Student Planner Project

Abstract

Time management for students is a significant challenge for students. Evidence indicates that without adequate tools or support, many students struggle with time management, leading to increased procrastination, increased workloads, missed deadlines, and poorer academic outcomes. While mobile time management apps exist, they often present steep learning curves and demand significant time investments to be effective. The Student Planner App project addressed these barriers by developing a mobile app featuring a calendar-based heat map to provide an intuitive visualisation of a student's workload. This visualisation highlights areas of increased workload and thus provides feedback on students' time management across their courses to provide them with proactive time-management opportunities. Additionally, the app utilises gamification principles to enhance student engagement with the application and their studies. The app's design allows the potential for seamless integration with academic platforms to automate configuration and minimise the effort required to use the app. Therefore, the Student Planner App project can enhance student academic achievement and mental well-being by offering an intuitive solution to student time management challenges. An empirical assessment of the Student Planner Project is in progress to evaluate its effectiveness. Potential avenues for future development involve expanding the application's gamification features, such as adding level progression, unique items, and experience points to enhance user engagement further.