Title: Study time allocation and workload
Course: Digivisio DEMO: Planning and creating a MOOC > Section: Pedagogical planning of a MOOC

MOOCs can vary widely in terms of the number of credits they offer. Credits are usually awarded for the MOOCs used by Finnish higher education institutions (in the ECTS system, one credit corresponds to 27 hours of the learner's work) and their scope is usually 1–5 credits. However, MOOCs are not always credit-based. Most MOOCs on international platforms do not necessarily correspond to the extent of any credit system, but may be measured in terms of minutes or hours, for example.

Study time allocation means that the teacher plans the MOOC and estimates the learner's workload in relation to the defined learning outcomes and the required study activities. The purpose of study time allocation in MOOCs is to ensure that the learner has enough time to achieve the learning outcomes.

The workload of the course refers to the time spent by the learner on the course and their experience of the workload it creates. It is important to think carefully about the study time and its allocation, as the smaller the number of credits awarded for the course, the greater the risk of an excessive workload, which in turn increases the learner's experienced workload. It is also important to account for the experienced workload and its individual variations when making pedagogical choices.

Now learn more about workload and workload allocation from the perspectives of the teacher and the learner as well as from the viewpoints of xMOOCs and cMOOCs.

Learner:
The study time allocation of the MOOC helps the learner understand how much time they should reserve for completing the course. Different learners may experience the workload of the course differently, and the study time allocation does not always necessarily correspond to the learner's experienced workload. It can be that the majority of learners experience the course workload as acceptable, but some may feel that the course workload is excessive or, vice versa, most learners find the workload of the course excessive while some consider it quite appropriate. Factors that increase the learner's experienced workload include a course workload that builds up, assignments that require careful remembering of small details, unclear learning outcomes, or the learner's experience of not being able to influence their learning adequately. The experienced workload is reduced by a more evenly paced MOOC in which the learning materials form meaningful wholes, the learning outcomes are clear and concrete, and the learner feels they can influence their learning.

Teacher:

The teacher’s task is to plan the study time allocation of the course appropriately in relation to the number of credits and the set learning outcomes. You should remember, however, that there is no one correct way of planning the study time allocation of the course. The allocation often involves the teacher’s ‘best estimate’ produced relying on their teaching experience. However, it is important to collect feedback from learners to adjust the workload allocation. In addition to study allocation based on the teacher’s own estimation, higher education institutions may have study time allocation models that enable the teacher to calculate an appropriate study time allocation for the MOOC. They are particularly useful when the teacher has little experience of planning and implementing online studies. The teacher can also influence the learner's experienced workload, for example by offering optional completion methods; by providing context for the knowledge and skills to be learned, such as by linking the topic to practical examples; by setting clear and realistic aims for the course; and by pacing the learner's learning process, for instance by setting different small milestones to prevent the workload from building up.

In the study time allocation of xMOOCs, both familiarisation with the content and materials as well as actual activities and tests or assignments are accounted for. The time required for independent work should additionally be taken into consideration, as learning requires time for the subject matter to be structured in the student's mind. In other words, all the time cannot be allocated to going through materials and completing assignments, as some of it must also be set aside for ‘thinking’.

In the same way as for xMOOCs, the study time allocation in cMOOCs takes into account the time needed to familiarise oneself with the content and materials and the actual activities and tests or assignments. In addition, time will be allocated for independent study and for social interaction, collaboration and shared knowledge building. In the study time allocation of cMOOCs, particular attention should be paid to the fact that group work and social interaction often take more time than independent work.

TIP

Laurea University of Applied Sciences has developed a study time calculator for xMOOC-type studies to facilitate the estimation and calculation of the course workload. Read more about the tool:

Verkko-opintojen mitoitustyökalu xMOOC-tyyppisille opinnoille (Laurean MOOC-tiimi, CC BY-SA)

The website of the University of Helsinki has a credit calculator that can be used to assess the study time allocation of many types of studies. Read more about the tool:

Credit calculator (University of Helsinki)

Fill in the study time allocation and scope of the MOOC in your pedagogical manuscript.
- How large is the MOOC you are planning? How many hours does it take to pass the MOOC? What is its scope in credits?
- What types of content and assignments does the MOOC consist of? How long does it take to go through the content and complete the assignments?
- At what depth should the learners familiarise themselves with the content? Is this in line with the defined learning outcomes?
- Has time been set aside for the learners’ thought processes? You should note that every hour should not be spent on studying actively, as time should be reserved for thinking and reflection, which support and facilitate learning.

References

Kyndt, E., Dochy, F., Struyven, K., & Cascallar, E. 2011. The perception of workload and task complexity and its influence on students' approaches to learning: A study in higher education. European Journal of Psychology of Education 26(3), 393-415. DOI: 10.1007/s10212-010-0053-2

Kyndt, E., Berghmans, I., Dochy, F., & Bulckens, L. 2014. ‘Time is not enough.’ The workload in higher education: a student perspective. Higher Education Research & Development, 33(4), 684-698, DOI: 10.1080/07294360.2013.863839.

Image: Virve Pekkarinen, created utilizing Adobe Express -tool.