Start off the Winter 2025 term on the right foot with these three simple strategies!
Do a deep dive into your course outlines.
Course outlines contain crucial information about the course objectives, your responsibilities as a student, and the instructor’s expectations. To avoid surprises later in the term, pay close attention to the following key elements:
- Course identification and contact Information: Ensure you have the correct course details and know how to contact your instructor.
- Learning outcomes and objectives: Understand what you’re expected to learn and achieve in the course.
- Course delivery method: Confirm whether the course is in-person, online, or a combination of both.
- Course schedule and required readings/materials: Plan ahead and familiarize yourself with the course schedule, required readings, and materials.
- Assessment structure and grade breakdown: Understand how you’ll be evaluated and what percentage of your grade each assessment contributes.
- Dates and deadlines: Note dates of quizzes, tests, or exams, and assignment deadlines.
- Course-specific policies: Familiarize yourself with policies on attendance, deferrals and other important aspects of the course.
Pro-Tip: Keep a digital or printed copy of your course outlines in an easily accessible location so that you can refer to it throughout the term.
Create a master calendar for the term.
Stay organized and on top of important dates and deadlines by creating a comprehensive calendar for the term. After reviewing your course outlines, make a note of important dates and deadlines of key deliverables for each course on your master calendar. Be sure to choose a calendar format or modality that best works for you!
- Digital Calendars: Consider using Outlook Calendar (via CMAIL or personal email) or Google Calendar for their customizable features, synchronization capabilities, and automated reminders. Digital calendars allow for colour-coding, synchronization across devices, and different viewing layouts based on your preferences.
- Printable Templates: A copy of our Winter 2025 Term Calendar as well as an example is available in our Time Management – Planning the Big Picture Learning Strategies Brightspace This template can be downloaded as an MS Word document or printed for those who prefer to hand-write. Other types of weekly calendar templates are also available in Brightspace if needed.
Pro-Tip: Don’t forget to include work commitments and extra-curricular activities.
Stay on track with assignment trackers and study plans.
Effective time management is crucial to succeeding in your courses. Use assignment trackers and study plans to break down large tasks, stay organized, and make steady progress.
- Various assignment trackers are available online to help break down your bigger assignments into smaller chunks. In doing so, they become more manageable and can promote self-efficacy, decreasing overwhelm and increasing the likelihood of task completion. Check out these resources from Queen’s University and the University of Toronto to start planning your assignments this term.
- Study plans can help you avoid cramming for an upcoming quiz/test/exam. Using your course material (course outline, lecture slides, notes, readings, textbooks, practice questions, etc.), identify what will be on the upcoming assessment. Then, outline what days you will study specific material and how much time you will be spending on a given day. Be sure to leave time in your study plan to seek support from your course instructor/TA if needed, and prioritize self-testing to best prepare.