Too Little Time

The last few weeks of the semester are the busiest and most intense time of the year for most teachers and students. Trying to fit everything in, meet every deadline, and maintain high quality work can become an impossible feat. Here are some tips to keep in mind to help you and your students make it to the final week without becoming completely overwhelmed by learning during stressful times.

Stress Reduction. While you may not be able to relieve the cause of overwork, you can help students reduce the consequent stress. Share some tips for reducing stress with students. The CIRT can provide you with some ideas.

Work Reduction. Re-evaluate the progress the class has made and is likely to make in the next two weeks. If there are assignments or deadlines that can be eased without sacrificing achievable learning goals, you might consider adjusting the workload of the final two weeks.

Efficiencies. As teachers we have a number of short cuts that work in our discipline areas. Share some of these tips with your students.

Team Work. Where appropriate, have students share some of the remaining work among team members. Each could prepare and share a chapter review for the exam.

Organization. Good organization can help address high workloads. Give your students a two-week calendar that outlines working hours for each day. Discuss the remaining time commitments you see in your course and help them develop a reasonable time plan(s) for your course. Suggest that they do the same with other courses.

Tips. Have students rate, on a scale of 1-4, how overwhelmed they feel. Divide the class according to numbers and ask each group to share tips. Spend time with the group that feels most overwhelmed and help them develop some ideas.

Forgiveness. Remember that students, colleagues, and others working at the university are feeling similar pressures. This is a good time of year to be a bit more forgiving and generous toward yourself and others.

This tip is short to keep in the spirit of the moment. Teaching and learning pressures can be daunting -- especially when compressed by work, family, and other duties. Good skills in planning and carrying out tasks and an extra effort to reduce stress and lower anxieties can make a difficult time more productive.

This Teaching Tip was first published by Indiana State University’s, Center for Teaching and Learning on April 20, 1998.