Discussion
asynchronous content being retained , but with project hours being reinstated ( Figure 4 ). This caused workloads to increase , with 1 week above 50 hours , 3 above 40 and another above 30 .
The curriculum review initially had a moderate impact on credits assessed through exams ( 31.5 credits in 13 / 14 to 29.25 credits in 16.17 ) versus credits assessed through coursework ( increase from 13.5 to 15.75 credits ). The core modules now span the range from 50 % - 65 % exam or OBA . The overall variation in credits gained per week reflects the redistribution of assessment from the assessment period into the 12 teaching weeks of semester and the inclusion of assessments related to the dissertation module in semester 1 leading to 20.25 credits obtained by coursework in 21 / 22 ( Figure 5 ). The number of timetabled hours per semester , excluding exam / OBA has remained relatively constant across the decade ranging from 144 – 167 hours in typical years ( Table 2 ). Due to pandemic arrangements , 20 / 21 had 132 hours due to reductions in project hours and increases in asynchronous content .
Figure 6 . Credits per week map for 16 / 17 compared to 18 / 19 . Note this starts at the first week of coursework submission , week 5 . This highlights the impact of moving an assessment from week 11 ( 16 / 17 ) to week 5 ( 18 / 19 ) on the distribution of completed credits throughout semester .
Figure 5 . Credits per week map for 13 / 14 compared to 21 / 22 . Note this starts at the first week of coursework submission , week 5 .
In the context of the authors teaching , 6 hours of contact time in 13 / 14 was assessed through 25 % of the examination . In 14 / 15 , 10 hours of contact time was assessed through 50 % of the examination and 10 % of the module ’ s coursework . In 19 / 20 , and with the addition of content previously taught at level 5 , this was increased to 12 hours of contact time assessed through coursework 25 % of module , and examination ( 50 % of exam , 25 % of module ). In 17 / 18 , the coursework deadline fell in week 11 and as such contributed to extremely high workload weeks . In 18 / 19 , this item of coursework was redesigned to enable it to be completed early in semester and submitted in week 5 ( Figure 6 ). This increased the number of weeks above 30 hours in 18 / 19 but spread the higher workload weeks more evenly through semester ( Figure 7 ).
Figure 7 . Modelled hours per week map for 16 / 17 compared to 18 / 19 . This highlights the impact of moving an assessment from week 11 ( 16 / 17 ) to week 5 ( 18 / 19 ) on the distribution of completed credits throughout semester .
Discussion
In 21 / 22 , the author ’ s teaching includes content previously taught ( 13 / 14 ) and additional material added to expand the topic in 17 / 18 . This has expanded the topic from six contact hours to twelve contact hours , enabled by the restructuring of the level 6 modules . In response to the COVID-19 pandemic , flipped classroom methods were used in 20 / 21 and 21 / 22 with screencast content replacing lectures and synchronous workshops offered to consolidate learning , all other years were taught through a mixture of lecture and workshop with supporting textbook material . Flipped classroom methods did not enhance attainment , although significant confounding factors here are the impact of the pandemic restrictions on student engagement and attainment , shifting from unseen exams to OBAs , and the increased objective workload from 12 hours ( 19 / 20 ) to 20 hours ( 20 / 21 ) and 16 hours ( 21 / 22 ). Of this , 4 , 8 and 5 hours
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