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Introduction
classes are the best intervention to close the study skills performance gap between new college
students and successful college students. Another intervention option to consider is an
educational website designed and developed for new college students intended to support the
development of important study skills. This paper describes a prototype study skills website
(with the URL http://elizabethfallon7210final.weebly.com) designed to help college students
develop specific study skills.
Website Purpose
The purpose of the prototype educational website is to facilitate the development of
effective study skills by new college students by providing website-based interactive activities
that encourage study skill practice and personal reflection. The website content includes eight
modules, organized by day, so students can be introduced to, reflect on, and practice specific
skill components approximately every day during the first two weeks of a semester. Each
modules activities are designed to be completed in no more than thirty minutes per day so as not
to burden the student with too much extra work and, therefore, become a low priority or even a
distraction for the student. The specific study skills training offered on the website is for
developing time management skills. The potential advantage of this website-based option, as
opposed to the traditional classroom-based course delivery, is that it provides a nonlinear
environment and makes the website experience unique and personal for every student (Lambert
& Ennis, 2012). Although the website encourages a day-to-day progression which may seem
linear, students can actually progress through the modules at his/her own pace. In other words,
each student can engage with the activities in a customized fashion.
follows:
Figure 1. (Schaller et al., 2007)
Kolbs ELT process is the framework for the Day 1 8 Activities selected for the Time
Management Workshop on this website. The eight lessons on the website are distributed over
two rotations of the ELT cycle as shown in Table 8. The purpose of two rotations is to provide
in depth exploration.
Table 8 Time Management Workshop Lessons
Day Activity
Description
1
56
Abstract conceptualization
2
Calendar Creation
Active experimentation
3
Time Diary
Concrete experience
4
Reflect & Journal
Reflective observation
5
Revised Calendar
Abstract conceptualization
6
Follow Weekly Calendar Active experimentation
7
Time Diary Revisit
Concrete experience
8
SMART Goals
Reflective observation
The activities and associated details are described in more detail in Appendix A. The design of
spreading the time management skills over about eight days is intended to help students progress
through the ELT cycle. Another intention of the design is for students to practice a skill for a
day or two. This step may allow the student to truly experience, progressively learn, and
improve his/her time management skills.
Principles of Multimedia Learning & Instruction
Turner and Thompson (2014) demonstrated that interactive training is critical for student
success. Interactive multimedia products are quickly becoming an integral part of instruction.
Low-cost and easy-to-use development tools are helping to drive the accessibility for
instructional designers, teachers, and learners. It is important that these new instructional
resources are developed using research-based principles. According to Mayer (2003), We
define multimedia learning as learning from words and pictures, and we define multimedia
instruction as presenting words and pictures that are intended to foster learning (p. 43).
Multimedia products, however, run the risk of overwhelming or confusing users. Educational
appropriate schema, they must hold in mind all elements of the task individually and
simultaneously (Driscoll, 2005, p.136). First year college students are at risk for experiencing
cognitive load due to their lack of experience managing time in college. In other words, students
struggling to keep up-to-date in college and then trying to learn and master time management
skills in one lesson taught in a FYE course may experience cognitive load. Those students are
then at risk of performing poorly and, eventually, dropping out of college. As a result, the
learning outcomes for this website are to help learners form appropriate mental models as they
progress through developing time management skills in eight short lessons spread over a week or
two (Driscoll, 2005). The eight lessons are distributed over time as shown in Table 7.
Table 7 Time Management Workshop Lessons
Day Activity
Description
1
56
Calculate class time, study time, work hours, time for other
activities, etc.
2
Calendar Creation
Complete week-long and semester-long calendars
3
Time Diary
Record how time is actually spent for a day or two
4
Reflect & Journal
Compare planning calendar to actual time spent calendar.
Write about obstacles to following the plan.
5
Revised Calendar
Revise week-long calendar to be more realistic
6
Follow Weekly Calendar Follow the revised calendar plan for a day or two
7
Time Diary Revisit
Record how time is actually spent for a day or two
8
SMART Goals
Write semester goals for time management based on
information and skills learned in the modules
The activities and associated details are described in more detail in Appendix A. The design of
spreading the time management skills over about eight days is intended to reduce students
cognitive load. Another intention of the design is for students to practice a skill for a day or two
and then reflect on the experience. This step may allow the student to begin to form mental
models, or schema, which will help reduce cognitive load as students progressively improve their
time management skills.
Gardner (2011) explains that traditional U.S. K-12 education favors two of the eight intelligences
- linguistic and logical-mathematical multiple intelligences. He suggests that technology based
learning activities can be designed to appeal to all eight multiple intelligences. These computerbased tools can be used to improve instruction and, at the same time, effectively engage all
students in ways they prefer to learn (Gardner, 2000). This website aligns with Gardners
Multiple Intelligences (MI) theory on many of the pages. Some examples are demonstrated in
Table 4.
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Multimedia
Description
Images: Logo &
3 small images
for purpose, task,
& criteria
Video: Using a
Google calendar
Multimedia
content:
Printable
calendar
Google slides
The complete project outline is included in Appendix A. The next step included inventorying
content by creating an electronic project file containing inner folders for each page and inner
folders for images and video files.
Website Design Principles
Weebly (www.weebly.com ) was chosen as the free website builder service. The website
template, colors, and page layouts were selected from the free Weebly choices. Once the
website template and page layouts were selected, the following web design principles were
incorporated into the site.
Usability The goal for this principle is to include website features such as user control,
text equivalents/captions, and keyboard functionality in the website design. These
accessibility features are included in the design provided by Weebly so an alternative
design does not need to be considered (Lynch & Horton, 2008).
Information Architecture The goal for this principle is to consider the planned website
content when selecting the Weebly design template. This principle helps select a design
that aligns well with the structure and plan organized in the outline (Lynch & Horton,
2008).
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Site Structure This website uses an information hierarchy of major categories and
subcategories to organize the content in a familiar fashion for most students. The
structure is similar to the way a course is organized in a learning management system. In
other words, this type of structure is appropriate for educated audiences (Lynch &
Horton, 2008),
Page Structure & Design The website pages maintain the consistent style provided by
the Weebly provided design. The consistency helps the user anticipate where to find
information on each page (Lynch & Horton, 2008). The consistency in style continues in
the use of text, colors, and white space throughout the website.
Editorial Style The information presented in this website is segmented into chunks to
better accommodate online reading. Headings are bolded and descriptive to help capture
and keep the readers attention. Additionally, the information presented first is important
and concise (Lynch & Horton, 2008). The tone of the writing is intended to be
encouraging for the reader.
Other website design considerations included using proven practices to capture and hold
students attention, reducing distractions, and limiting confusion.
Motivational Design for Learning
In addition to the website design planning and principles explained earlier in this section
of the paper, consideration was also given to Kellers (2010) ARCS model, a motivational design
for learning. Educational website designers often consider motivational design as a subset of the
instructional design process. According to Keller (2010), Motivational design can be applied to
improving students motivation to learn, employees motivation to work, peoples motivation to
pursue a chosen career path, and improvement in their volitional or self-regulatory skills (p. 22).
Including motivational design elements in a college study skills educational website is
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Process Questions
How can I make this learning experience
stimulating and interesting?
In what ways will this learning experience
be valuable for my students?
Attention The overall learning experience is engaging for college students because the
website content addresses a problem many students face Time Management.
Additionally, the website content is designed to appeal to several Multiple Intelligences
(which will be described later in this paper) using concise text content, videos, and
embedded multimedia.
Relevance College students will find the website valuable because the activities are
easy to understand with few distractions. Each module, Day 1 Day 8, provides the
learners with three key components:
o Purpose why students have to do it
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Confidence Each module, Day 1 Day 8, can be completed in less than 30 minutes by
a typical new college student. Students can control their success with each activity
because the activities are designed to not to burden the student with too much extra work
and, therefore, become a low priority or even a distraction for the student.
Satisfaction - Students will feel good about their experience and desire to continue
learning during their progress through the modules due to the opportunities for selfreflection. Students also have the opportunity to revisit activities while progressing
through the modules in order to practice and further develop time management skills.
The addition of motivational design elements to this website is intended to improve student
engagement and involvement in the website activities.
Conclusion
The prototype study skills website described in this paper is designed to help college
students develop time management skills. One potential benefit of this educational website
design when compared to classroom instruction, is to allow students to progress through the
learning modules at their own pace. At the same time the students are completing the modules,
the students are also having in-class and on campus experiences that support their time
management skills development. Other intended, long-term benefit for students completing the
modules proposed on this prototype website is to use time management skills, improve course
grades, and increase student retention to graduation.
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References
Berrett, D. (2015). The unwritten rules of college. The Chronicle of Higher Education.
September 2015.
Boudreau, C.A. & Kromrey, J.D. (1994, November). A longitudinal study of the retention and
academic performance of participants in freshman orientation course. Journal of College
Student Development, v35 n6 P444-49.
Clark, R.C. & Mayer, R.E. (2011). E-learning and the science of instruction. (3rd ed.). San
Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Davis, K., Christodoulou, J. Seider, S., & Gardner, H. (n.d.). The theory of Multiple
Intelligences. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Driscoll, M.P., (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction. (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson
Education, Inc.
Gardner, H. (2000). Can technology exploit our many ways of knowing? The Digital Classroom.
Gardner, H. (2011, October 22). The theory of Multiple Intelligences: As psychology, as
education, as social science. Speech. Madrid, Spain: Jose Cela University.
Karp, M.M., Bickerstaff, S., Rucks-Ahidiana, Z., Bork, R.H., Barragan, M., & Edgecombe, N.
(2012, October). College 101 courses for applied learning and student success.
Community College Research Center Working Paper No. 49.
Keller, J.M., (2010). Motivation design for learning and performance; The ARCS model
approach. NY: Springer.
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Kolb, D.A., (2015). Experiential learning; Experience as the source of learning and
development. (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Lambert, J. & Ennis, J. (2012). Promoting 21st Century Skills and Thinking with Classroom
Technology. El Cajon, CA: National Social Science Press.
Lynch, P.J. & Horton, S. (2008). Web style guide: Basic design principles for creating web sites.
(3rd ed.). Retrieved from www.webstyleguide.com/index.html.
Mayer, R.E. & Moreno, R. (2003). Nines ways to reduce cognitive load in multimedia learning.
Educational Psychologist, 38(1), 43-52.
Mohamad, S.N.M., Salam, S., Bakar, N., & Sui, L.K.M. (2014). Online multiple intelligence
teaching tools (On-MITT) for enhancing interpersonal teaching activities. AIP
Conference Proceedings.
Schaller, D.T., Borun, M., Allison-Bunnell, S., & Chambers, M. (2007). One size does not fit all:
Learning style, plan, and on-line interactives. Museums and the Web 2007. Retrieved
from www.museumsandtheweb.com/mw2007/papers/schaller/schaller.html.
Turner, P., & Thompson, E. (2014). College Retention Initiatives Meeting the Needs of
Millennial Freshman Students. College Student Journal, 48(1), 94-104.
http://fallonelizabeth7210final.weebly.com
10 pages. Design an educational website instructing others on this topic.
10th page - "Web Design Principles and Theory" On this page, explain how your website design includes at least 6 web design
principles and supports Multiple Intelligences theory...be specific by addressing some of the different intelligences.
Multimedia:
Minimum requirement At least 1 Image per page and one embedded video on the web site.
One multimedia element Self-created.
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c. Time Diary
d. Reflecting & Journaling
e. Blog/Discussion Page
3. About Page
4. Theory Page On this page, explain how your website design includes at least 6 web design principles and supports Multiple
Intelligences theory...be specific by addressing some of the different intelligences.
Page & Title
Content Description
Multimedia Description
Homepage: Welcome
& Introduction
Main Page
Time Management
Workshop
Introduction
Main Page
Day 1: 56 Activity
Child Page
Introduction to 56 Activity
o 56 Activity Description &
Instructions
Day 2: Calendar
Creation Activity Weekly & Semester
Child Page
ARCS
ARCS
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o
o
o
Day 5: Revised
Weekly Calendar
Activity
Child Page
Printable calendar
Google calendar
Code for Day 2 Google Slides:
<iframe
src="https://docs.google.com/pr
esentation/d/
1AFP5JOTA27RxiH05rCH6YylrM
GvAqqHh6r4Jq6Ill9o/embed?sta
rt=false&loop=false"
frameborder="0" width="960"
height="569"
allowfullscreen="true"
mozallowfullscreen="true"
webkitallowfullscreen="true"></
iframe>
Images: Logo
Videos:
o Overcoming setbacks
o Practice makes perfect
Multimedia:
o Printable calendar
o Google calendar
Images: Logo
Videos:
o Penzu.com
o Penzu Tutorial
Blog section: First prompt
ARCS
ARCS
ARCS
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o
Images: Logo
Videos:
o How to write a professional
email
Multimedia:
Images: Logo
Videos:
o How to avoid falling behind in
school
o Famous Failures
Multimedia:
Images: Logo
Videos
o Explaining How to set SMART
Goals
Multimedia:
Blog section
ARCS
ARCS
ARCS
ARCS
ARCS
ARCS
20
Theory Alignment
MI Linguistic Intelligence
MI Linguistic Intelligence
MI Linguistic Intelligence
21
MI Linguistic Intelligence
ELT Abstract
Conceptualization
MI Logical-Mathematical
Intelligence
Time
Day 2
Management
Time
Day 3
Management
22
Get Motivated Find your brand new attitude for today by
watching the video below!
Planning Study Time The goal of today's Calendar Activity is to
help you think about and practice skills that will help you have a
successful college experience. Learning and using a calendar for
planning will help you prioritize your study time and habits.
Paper or electronic calendar? It's your choice!
Calendar Activity Today's Calendar Activity is a time planning
exercise. Before you get started, you'll need your:
Class schedule
Regular work schedule
Other regular weekly commitments
Gather this information and have it handy before getting started.
Why is this important? - Using a calendar to plan ahead and stay
organized is a useful habit for college students. Looking ahead,
hiring managers expect college graduates to have good calendar
management skills. Keeping these things in mind, this activity
aligns with Learning Goals #2 & #3:
You will be able to organize your priorities every week.
You will be able to plan ahead for major assignments like
quizzes, exams, research papers, and presentations.
Get Started Plan your schedule using the step-by-step instructions
shown in the slide show here:
Go Electronic Learn how to effectively use a Google Calendar by
watching the video below.
Recording Study Time The goal of today's Time Diary Activity
is to help you think about and practice skills that will help you have
a successful college experience. Writing down your actual activities
helps you:
Have awareness of your time-related choices and priorities.
Recognize the potential obstacles to your success in college.
Improve your planning skills.
ELT Active
Experimentation
MI Logical-Mathematical
and Spatial Intelligence
23
Time Diary Activity Today's Time Diary Activity gives you an
opportunity to record your actual choices of how you spend your
time. Before you get started, you'll need a blank calendar page.
Click on the pdf symbol below to find a printable calendar. Go
ahead a print one to use for today's activity.
You can find the instructions for today's activity below.
Why is that important? - Using a calendar page to record how you
spend your time takes a little extra time but will provide you with
interesting feedback. This feedback will help you improve your
time management skills.
Remember, practice makes perfect!
Keeping these things in mind, this activity aligns with Learning
Goal #2: You will be able to organize your priorities every week.
Time
Day 4
Management
24
goals.
Writing down your experiences, thoughts, and ideas for
improvement are good skills to develop.
Take a few minutes to watch the Penzu videos below. The
information in these videos might help you make a decision - paper
or electronic journal?
Journal Writing Activity Today's Journal Writing Activity is a
new habit to develop while you are in college. Before you get
started, you'll need decide where to write your reflections. Here are
some choices for your journal:
A dedicated paper notebook (not a notebook you use for
class)
An online journal like Penzu. com
For your first journal entry, compare and contrast your planning
calendar and time diary. Here are some questions to consider.
What aspects of your planning went well?
What events or obstacles kept you from following your plan?
What can you do differently going forward?
Write as much as you feel comfortable writing.
Why is this important? - Keeping a journal while you are in
college is a useful habit for many students. The information you
write in your journal may help you reflect on experiences and grow
personally.
This activity aligns with Learning Goal #1 - You will be able to
explain to yourself and the people who are important to you why
college is a BIG time commitment.
Get Information Learn more about Penzu.com an electronic
journal.
Get More Information Here:
MI Intrapersonal
Intelligence
25
Making Adjustments The goal of today's Calendar Revision
Activity is to help you think about and practice skills that will help
you have a successful college experience.
Learning from experience and make adjustments to your study plan
are good skills to develop.
Time
Day 6
Management
Updating your planning calendar will help keep your study time and
habits as a high priority.
Calendar Revision Activity Today's Calendar Revision Activity
is another time planning exercise. Before you get started, you'll
need your:
Original calendar
Time diary
Other regular/new weekly commitments
Gather this information and have it handy before getting started.
Why is this important? - Using a calendar to plan ahead and stay
organized is a useful habit for college students. It is also important
to make sure your calendar represents an accurate plan. Keeping
these things in mind, this activity aligns with Learning Goals #2 &
#3:
You will be able to organize your priorities every week.
You will be able to plan ahead for major assignments like
quizzes, exams, research papers, and presentations.
Make Adjustments Revise your schedule by using the step-bystep instructions shown in the slide show here:
Get Caught Up Learn how to catch up on coursework and keep
up in class by watching the video here:
Problem Solving - The goal of today's Calendar Activity is to help
you think about and practice skills that will help you have a
successful college experience. Learning and using a calendar for
planning will help you prioritize your study time and habits.
ELT Abstract
Conceptualization
MI Logical-Mathematical
and Spatial Intelligence
ELT Active
Experimentation
MI Intrapersonal
Intelligence
Time
Day 7
Management
26
Follow your Calendar Activity Today's Calendar Activity is a
time planning exercise. Before you get started, you'll need your:
Class schedule
Regular work schedule
Other regular weekly commitments
Gather this information and have it handy before getting started.
Why is this important? - Using a calendar to plan ahead and stay
organized is a useful habit for college students. Looking ahead,
hiring managers expect college graduates to have good calendar
management skills. Keeping these things in mind, this activity
aligns with Learning Goals #2 & #3:
You will be able to organize your priorities every week.
You will be able to plan ahead for major assignments like
quizzes, exams, research papers, and presentations.
Instructions
Watch the Video
Recording Study Time The goal of today's Time Diary Revisit
Activity is another chance to help you think about and practice skills
that will help you have a successful college experience. Writing
down your actual activities helps you:
Have awareness of your time-related choices and priorities.
Better manage the potential obstacles to your success in
college.
Continue to improve your planning skills.
Time Diary Revisit Activity - Today's Time Diary Activity is
similar to what you did on Day 3. This activity will give you
another opportunity to record your actual choices of how you spend
your time. Before you get started, you'll need a blank calendar page.
Click on the pdf symbol below to find a printable calendar. Go
ahead a print one to use for today's activity.
You can find the instructions for today's activity below.
27
Why is this important? - Using a calendar page to record how you
spend your time takes a little extra time but will provide you with
interesting feedback. This feedback will help you improve your
time management skills.
Remember, practice makes perfect!
Keeping these things in mind, this activity aligns with Learning
Goal #2: You will be able to organize your priorities every week.
Stay on Track Watch the video below to learn more.
Get Surprised Learn some surprising facts about some Famous
Failures in the video below.
Time
Day 8
Management
28
This activity aligns with Learning Goal #1 - You will be able to
explain to yourself and the people who are important to you why
college is a BIG time commitment.
Goal Setting Learn about SMART goals by hovering over the
image and clicking the circle icons.
Get SMART Watch the video below explaining how to set
SMART goals.
Time
Time
Management Management
Blog
29