Are you new to hybrid teaching and learning? Are you mindful of student workload in this new paradigm? This session will explore the current literature on time on task and explore three methods to improve your calculations of instructional time, student study time, and time for completing assignments.
COVID-19 compelled educators and students to rapidly move to remote instruction with little time for instructional preparation. As a consequence, faculty and student workloads suddenly increased, negatively impacting education. It is essential for faculty to be mindful of student workload in this new paradigm.
The determination of student seat time looks different in hybrid learning. Educators must consider synchronous and asynchronous time, the run time for media assets, the number of screens viewed, viewing time for instructional videos, and expectations for time spent in online instructional assignments and activities. One strategy used to measure student workload is time-on-task (TOT) calculations. Time-on-task is the total learning time spent by a student in a college course, including instructional time and time spent studying and completing assignments.
Instructor experience, by proxy, and faculty/student surveys facilitate TOT calculations. There is a gap in the literature that clearly defines TOT calculations in hybrid teaching and learning. The purpose of this research is to describe the current TOT literature, how the literature influenced student workload approximations, and the ongoing assessment plan in place for a hybrid program in development.
Plan for interactivity: If selected as a virtual session, the 15’ presentation will consist of a Q & A session with the presenters. Topic areas will include the definition of TOT, the various ways used to calculate TOT, examples of how adopted in a hybrid program, faculty training ideas, and ideas for assessment strategies to help manage student workload.
Plan for interactivity: If selected as an in-person session, the 45’ session will consist of the following:
- Introduction (10’): Polling software to engage the audience in student work-life-balance challenges, student course workload, and time on task estimations.
- Brief lecture (15’): Includes a literature review to show the various methods used to calculate TOT.
- Small group work (15’): The audience will work in small groups to review an example course and make recommendations for TOT calculations.
- Wrap up: (5’): Ideas for faculty training, assessment, and summary
The Takeaways: At the end of this session, the audience will define TOT and today’s challenges that impact student work-life balance and course workload. A review of the literature will show various methods used to calculate TOT. Small group practice will generate conversation and collaboration among the attendees. The new knowledge gained may help faculty be mindful of student workload during the instructional design process.