Teaching time and organizational management skills to first year health science students: does training make a difference?

The present study reports on new research conducted to determine whether teaching time and organizational skills using a training package can improve these skills. The Abbreviated Time Management Indicator (ATMI) developed by Roberts et al. was used to assess time and organizational management skills. This scale consists of six dimensions, namely sense of purpose, meeting deadlines, mechanics of time management, propensity to plan, coping with temporal flow and effective organization. Participants in this study comprised first year health science students studying at the University of Sydney in their first semester. Four hundred and seventy-eight students participated in a pre-test (baseline) session after which they received information on their individual scores on each of the six dimensions of the scale together with average scores on each dimension for the total group (feedback). Of the original participants 122 completed the post-test session, 5 weeks later. During the intervening period students were given a self-directed training package which provided practical information on how to improve their skills on each of the dimensions contained in the scale. The results of the study indicated no significant improvement in time and organizational management skills. Possible reasons for the lack of improvement are discussed in terms of recent developments in teaching and learning contexts, together with suggestions for future research.