Multitasking between research, teaching, and administrative tasks throughout a day can limit an academic’s productivity, writes Gloria Mark for the Chronicle of Higher Ed. Mark writes that multitasking can increase stress levels and inhibit the ability to concentrate, thus decreasing overall productivity. The author offers several solutions for how postsecondary institutions can curb the amount of multitasking undertaken by academics, including prioritizing quality over quantity in terms of work outputs, streamlining communications, and offering reduced teaching loads for professors who also have administrative commitments. On an individual level, Mark recommends that academics organize how they interact with students and schedule breaks throughout their day to restore their cognitive functions.
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Multitasking reduces academic productivity, increases stress: Editorial
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Chronicle of Higher Ed (Acct. Req.)