Expecting better: effectively conveying time allocation expectations to students

We report on an intervention targeted to enhance the amount of time students spend on independent study, exploring the influence of peers and lecturers. Participants reflected on the independent study time spent on their past assessment before receiving clear time allocation advice from a lecturer or a peer, or no communication (control). Participants then reported on the time they planned to spend on their next assessment, as well as completing measures of self-esteem, academic self-efficacy and willingness to engage with study skills development. Results revealed that participants planned to spend more time on their next assignment, compared to their last, across all experimental conditions (peer, lecturer, and control). Participants in the lecturer advice condition reported greater self-esteem and academic self-efficacy compared to participants in the peer advice condition. We consider the importance of student self-reflection on increasing intended independent study and the importance of lecturer advice for enhancing student self-esteem and self-efficacy.