Since the increase in the levels of stress that working students experience due to their busy schedules, alternative options for studying need to be introduced into the current academic system. Greater flexibility in schedules coupled with the creation of online classes will lead to a better work-life balance and allow alleviating the extent of stress in working students (Galbraith & Merrill, 2015). For this reason, IT and ICT technologies to crate online and night classes, as well as the tools for offering students counseling and emotional support, should be used to improve the quality of working students’ lives and relieve them from the stress that they experience.
The lack of equal opportunities for students that have to work along with studying is glaring due to the work-life imbalance and the necessity to control a massive amount of information when managing both work and studying.
The discrepancies in the academic and working schedules complicate the management of work and studying even further, which means that working students need extra opportunities such as online classes, night classes, and an increase in the class limit (Goodson, Miertschin, & Stewart, 2016). Moreover, the creation of a network within which working students could collaborate and college counselors to build time management skills and maintain a proper work-life balance.
By reconfiguring the academic framework used in most institutions currently and creating online classes, as well as increasing the class limit, will affect learners’ ability to manage stress and gain knowledge. For this purpose, the use of innovative technology, namely, opportunities for information sharing and online education, has to be integrated into the curriculum for working students. Moreover, creating a community where working students can share their experiences and receive timely assistance and support from counselors and college psychologists should be deemed important in reducing the extent of stress caused by work-life imbalance.
References
Galbraith, C. S., & Merrill, G. B. (2015). Academic performance and burnout: An efficient frontier analysis of resource use efficiency among employed university students. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 39(2), 255-277. Web.
Goodson, C. E., Miertschin, S. L., & Stewart, B. L. (2016). Time management skills and student performance in online courses. The ASEE Computers in Education (CoED) Journal, 7(2), 37-49.