Synopsis
- What is Academic productivity in students
- Factors contributing to decrease in efficiency in students.
- How you can manage and sustain the perfect schedule to maintain academic productivity in students
To begin with, we must first know what we mean by productivity and how it applies to students. So, basically, productivity is nothing but efficiency.
Meaning to say how efficiently you produce a desired result for a given input. In other words, we can say that productivity is the yield. To understand it further, we can draw an analogy.
The best possible example would be that of a farming land. The productivity or yield per hectare depends on a number of external factors.
Like the effort the farmer has put in on that piece of land, weather conditions, soil quality and fertilisers used. For convenience, we can term all these factors as inputs.
Therefore, it can be rightly said that the input is directly proportional to the yield per hectare. That is, the better the input the higher the yield.
Now that the definition of productivity is clear, how can we co relate it to students? We all know that a student’s life is always buzzing with activity.
The day is packed with 100 things to do. Attending lectures, completing assignments and projects, studying for the upcoming tests, and last but not least hanging out with friends.
Such a busy day requires efficient planning. Without efficient planning, students may not perform to their full potential leading to ineptitude.
Through this article we have endeavoured to list out a few tips on how to boost productivity as a student. Before we enlist the details on how to increase productivity, let’s look at some of the factors affecting the productivity of students.
What Decreases the Productivity of Students?
One of the main reasons students lack productivity is the lack of organisation. Organisation is the act of planning, coordinating and arranging.
Students usually do not organise their days. With unorganised days, students are faced with lack of time and a mammoth of tasks to complete.
This often leads to incomplete assignments, half hearted completed projects and low productivity.
Another one of the factors affecting the productivity of students is that small handy device-The Mobile. Posing as a severe threat to students is the use of mobile phones and the easy availability of the internet on these mobile devices.
Believe it or not, these cell phones, which are a boon to mankind, are also a bane. In an article published by Harvard University in the Derek Bok centre for teaching and learning, it was stated that Mobile phones are a distraction for students. A survey conducted revealed that over 92% of students text during class hours.
It is a known fact that use of mobile devices decreases the attention span of not only students but of working professionals and adults.
The time spent on using the devices eats into the time that could have been utilised in productive work. Students often get distracted when a notification message appears on their mobile phone.
It is only human nature to be curious about the message. One message leads to another and this starts the viscous cycle of distraction.
- Last but definitely not the least, one of the major factors that has led to the decrease in efficiency of students is the onslaught of the dreaded pandemic that hit the world in 2019.
- The pandemic has resulted in a changed educational scene. With classes now being conducted online, students are finding it less interesting and more difficult to cope up with classes. Students’ efficiency and productivity has taken a beating over these past two years.
All is not lost, there are always ways to tackle problems. Let’s take a look at how we can overcome these negative factors and increase the academic productivity of students.
Here are some effective and practical solutions on how to boost productivity. We all know that for a student, studying and securing great scores is a top priority.
In fact that is one of the main aims of a student during his/ her school and college days. So, how do we achieve this? How do we improve productivity in studying?
1. Organise, Plan and Strategize
Organising, planning and strategizing are one the best methods of how to increase efficiency in studies. Organise and plan your day by chalking out a timetable of your daily routine.
Remember to paste this timetable in a conspicuous spot on your room wall. This will remind you time and again to follow the set routine.
You can start off with a simple time table. Setting unrealistic goals right from the beginning and being unable to follow it will demoralise you and won’t be effective.
So, it is advisable to follow a simple time table initially and once you are set, you can gradually increase the number of tasks in your time table.
2. To-Do List
Productivity in students can definitely be increased with a little help from the to-do list. A to -do list is a small list of tasks to be completed within a day.
A timetable is an overall schedule for your week or month but a to-do list is a smaller version. It usually includes things to do on a daily basis.
It is a good idea to maintain a small notepad for this purpose. Write down the set of tasks you need to complete for the day.
As you complete the tasks you can tick it off the paper. At the end of the day, when all your tasks for the day are completed, you will feel a sense of accomplishment. Here is what a To-do list may look like.
- Half an hour of yoga
- Complete the 10th chapter in the English text
- Attempt 15 math problems from the workbook
- Submit the due assignment to the Physics teacher
- Self study in the library for an hour.
- Complete the household chores for the day.
- Visit a classmate for combined studying.
- Gym one hour
If you notice, the tasks are realistic and attainable within a day. To-do lists are a great way to improve efficiency for students.
3. Try This or That
When we say try this or that, we basically mean that you should accept methods that work for you and discard the techniques that do not work.
This is a trial and error method of finding out what studying formula works best for you. Academic productivity of students can be improved when students implement the right techniques.
Please note, there is no right or wrong method of studying. Different methods work differently for different students.
For example, one student may find that his or her grasping power is more effective in the morning hours while another student may be able to concentrate more in the evening.
Find out what works best for you and adopt your own method.
This same principle holds true when it comes to the technique of studying. There are various methods of studying.
3.1. SQ3R – This Is a Method of Studying that Involves 5 Steps, Namely
- Survey
- Question
- Read
- Recite
- Review
3.2. Pictorial Studying
This involves the use of pictures to help you study better. You can use flash cards, charts or graphs to make learning easier.
3.3. PQ3R Method
- Preview
- Question
- Read
- Recite
- Review
3.4. The Feynman Technique
This technique of studying was conceptualised by Richard Feynman. It is a method of explaining concepts in a simpler method.
3.5. Highlighted Notes
To increase efficiency in studies you can also highlight or colour the important points in your textbook as you study. This helps at a later stage when you try to recall points.
4. Complete Those Assignments
To improve productivity for students, you must follow a hard and fast rule of on time submissions. Never let homework, assignments or project work heap up.
You definitely don’t want to see a mountain of pending work on your desk early in the morning. Set reminders of the last date of submissions and work accordingly.
Complete the assignments that need to be submitted earlier and gradually complete the remaining. This way, you won’t have unsubmitted work.
Here, the to-do list can help you complete assignments. Remember, homework, assignments and project work form an important and integral part of your college education.
A lot of grades and marks are allotted for these assignments, which finally add up to your overall performance in college.
Also project work and homework contributes to your knowledge bank, giving you that extra practice you need to make the cut.
One of the ways of how to increase productivity in studies is to be diligent in your homework and assignments.
5. Create the Perfect Ambience
Believe it or not, but one of the ways of how to boost productivity as a student is to create the perfect ambience to study.
By this, we mean you must make arrangements to study in a conducive atmosphere. Make sure you have a clean and decluttered desk in a quiet part of your home, with sufficient lighting and ventilation. These are all factors that affect the learning power of students.
Studying with distracting sounds around you reduces the power to recall and remember. A study was conducted on the impact of noise level on students’ learning performance at State Elementary School in Medan. The research revealed that students performance declined due to the consequences of noise disturbance.
Also Read Students Life Cycle – A Transformation Over the Years
6. Treat Yourself to Frequent Breaks
Academic productivity of students can be efficiently increased with frequent breaks during long schedules of studying.
Even a long and tiring day must end with a treat to yourself. A treat or break may come in many forms like listening to music, meeting up with a friend or chatting with family members or watching a bit of television.
At the same time ensure that the breaks in between your study schedule should not go over time and must not go beyond your time table.
An article published in Psych Central, written by Rick Nauert in 2011 and medically reviewed by the Scientific Advisory Board stated that taking breaks is found to improve attention.
7. Social Media – Get Off It
By social media we mean all interactional tools. It could include chatting apps or even sharing apps. Research has shown that almost 4.48 billion people use social media platforms today. This a whooping 56.8% of the population of the world.
It is one of the biggest distractions to students. Reducing your time on social media can increase efficiency in studies.
It is a known fact that people including students check their phones and devices time and again. A study has shown that people check their phones 150 times a day.
Many research papers have been conducted regarding the effect of social media on students learning capacity. One such research conducted and published by Science Direct and written by Stoney brooks revealed that the use of social media has negative effects on the efficiency of students.
It is advisable to put those breaks on your social media addiction. It is one of the best methods of how to improve productivity in studies.
8. You Are only Human- Do Not Overburden Yourself
Always remember that you are only human. By this we mean you can not work like a robot and overburden yourself. Do not overload your day with activities that are impossible to complete.
It is nice to have busy days where you are occupied, but over burdening yourself with activities will simply burn your mind and body. This invariably leads to under performance and fatigue.
Set realistic goals for the year. Apart from studying you may be involved with extra curricular and co curricular activities.
It is advisable to take up only those extra curricular activities that you can manage in the year. Taking up many activities will just crowd your day and make it impossible for you to manage the day. You can always take up something new every year.
Conclusion
Academic productivity of students is a major concern for students all over the world. The recent pandemic and the introduction of online classes have led to a decrease in the efficiency of students.
With the right kind of advice and following a few steps to improve productivity, it is not difficult for students to get right back on track. Keep calm and study on.
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