A challenge common to students entering college is learning how to manage the burden of multiple, competing assignments, projects, papers and deadlines. While some of our students have a knack for planning and completing tasks, many students struggle to master these critical life skills. This April 23, 2013 webinar presented by Gary J. Williams, Ed.D. of Crafton Hills College, offered novel approaches for transforming your students into "doers" and "finishers."

2. Creating Doers & Finishers:
Cultivating Task Planning Skills
Within Your Students
Gary J. Williams, Ed.D.
Crafton Hills College
Yucaipa, CA

3. How would you prioritize the
following?
• You have a 10-page research paper due next week for which you have scant notes.
• There are 3 messages from your mother that states “Call Me Back Immediately!”
• You haven’t studied for your History Mid-term tomorrow.
• Your girl/boy friend won’t return your calls or text messages.
• One of your study group partners sent an email expressing frustration that you didn’t show for
today’s review session.
• The rash you noticed in that part of your back you cannot reach is getting redder and more
uncomfortable.
• Your car didn’t start yesterday and you need to get to campus.
• Your friends are inviting you to a party tonight.
• You haven’t eaten anything all day.
• You’ve had 4 hours sleep in the last 72 hours.

4. Today’s Agenda:
• Explore: What planning challenges do students present?
• The consequences of poor planning
• Goals of Teaching Task Planning
• Introducing Planning Concepts
• Examples of activities

5. Task Planning:
• Defined: Task-orientation with precision.
• The ability to break larger expectations into specific tasks
to be completed, usually under deadline.
• The ability to set goals, and formulate steps to completion
• The ability to follow instructions, execute a sequence of
steps, e.g. Lab or Clinical procedures
• “Staying on Task” “Task-master”
• Being a Finisher = Success

6. Task Planning
Why do so many students struggle with Task Planning?

7. Task Planning
• Some Reasons for Task Planning Struggles:
 Procrastination
 Low Motivation
 Unclear goals/purpose/direction
 In need of Organization Skills
 Living in “the Great Void” …

8. Task Planning
• Consequences of Poor Planning:
 Decreased effectiveness
 Lower grades
 Lower completion/persistence
 Lower self-efficacy/self-confidence
 Feeling of victimization
 Diminished chances of success

9. Goals for Task Planning
• Encourage students to take an active role in mapping their
future aspirations.
• Develop passion within students to forge their own path.
• Empower students to take purposeful actions.
• Distinguish between actions that are important and urgent.
• Recognize the presence of ‘time traps’
• Persist in the face of obstacles.
• Behavioral Change: Adopt new tools and strategies for
self-management.

10. Task Planning
• How do we teach effective task planning?
 Integrated Classroom Activities
 Case-studies, Class dialogues
 Modeling Effective planning, emphasizing deadlines,
scheduling tasks & intermediate steps.
 Out-of-class projects & activities.

11. Task Planning Concepts:
Activities that Introduce Task Planning Concepts …
 Case Study: “The Procrastinators” (On Course, Skip Downing)
 The Procrastination Game
 Prioritizing events: Urgency vs. Importance
 What causes us to perform some tasks automatically, and others
take effort
 80-20 Rule: 80% of your results comes from 20% of your effort.
 In-Class Debate: Paper vs. Electronic Which kind of planner is best?
 Effective Collaboration: How planning can make a group project a
rewarding experience.

12. Case Study: “The Procrastinators”

13. The Procrastination Game:
Source: http://media.elsweb.org/node/1868

14. The Time Matrix
for College Students
Adapted from Steven Covey: The 7 Habits of Highly-Effective People

15. 32-Day Project
The 32-day S.M.A.R.T. Goal Project...
 Students undertake a self-improvement project that they
develop from beginning-to-end
 Skills Involved:
 Self-improvement
 Goal-setting
 Planning of tasks/steps
 Tracking progress
 Follow-through
 Motivation
 Using resources effectively.
 Self-exploration & discovery ... what works/doesn’t work.

16. 32-Day Project

17. Using To-Do Lists

18. Modeling Task Planning
Structure your course around planning.
 Syllabus, Assignment Lists
 Require students to carry a planner and write in them.
 Write upcoming deadlines on the board.
 build in structure consistently.
 Stress “Chunking” -- dividing up tasks, information in
pieces easy to understand/organize & manipulate.

19. Effective Task Planning
• Discuss Prioritizing consistently.
• Practice effective task planning as a class:
 Devote class time to discussion/planning of upcoming
assignments.
• Set Intermediate deadlines for projects.
 Topic Proposals, Initial Outline/Draft, Final Draft
 Reward the completion of intermediate tasks.
• Grading rubric that includes criteria for planning steps.

20. Task Planning
What are some of your strategies for encouraging students
to employ effective task planning practices?

21. Questions?
Gary J. Williams, Ed.D.
Professor/Instructional Assessment Specialist
Crafton Hills College, Yucaipa, CA
(909) 389-3567
gwilliams@craftonhills.edu