Assessing student academic time use: assumptions, predictions and realities

Abstract

Context In an era of medical education reform and increasing accountability at all levels of higher education, there is a need to understand how the time in which students engage in academic activities can inform evidence‐based quality improvement of the curriculum. Time logging provides an opportunity to quantify student use of academic time and guide data‐informed decision making in curriculum design. Objectives This study aimed to evaluate faculty staff and student predictions of students’ academic time use and to assess students’ reported academic time use. Methods Graduate‐level professional students engaged in a time use exercise during the first semester of Year 1 (autumn 2015) and second semester of Year 2 (spring 2017) of a redesigned curriculum launched in autumn 2015. This exercise involved three key activities: (i) prediction of time use; (ii) time logging, and (iii) reflection on time use. Key faculty staff predicted students’ weekday time use in both semesters. Results Students’ predictions of academic time use strongly correlated with their reported academic time use during both the first semester of Year 1 and second semester of Year 2 (r = 0.55 and r = 0.53, respectively). Faculty members’ predictions of academic time use did not correlate with student academic time use during either semester. Although 63.8% of Year‐1 students reported the time use exercise motivated them to change their time use, students reported spending similar amounts of time on academic activities during the first semester of Year 1 (7.8 ± 1.5 hours per weekday) and the second semester of Year 2 (7.9 ± 2.0 hours per weekday). Most students reported that the exercise had been useful and indicated that their logged time accurately reflected their actual time use. Conclusions Although curriculum reform efforts may always require that some assumptions be made, time logging can quantify students’ academic use of time. Although students predict their use of time more accurately than do faculty staff, negligible changes in students’ academic time use despite reported desires to make changes indicate that students’ academic time use may remain inelastic. Educators must consider these findings as they design curricula, identify academic rigour, and establish student expectations of academic time use.

A culture of control?

“…The irony is that, as per earlier studies of workforce surveillance, (known) workplace and workforce surveillance leads employees to discipline themselves in their own activities as a form of self‐regulated behaviour and to resist attempts to be controlled . This was clear in the study by Zeeman et al., in which the processes of surveillance and control were subverted by the students, who reported that the time they had anticipated using was indeed the time they used. Perhaps – knowingly or not – the students positioned themselves in this way to protect their existing temporal rhythms, by not giving faculty staff ammunition with which to make changes or to impose new ways of working.…”

“…In this edition, Zeeman et al . report on a study that aimed to evaluate students’ predictions of their academic use of time and to assess the same students’ logged academic time.…”

“…Firstly, drawing on the work of various political theorists (Giddens, Foucault and Marx), this particular research process and its desired outcome can be interpreted as consisting of the obtaining of data (from students) for making the work process (curriculum design) more efficient . From the perspective that the obtaining of data is a form of surveillance, and surveillance is ‘a medium of power’, the authors have collected data that can then be used for disciplinary purposes to ensure that students spend an appropriate number of hours on academic activities. Indeed, we were very interested in the fact that, although positioned as a student learning activity, ‘all time use exercise activities were required assignments embedded within required professional development coursework’ .…”

“…From the perspective that the obtaining of data is a form of surveillance, and surveillance is ‘a medium of power’, the authors have collected data that can then be used for disciplinary purposes to ensure that students spend an appropriate number of hours on academic activities. Indeed, we were very interested in the fact that, although positioned as a student learning activity, ‘all time use exercise activities were required assignments embedded within required professional development coursework’ . Control is clearly apparent here; we wonder whether the students were even able to choose to take part in the process or not.…”

“…In this edition, Zeeman et al 1 report on a study that aimed to evaluate students' predictions of their academic use of time and to assess the same students' logged academic time. Students were asked to predict how much time they would spend on nine academic and other predefined activities during a typical weekday.…”