Time Management for URI 101

Students
DATE: February 17, 2016
TO: Lehua Ledbetter
FROM: Jenna Maloney
RE: Time Management for URI 101 Students Transition into Freshman
Year

Overview:
For project 2, the assignment calls for to draw on knowledge of
what makes an effective and audience appropriate tutorial and create
our own. The specific audience for the purpose of this project is URI
students. More specifically, this tutorial is designed to address some of
the common stresses college students face at URI. As a previous URI
101 Mentor, I have a lot to say in terms of improving the program to
ensure freshman students to endure a healthy transition into college.
Given my first hand knowledge as a previous mentor of two years, I am
familiar with the struggles that first year college student faces.
Majorly, the freshman issues are related to time management. On the
first day of my URI 101 class, I stood in front of the class with a
welcoming smile while handing out twenty-two syllabi still radiating
with heat from Roosevelts mentors closet printer. Before class
started, each student seemed appreciative yet reserved. It was then
that I started to realize a trend after my few semesters of experience;
each student had the tendency to sit in segregated sections of the
classroom in silence. After connecting my laptop to the projector and
displayed the slides I prepared for the class, everyone began to bring
their focus to the center of the room and then, I officially began
teaching my first URI 101 class. This tutorial is intended to assist
freshman in organizing their time through an activity that also allows
students to work together by using problem solving skills and also
being social with each other in the process.
Introduction:
In this tutorial, a college student will be able to organize their
schedule to include a healthy balance of studying, social life, physical

activity, and eating habits. In the info graphic activity, the time
commitments listed are intentionally conflicting with each other. This
is intentional as the goal of this activity is for students to first hand
learn how to organize their time while also following the step-by-step
process outlined. It is easy for the first year college student to become
distracted or involved in their social life, neglecting the other various
important dimensions of their life. Overall, this activity allows students
to become more comfortable with expressing themselves and relating
interests resulting in a more relaxed environment. An activity as such
will allow students who are involved in various clubs to explain how
they arrange their schedule to allow involvement in many activities.
Process:
When brainstorming ideas for this project, I thought of what
inspired me the most during my college experience. As a previous URI
101 Mentor, I really enjoyed working with students who needed the
extra push to stay focused or the encouragement to stay on track with
their school work. I noticed that even the most involved students had
trouble at one point balancing their schedules. As a teaching,
research, and mentor at URI, I know what it is like firsthand to face
time conflicts and not have enough time to relax. This tutorial is a
great asset for student leaders as well considering all individuals at
some point in their life need to reassess their priorities to ensure a
healthy balance in their life. The inspiration for this tutorial is geared
towards addressing the work-life imbalance among college students as
well as creating an icebreaker for URI 101 classes to engage in for all
students to be social. As a very involved student myself, I believe that
there is more work to do in terms of getting to know students with
various personalities. Through this activity, teaching assistants and
other student leaders can really get to know both the introverts and
extroverts in the class by also helping them organize their busy
freshman year schedules. The more reserved students are more likely
to fully express themselves on paper and the extroverts may respond
more orally which I hope creates a more expressive environment for
the introverted students for a very expressive and engaged class.
Rational:
My last URI 101 class, our class topic was entitled, Making
College Count: Involvement and Inclusion. Once being a freshman, I
know firsthand how lonely one can feel if they do not get involved on
campus. Involvement does shape ones character and that is especially
true in college. Considering my URI 101 class is a General section, I

have a handful of diverse majors, I had each group of majors get

together and discuss clubs or organizations they could get involved in.
Most Kinesiology students referred to the Pre-PA club while other CMD
students stated they could get involved in the NSSLHA club. At this
moment, I was happy that my students could recall URI clubs names
from attending First Night. After this, I had students get in groups
based off of hobby interests. From there, students discussed how each
segregated group could join clubs such as the Surf Club, Student
Alumni Association and Art club. Seeing each students similarities but
also differences in terms of majors and interests help create a sense of
familiarity and community with each other as classmates but more so
as Freshman.
Next Steps:
Moving forward, I would further develop the tutorial for time
management with a video giving a personal testimony and showing my
own agenda for reference. Outside of academics and URI sporting
events, I would also state the importance of exercising, the
psychological affects of community services and socializing with
friends. Everybody knows that college is a very stressful time when
trying to balance academics especially if taking on an athletic
commitment or work schedule as well. I provided statistics and brief
research notes stating the correlation between motivation and physical
activity among college-aged students. With that, I would also provide
information regarding the work out classes that URI offers as well as
the opportunities the gym gives for students to become personal
trainers or exercise instructors to bring back the theme of involvement.
In order to understand the concept of involvement in college, I believe
students should also be aware of self-management simultaneously. For
one to be involved, they must know their limits. Taking on too many
work hours, going to a sports game rather than doing an online
assignment due that night or skipping a SI review session for a club
meeting does not take priority. Last, I would also lightly discuss
commuter students who may have concerns of having trouble meeting
new people on-campus and how they can navigate this common issue
while also staying faithful to their schedule.
Conclusions:
Considering the audience of this info graphic is URI 101 students
(i.e., freshman, first-year students at URI), this info graphic is more
informative than creative. This info graphic is geared to be
informational and educate students what time management means,

and how to efficiently engage in it. The presentation of this info

graphic should be passed out to students, led by a facilitator explaining
the steps and the importance of the activity. Last, the info graphic
generates conversation as the times listed on the info graphic are
intentionally conflicted to create a conversation about prioritizing and
arranging commitments in our hectic college student schedules.