management issues and still wait to very last minute to get anything done. I've even had participants who are finishing Session Six days after the class is over. I schedule my own time fairly tightly, and their lateness throws me off schedule too. Pam || ​ ​ Pam, I have that same problem. So, I know to factor that into my schedule. Mary

​Time is precious. I give participants deadlines and explain that I also have a family, full time job, etc. This seems to help some although there are a few who just can't manage time! (Tish)

That is my biggest problem also. I always thought I was going back to weeks to try to update grades. It was always those that did their stuff after the deadline. They didn't tell me something was up or that they weren't going to be on time. I don't know how to fix it unless they just get an incomplete. Julie

Julie, I have found that posting those Is sometimes helps to spur participants to action. Mary

The next course for me has 30 participants. I am going to give a deadline and then I am going to give "I" because I just can't continue to wait and wait. I will encourage those who are late with emails and a phone call, but then again, I am going to have deadlines. I can't wait forever because it makes me miss my deadlines. ~Melissa I have the same problem. It is really frustrating when they drop but don't bother telling me. I continue to email but hear nothing. I am going to post a Voki During Session One explaining what to do if you don't feel you can continue. I am also going to stick to the 2 weeks-no show-drop rule. I tend to keep cajoling rather than just emailing them and telling them they are dropped. Claudia || I bet many of us are like this, the busier the schedule the more organized we are. When I am lucky enough to have multiple days off I try to keep a list of accomplishments so I can see if I been totally unproductive. But with that said - - - don’t we do need just slow down once I a while, clear the schedule and simply relax? Nanette
 * I seem to manage my time better when I am working and know that I have certain things to accomplish. Because I have been off with snow days for the past 9 days, I get lazy and less organized. When I have issues, it is because I've taken on to much and have trouble juggling. Or, I have to much on my plate and then something unexpected happens. As stated by Pam, it seems to be other people that throw me off because I organize myself and expect everyone else to be so as well. || I also manage my time better when I am working. When I am off I find myself making lists to keep me on top of the things I need to do. But after 10 days I found myself not sticking to the list! Thanks goodness staff had to report to school today! :) (Tish)

I agree! My husband and I make it a point to find time to relax every day. There are times when it's a short session but that's okay. We are believers in working hard but we work so we can live our life. We certainly don't live to work! Yes, sometimes you just have to force yourself! (Tish) || My biggest struggle with facilitating online courses is the grading of projects. Depending on the course, this can be an overwhelming task. I always feel as if I need to get feedback to participants as soon as possible as well as get them the certificate of completion. The end of the course is always a big time hog. (Tish)
 * 

My biggest problem for facilitating is the mid course feedback only because I think that sometimes the participants don't fully understand the need to get the project to meet the requirements. I sometimes have to go back and forth with numerous emails, and sometimes I feel like the participant is just trying to get you to give up so he or she won't have to put forth any extra effort. I am a stickler for completing a quality project and a few participants have gotten a little huffy because they didn't feel the need for revision and didn't try to understand what the project needed to meet the requirements. Jackie || One thing I do to save time at the end of the course is to create the certificates and save them to a folder. I usually try to do this during the 1st or 2nd week of the class and all I have to do is attach them to the correct email when the work is completed. Sandy

I wonder if we could get the projects turned in by the end of week 5 so we would have time to offer feedback and get revisions that may be needed from some? At the least, encourage participants to post projects early in the final week if they want feedback. (Jane) I see your point about having time to make comments but I think you might see a decline in the quality of the projects you receive if you give the participants less time to complete them. Sandy

I love the idea of making the certificates early. I am going to try to do this in my next course. Thanks! ~ Melissa

​ I also like the idea of making certificates early in the course. It doesn't take much time but when you are trying to get projects completed it feels like hours. Great idea! (Tish)

Tish Not only do I try to make the certificates early - but before that last week - I create a folder called final projects. Inside that folder - I create two more folders - 1 that has the pre made certificates and 1 that is empty - which I call DONE. As projects are submitted, I save them to the folder. As soon as projects start coming in - if I have a moment - a grade a project. When I complete a project, I reply with my notes to the participant and attach their certificate - then I immediately place their project in the done folder. Not rocket science, I know, but it really helps me keep track of where I stand in getting those projects checked. Gilda || Sandy || When I post grades I put an Incomplete in the gradebook and a note about why. Then I tell the participant to email me when the work is completed. I DO NOT go back and check until I get an email. (Tish) I also do that, and still many participants do not email. I also put in the comments, exactly what they must do to get a C for complete. Jackie
 * As someone mentioned earlier, I have a little trouble keeping up with the participants who complete things late, especially the discussion postings. Sometimes I forget to go back the next week and check to see if they are caught up and change the grade in the gradebook. I find that these are usually the same people who complain if your are slow in changing or posting their grade.

I, too, have run into this problem. In the future, I am going to continue to email, but I am also going to use the pager to alert participants of incomplete assignments. It seems like the participants who do not complete their work are the same ones who don't check their email regularly....hopefully the pager will work. Stephanie

Stephanie, I'm going to try the pager also. Mary

Stephanie, the pager is a good idea. I tell my participants that I use the pager and explain the beeping sound and how to use it. Sandy, we can continue to remind them to post early in our e-mails and News items. However, I think we will just have to live with the late posts since it is a Wednesday to Wednesday class. It makes it difficult for other participants to read at least 50% of the posts when some don't post until the last minute and others like to complete their work early in the week. Carolyn 

That always bugs me as a participant. I feel like the day before should be the "last day." We can't force people to post on time, but it does inconvenience everyone else. I like the pager idea and maybe an email after orientation week asking participants to not post on the last day as that makes it difficult for other participants to meet the required 50% if they are unable to be online that night. -Amber When I first facilitated a course, my co-facilitator told me to use the totals from Sunday night. She said most participants have posted by then, responded and read all if not most postings. I find this to be very helpful as typically few posts come after that time. (Tish) || Julie I use an old fashioned grade book to keep track of what has been turned in so I have a visual reminder of what work is still missing. Sandy I also keep checklists and hard copy grade books to keep up with who has/has not completed work. (Jane) I tell them to reread the Welcome Message, and then email me with a specific question if they still don't understand. I don't have time to answer questions that are already answered. I had one participant who sent a nasty email to me about why they got a C when they thought their posts were A work! And I had posted a news item explaining the grading procedure. Sigh...Claudia
 * The entire Orientation week is my biggest struggle. I usually have large classes and must check and re-check profiles, discussion posts, discussion responses, response e-mails, and whether the participant is taking the course for graduate credit. Of these, the Profile is the most difficult to get all participants to complete. I am constantly checking statistics to see if participants have completed the required activities. I also send a lot of reminder e-mails and post News items to remind them to complete the work. Another problem I have is participants who don't read the Orientation Welcome e-mail and e-mail me questions that are specifically covered in the e-mail. Any ideas and suggestions would be great. Carolyn || I know that I use a check off sheet for each week. I have it for what needs to be done and when I read the posts, etc. I check their name off as completed it for that week. This way I don't have to wait until the deadline of that week to start on grades.

Claudia, I've had that happen several times. It amuses me. Mary

Now, that is funny! Tears are coming down my cheeks!! Thanks for sharing! ~ Melissa

I am beginning to think I should expect the participants to be much like a real class. I think there are always going to be those who don't read directions, or forget to turn in assignments. I think using the Pager button in the e-learning site. ||
 * I think I sometimes get overwhelmed by all the emails to read. I have found that it helps to do a little bit twice a day, but sometimes that is not possible. -Amber || ​ I decide how much time to spend each day. Then, I try my best to stick to my plan. The orientation is the hardest. So many posts! ~Melissa ||
 * One of my time management issues with facilitating was putting off checking final projects until I had all of them and only a little while to complete them and get grades recorded before the end of the course. I would have good intentions of evaluating them as they came in, but with all of the other issues in my life would sometimes let them pile up. I know how to do better, but sometimes life just happens. (Jane) || I have done that, too and then been overwhelmed. I have to train myself to get in there and look at them right away-as soon as they come in. I have sometimes caught a misunderstanding that way and can email everyone a heads up that there might be an issue that needs clarification. Claudia

Sometimes I dread doing a project (both online and in real life), but when I do it, I realize my worrying made it worse than it actually was. The worry component is sort of like interest on borrowed money; it can end up costing more than the original loan amount. Pam ||
 * I am going to try to use the excel sheet for my next course to keep myself organized with the tasks that I need to do and the tasks that the participants need to do. I hope that all of the info on the same sheet will help me. I am going to break the tasks into sessions. Like for session one, I am going to have all the tasks listed. Does this sound like a good idea? Thanks for your input! ~Melissa || I keep an Excel spreadsheet with every task listed across the top and I have a system for checking off completed items. For example, I have 3 checkmarks for discussion: for the original post I put a checkmark with a circle. Then for replies I put a plain checkmark. Once they complete the requirements, I don't put any more checkmarks even if they continue to post. That way I can quickly look at my sheet and see if something is missing and email them with the specifics. Claudia

I do this also but not with an Excel Spread Sheet; I use a Word table and then I pencil and pen it as I read posts, etc.; it saves time when posting grades. I think I will migrate to an Excel Spread Sheet when I facilitate in March. Once good thing, whether you use paper and pencil or Excel, with a quick glance, you can respond to grade-related emails and know exactly where all participants are in relationship to assignments. JoAnn

Melissa, I am posting the sheet I use because it sounds like what you are going to do. No sense starting from scratch! It's pink because I use color coding as a visual cue. If someone has not completed something in a session I color the cell yellow. When I post grades I color the cell pink. I can see quickly who needs a reminder in the gradebook or via email. I hope it helps! (Tish)

T hank you so much for sharing!! I appreciate it, and I am sure other facilitators do too! ~Melissa

I used the spreadsheet when I co-facilitated and it helped immensely. I also use a spreadsheet-but I use the Google spreadsheet. It is easier to get to and if I am on another computer, it is there as well. S Morgan ||
 * Like others, I struggle with getting the projects checked and meaningful feedback given. I try to be really careful at the mid point check to see if someone is off track, but sometimes the final project comes in and it just isn't that good. I feel uncomfortable at that point saying-"Hey, you need to redo this!" I have, and the participant is usually okay with it, but I would like to catch it earlier. So I plan to up my expectation for the mid-point check so I can avoid that in the future. Claudia || Claudia, my problem with the projects is that I provide feedback and then the participants never checks. Then, when I post the grade of an I, I will get a nasty email. It is very frustrating. Mary

Mary--When I get maessages like this I go back and copy/paste the information in response to their request. I make sure the message includes the dates when the message was first posted. ~Donna

I email the participant and let him/her know that he/she needs to re-do some portion of the mid-term and final project. Irene ​ || ~Donna ||
 * I struggle most with those participants who chose to post on Tuesday evening at 11 p.m. This presents a real problem to me regarding the participants dedication to the course and his/her respect for those participants who post early in the week and offer valuable feedback and networking to others. I have tried personal emails and leaving messges with grades; and it seems as though those who chose to post late continue to post late. JoAnn || JoAnn--It would be interesting to understand why the participant always posts late (i.e. insecurity, late joiner/minimalistic, acess/lack of access to computer, lack of understnading the importance to having thoughtful responses being made to posts they are making). Perhpas this is a question worth asking the participant after the late posts occur a second time.
 * I am new at this so I have to say the learning curve of facilitation is a challenge on its own. (I have learned so much from the discussion group this course, thanks everyone.) Keeping track of participants on a chart worked well for me too. Scheduling a set time everyday to work on the course would be idea but just can not always happen because of meetings and other events. I wonder how others schedule for facilitating. Do you try to log on at a set time everyday or several times a day as your schedule allows? What seems to work the best for everyone? Nanette || Nanette, I do schedule a certain time at least twice a day- once in the morning, and then once in the evening. I might pop on more often than that, but at least I know I will those 2 times. Also, I found when there are bigger projects due, I have to check even more often (mid-course check and final project). - Sara ||
 * The biggest problem I recall was providing timely feedback on the bigger projects - like when the project was turned in at mid-course check. I didn't feel that I was getting them completed as quickly as I should have. I felt like I was behind. The second course I facilitated, I did better with this by requiring myself to schedule more time to do this on this particular session. -Sara || Would it be easier if the participants turned the project in after completing each section? I don't know if it would be possible or not, just a thought. ~Melissa

= = || Gilda ||  ||
 * I agree with the one of getting projects done and replied to in a timely manor. But one I didn't see mentioned - which is an issue for me - is finding that right time to set aside to do my online facilitation. Taking a general over look of my lifestyle and days - and trying to find that time slot - that I feel will be the least interupted.
 * My biggest struggle with time management is providing feedback when participants turn in their final project late. Irene ||  ||
 * My biggest time management problem is responding to all the participants-especially in the orientation. As long as the students are responding to each other i do not respond to everyone. i just choose several each week, unless someone does not have very many replies. I find that this sometimes is hard to keep up with because you have to check back in every day or at least every other day or you get too far behind. S Morgan ||  ||