Managing the Students' Workload: Further Information

How Much Work Should I Assign?

When deciding how much work to assign students, think about your course as a job that requires approximately 8 hours per week. How you decide to spend that 8 hours is up to you; you might choose to use all 8 hours on reading, maybe you will have some time dedicated to synchronous connection, maybe some time is committed to interacting with online discussions. Nonetheless, it is good practice in online courses to publish information about expected workload (Benda, Bruckman, & Guzdial, 2012) and indicate the amount of work expected at various stages of a course (Ashby, 2004). As one example, Chalmers (1992) proposed a set of reading speed criteria for estimating students’ potential workload: 100 words per minute for “an easy read,” 70 words per minute for “fairly straightforward read,” and 40 words per minute for “dense or difficult read.” So, if you assign students an 8,000 word article that is fairly straightforward, you are actually assigning about 2 hours of work to students. Note that adding any other interaction, such as annotations or questions to which students are expected to respond, will increase this time.

The general recommendation, especially for new online instructors, is that “often less is better” (Ascough, 2002) because deep learning can occur when one or two issues are tackled through selected readings and interactive strategies. Aside from this recommendation, the literature also offers other more general recommendations for those designing an online course. To promote significant learning, Fink (2013) recommends most courses to have at least four and no more than seven important issues, topics, or themes. When using media, such as videos or interactive activities, Clark and Meyer (2018) have found through extensive empirical evidence that “less is often more and leaner media can be more effective for learning than rich media” (Clark & Meyer, 2018). Finally, Pallof and Pratt (2003) suggest it is good practice to build in time off for students and instructors in the time budget for an online course.

Quick Summary By Article

  • There is substantial variation in how students approach online classes (Amiel & Orey, 2006)
  • Time taken on problem-solving activities was strongly related to how students approach studying the course materials (Lawless, 2000).
  • Potential workload may be assessed at the course design stage when reading text is the main learning task (Chambers, 1992).
  • Often less is better, deep learning can occur when one or two issues are tackled through selected readings and interactive strategies (Ascough, 2002).
  • Time off should be included in the time budget for an online course. Building in time off is a good practice (Palloff & Pratt, 2003).
  • Most courses should have at least four and no more than seven important issues, topics, or themes (Fink, 2013).
  • As a matter of practicality, when discussions are regarded as critical components of learning they should be carefully implemented to balance pedagogic quality and workload for students and instructors alike (Goldman, 2011).
  • It is considered good practice to publish reliable information about expected workload (Benda, Bruckman, & Guzdial, 2012) such as workload maps that give information about the amount of work expected at various stages of a course (Ashby, 2004).
  • Using media wisely: less is often more and leaner media can be more effective for learning than rich media (Clark & Meyer, 2018).

Detailed Summary By Article

Often less is better, deep learning can occur when one or two issues are tackled through selected readings and interactive strategies (Ascough, 2002).

  • One of the most tempting, but potentially devastating, practices of online learning is the delivery of too much content.
  • Often less is better.
  • The effectiveness of online courses depends not upon technology but upon an understanding of the medium and the application of sound pedagogical principles in using that medium.
  • Sound pedagogy is essential to the effectiveness of all of our teaching, no matter what the content or mode of delivery.

Time off should be included in the time budget for an online course. Building in time off is a good practice (Palloff & Pratt, 2003, p. 84)

  • We recommend that both faculty and students build in weekly time off. As long as students are notified in advance that the instructor will not be available at certain times, there should be no problem with this practice.
  • Overload can be significant in online learning.
  • Something that contributes to overload is the tendency of some instructors to include too much material for the time allotted to a course.
  • The pace of an online course is slower; it takes longer to explore various topics through asynchronous discussion than it might in a face-to-face lecture or classroom discussion.
  • The online instructor needs only to provide enough material to set the stage.

Most courses should have at least four and no more than seven important issues, topics, or themes (Fink, 2013)

  • Identify the four to seven major ideas, topics, or themes in the course.
    • To create a thematic course structure, you need to look at the whole subject of the course and identify the most important concepts, issues, topics, or themes - usually at least four and no more than seven.
  • Place them in an appropriate sequence.
    • These topics then need to be arranged in some kind of sequence: chronologically, from simple to complex, from fundamental to ones that emerge from the fundamentals, or some other pattern.
  • If possible, make sure the ideas build on one another and result in a culminating project that integrates the ideas, topics, or themes.
    • The goal is to sequence the topics so that they build on one another in a way that allows students to integrate each new idea, topic, or theme with the preceding ones as the course proceeds.
    • Creating a good structure also enables the teacher to identify problems or assignments for students to work on that gradually become more complex and challenging.
    • Once the main topics have been identified, the teacher can decide on the sequence in which they will be studied and how many weeks will be devoted to each topic.
    • Main topics may all have the same amount of time or some may need more time than others.

Using media wisely: less is often more and leaner media can be more effective for learning than rich media (Clark & Meyer, 2018)

  • The human brain has evolved an architecture that is easily overloaded.
  • The goals of learning rely on effortful processing of information to build new knowledge and skills.
  • A learner-centered view of instruction accommodates the learner’s limits on information processing and leverages the strengths of human memory.
  • When considering your options for media displays that are leaner or richer, keep in mind your instructional goal, the learner background knowledge, your implementation of your display along with pragmatic issues of time, budget, and technological resources.

There is substantial variation in how students approach online classes (Amiel & Orey, 2006)

  • The difference between the minimum and maximum amount of hours spent in class per student was more than six-fold.
  • The difference and variance in total workload also demonstrate that students dedicate different amounts of time to class.
  • Students enrolled in the same course experience it from vastly different perspectives.

Time taken on problem-solving activities was strongly related to how students approach studying the course materials (Lawless, 2000).

  • Tme taken on problem-solving activities was strongly related to how students approached studying the course materials:
  • Students who sought to learn the subject spent longer on activities than students who sought to pass the course
  • Students tackled the activities in five different ways closely related to the time they took:
    • make a serious effort and succeed;
    • make a serious effort but give up as unable to complete;
    • briefly attempt then read the solution;
    • read the solution only;
    • and ignore the activity.

Procedures for assessing potential workload ath the course design stage when reading text is the main learning task (Chambers, 1992).

  • Workload has important influence on the nature and quality of students’ learning.
  • When reading text is the main learning task the following criteria of reading speeds may be applied:
    • 100 words per minute for “an easy read”
    • 70 words per minute for “fairly straightforward read”
    • 40 words per minute for “dense or difficult read”
  • An example of detail calculations for the workload of a block in an Arts Faculty course is available in an appendix.

Key words

  • How much work I should assign my students online
  • Reasonable workload (pending)
    • Online classroom workload (pending)
    • Carnegie Unit standard (pending)
  • Overload in online learning (pending)

References

Amiel, T. E. L., & Orey, M. (2006). Do you have the time? Investigating online classroom workload. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 35(1), 31-43.

Ascough, R. S. (2002). Designing for online distance education: Putting pedagogy before technology. Teaching theology & religion, 5(1), 17-29.

Ashby, A. (2004). Monitoring student retention in the Open University: Definition, measurement, interpretation and action. Open Learn. 19, 1, 65–77.

Benda, K., Bruckman, A., & Guzdial, M. (2012). When life and learning do not fit: Challenges of workload and communication in introductory computer science online. ACM Transactions on Computing Education (TOCE), 12(4), 1-38.

Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2018). Using rich media wisely. Trends and issues in instructional design and technology, 4, 259-268. New York, NY: Pearson.

Fink, L. D. (2013). Creating significant learning experiences: an integrated approach to designing college courses. Rev. and updated ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Goldman, Z. (2011). Balancing quality and workload in asynchronous online discussions: A win-win approach for students and instructors. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 7(2), 313-323

Lawless, C. (2000). Using learning activities in mathematics: Workload and study time. Studies in Higher Education 25:1, 91 - 111.

Marsh, H. W. (2001). Distinguishing between good (useful) and bad workloads on students’ evaluations of teaching. Am. Educ. Res. J. 38, 1, 183–203.

McGivney, V. (1996). Staying or Leaving the Course. Non-Completion and Retention of Mature Students in Further and Higher Education. NIACE, Leicester

Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2003). The virtual student : a profile and guide to working with online learners. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.