Smart Learning of Future English Language Teachers: Students’ Time Management and Performance in an Online Course

Abstract

An online course can offer limitless opportunities to expand one’s knowledge, develop skills and competences and, meanwhile, combine one’s online learning journey with a real-world activity, also studies in the case of university students. To manage all, the use of time for the productivity and achievement is crucial. The paper discusses the time management and performance of university students, future English language teachers in particular, taking an online course. A case study was carried out, and teacher education students, who participated in an online course on Learning Technologies and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), were questionnaired to explore their time management strategies and performance during their five-month online study period. The reflections of the online course moderators were collected to triangulate the data and find out their opinion on students’ time management habits and performance quality; besides, the differences between their expectations and reality were examined. Findings suggest that students’ time management was considerably challenged, and the set amount of time, i.e. one week to accomplish one module and its related assignments, required advanced planning and change of study habits to achieve the aims and objectives of their online learning process.