Introduction
It is important to note that a key part of one’s entrepreneurial competence involves an ability to properly spot and identify a critical problem or need, which requires addressing in a business-related fashion. The given problem identification and business venture proposition assessment will primarily focus on time management improvement among college students. Although there is a multitude of currently existing applications designed for this purpose, they are either ineffective, unintegrated or have poor user experience metrics.
Time Management: Procrastination and Mental Stress
One of the most common and problematic barriers to superior time management is procrastination. However, research from the journal titled Metacognition and Learning reveals that it is the other way around. The evidence supports “the conclusion that academic time management is a key aspect of self-regulated learning and as such, it can be useful for understanding the extent to which college students procrastinate when doing their academic work” (Wolters et al., 2017, p. 381). Therefore, procrastination is the result of poor time management and not the cause. Students who can incorporate effective time management strategies do not experience significant issues with procrastination as a direct result of this skill’s mastery.
One should be aware that time management is among the most important skills and metrics of success for college students. The latter tend to lack proper time management abilities and experience, but their academic success is greatly tied to it, which is why providing a plausible and valid business solution can be powerful. Although many students are perfectly aware that time management is essential, the majority might not realize how significant it is in one’s academic pursuits. A study from the Journal of Computer-Assisted Learning shows that “time management tactics had significant associations with academic performance and were associated with different interventions in personalized analytics-based feedback” (Uzir et al., 2019, p. 70). Another study and survey conducted to assess grades and time management competencies among students revealed that “students’ perceived control of time was the factor that correlated significantly with cumulative grade point average” (Adams & Blair, 2019, p. 1). In addition, it does not affect one particular group more than another, which further showcases the breadth and depth of its paramount relevance.
Students with poor time management skills tend to experience more anxiety, less self-control, and poorer perception of time. Thus, not only is time management essential for academic performance, of which most students are aware to a certain extent, but additionally, it affects a learner’s inner self-perception of his or her capabilities (Guessoum, 2019). There is a reciprocal element to time management, where the failure to master the skill can lead to lower academic performance not solely due to worsened studying but the lack of confidence to do so. To better oneself regarding time management, a student should seek to be more specific, precise, and realistic in allocating and planning time. A study on perceptions of time by students shows that for top performers, “establishing clear and specific expectations was perceived as the most helpful, followed by organizing” (Oyarzun et al., 2020, p. 106). In other words, the most effective strategy to handle one’s time effectively is to be as precise with it as possible.
Business Venture Proposal
It should be noted that mobile applications offer a powerful approach to solving the problem of procrastination and poor time management among college students. Research shows that “internet- and mobile-based interventions could be an effective and cost-effective approach to reduce consequences of college-related stress and might potentially attract students with clinically relevant depression who would not otherwise seek help” (Harrer et al., 2018, p. 1). Mobile apps are effective since they provide the necessary precision and specificity needed to effectively address the problem.
However, since there are already plenty of apps to download and use, the issue still perseveres. There are two types of apps in the existing market such as generic time management apps, such as Evernote, or specialized educational platform apps, such as Blackboard. In the case of the former, they are rather ineffective because a student needs to manually input important data into it, but their strength is a superior user experience and design. For the latter, these apps already contain critical data but are not user-friendly since they are constrained by the functional elements of the main platform. The validity of the business idea is based on the integrational capacity of the proposed app, where it is automatically synchronized with major educational platforms with permission. It will additionally have a similar user-friendly design as generic apps.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the problem of time management among college students is significant since it massively impacts their academic performance, grades, and mental health well-being. A failure in a college or university leads to long-term and deep implications for future employment. In addition, it creates an unnecessary strain above what is already caused by education itself. A mobile app with the capacity to synchronize and integrate a college’s educational platform data into it designed with a focus on user experience is a valid business venture.
References
Adams, R. V., & Blair, E. (2019). Impact of time management behaviors on undergraduate engineering students’ performance. SAGE Open, 9(1), 1-11.
Guessoum, N. (2019). Students need time management skills if they are to succeed. Arab News.
Harrer, M., Adam, S. H., Fleischmann, R. J., Baumeister, H., Auerbach, R., Bruffaerts, R., Cuijpers, P., Kessler, R. C., Berking, M., Lehr, D., & Ebert, D. D. (2018). Effectiveness of an internet- and app-based intervention for college students with elevated stress: Randomized controlled trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 20(4), 1-13.
Oyarzun, B., Martin, F., & Moore, R. L. (2020). Time management matters: Online faculty perceptions of helpfulness of time management strategies. Distance Education, 41(1), 106-127.
Uzir, N. A., Gasevic, D., Matcha, W., Jovanovic, J., & Pardo, A. (2019). Analytics of time management strategies in a flipped classroom. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 36(1), 70-88.
Wolters, C. A., Won, S., & Hussain, M. (2017). Examining the relations of time management and procrastination within a model of self-regulated learning. Metacognition and Learning, 12, 381-399.