Time monitoring for students

As part of the assessment requirements for a course on software design and testing, students are required to monitor the amount of time they spent on this course on a weekly basis. Three time values are required: in-class time, solo study time and group study time (since the course requires that assignments are completed by groups of three or four students). In addition, after each assignment students have to complete a one-page report on the preceding four or five weeks summarizing their time usage including a self-evaluation or reflection. The goal is to encourage students to develop insight into their own behavior, possibly leading to improvements. Student reaction to the task has been generally unfavorable as many students feel that the task is demeaning and pointless. On the other hand, they participate as the task forms part of the course assessment and it is perceived as an easy component to satisfy. Fortunately, some students are positive about the task. These students use the task as intended to extend their understanding of their own approach to learning. One proposal for improving the task is to link it to student-prepared plans developed in advance for each assignment.