Dealing with Information Overload Associated with Coursework

By Elizabeth Asamoah on October 28, 2019

Information overload can be a significant negative setback for the success of many students, especially online ones, if not properly managed. Students are prone to perform poorly if they are overloaded with coursework and more information to read and write. When students feel overloaded with information to read and write, they tend to become overwhelmed and end up producing less quality work than is expected of them.

Also, when students are overwhelmed with information overload, they end up not participating and do not contribute effectively as expected, especially in online classes. Most students end up scanning through their work and their colleagues without devoting quality time to the reading. Scanning through can result in producing shoddy work and also not commenting appropriately on other students’ work, which in itself can negatively affect the shy students and cause them to withdraw from participating in class discussions.

via Pixabay

Strategies to Combat Information Overload

  1. Where it is research articles that need to be reviewed for say an assignment, most of the time, the relevant information required can easily be retrieved from the abstract and the conclusion segments of the article.  By concentrating more on these sections, it would not be necessary to read the entire research article, and you will end up saving time and also gain the opportunity to review more articles.
  2. Categorize the information to be handled by say their sources, date, and relevance to your coursework or specific assignment that needs to be done.
  3. Do not try to read too much or review too many articles within a short period; handle one material at a time over a more extended time.
  4. Take short breaks from your work, and during those breaks, reflect on what has been covered already and what else needs to be tackled. This will help you to determine where exactly to focus when you go back to your work.
  5. Due to the current advancement in technology, availability, and access to all sorts of information, both peer-reviewed and non-peer reviewed articles have become very easy. We are being bombarded with new materials, books, and papers, etc. daily, that enhances our learning experiences. However, we need to employ discretion in what sort of information we choose to incorporate into our studies that will improve our learning experience. Remember, not all that glitters is gold. Validate the source of information to determine its reliability and relevance to your study. Where necessary, practice omission; filter the information at your disposal and select those that will help you to produce quality work.

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