In the ‘old days’ of developing computer aided learning materials we used to have a rule of thumb of 100 hrs preparation for 1 hr
of content – but content which a student could work through themselves. Multiplied by the times you re-use the resource against the number of students who could access the resource, you should make a saving in principle – plus the students have an independent
learning resource they can refer to.
Scrolling forward, the same argument might apply if the online resource is content rich. If, as suggested below by David, it is interactive,
it can increase time commitments. I would balance this argument out however, with the fact that the students can be used as a resource in themselves, helping each other online. This would also (hopefully!) lead to a richer learning experience. In terms of
investment time, the argument is perhaps a compromise between time taken to develop resources/activities and the quality of the experience. Would I be willing to spend more time preparing a ‘session’ (online or not) if I felt the learning experience would
be enhanced? E.g. 1 hr lecture followed by many repeat questions demonstrating lack of understanding or longer session with fewer questions and greater understanding? Anyway, a piece of string comes to mind if you get my point…
Regards
Paul
From: learning development in higher education network [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of David Hardman
Sent: 25 September 2013 13:41
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: preparation time for online versus face to face
Presumably there is no single answer to this question. If your online course consists mainly of a repository of materials, with students submitting traditional essays online, etc, then I would have thought the workload is unlikely to exceed
that of a face-to-face course. But as an online course becomes more interactive (e.g. lecturers interacting in discussion boards and chat forums, students engaging in multiple smaller assessments in the online environment) then I would have thought the time
involved is likely to exceed that of a traditional course. This indeed is my own experience.
David
On 24 September 2013 11:18, Sue Watling <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hello
Could anyone guide me towards research/resources comparing preparation time for online teaching compared with face to face please?
I seem to remember Derek Rowntree suggesting 20 hours of preparation for 1 hour of distance learning while instructional design companies give varying figures. Is there was any recent work by JISC, HEA or anyone in UK HE - can't find anything on line so far.
Thanks
Sue
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Sue Watling
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