respectively were focused on the coursework assignment and related ILO , the remainder ( 8 , 12 and 11 hours ) on the content to be assessed via exam or OBA .
The curriculum review in 14 / 15 changed the nature of some coursework assignments with staff starting to allocate workload to tasks that did not directly support attainment in the exam or OBA . In the case-study course the coursework was related to a new specific ILO , assessed only by coursework . This was facilitated by restructuring the order of teaching to enable an assessment deadline earlier in semester where student workloads are lighter . This approach may not be possible for all modules ; however , it may be useful to schedule coursework or activities that enhances skills or does not support learning for specific exam / OBA ILOs earlier in semester , and those that more directly feed into exam / OBA assessment later in semester .
Establishing a Workload Model
This study is concerned with objective workload , the aspects that teaching staff have a degree of control over such as timetabled hours , nature and timing of assessment deadlines and requirements for work before or after class through flipped teaching methodologies . This discounts entirely subjective or perceived workload but must consider these in establishing reasonable expectations of a working week . The timetabling system at Keele for subjects that offer Combined Honours places some limits on the number of timetabled hours per week due to the block timetable system , however no guidelines exist on expectations for pre-session activities or on assessment regimes . In 21 / 22 , a recommendation of 30 timetabled hours per module was agreed by the Chemistry programme team . Karjalainen et al . ( 2008 ) ascertained that the ratio of contact hours to independent study hours would vary depending on the nature of the activity ( transmission of information , activity-based teaching , group work ). Typically , this was a 1:3 ratio of contact : independent study , however group work of any sort was noted as requiring greater time ( 1:5 ratio ). For traditional exams , 8 hours of study time for each average week of study ( 40 hours ), calculated from total extent of the course was required , for example 80 hours of a course requires 16 hours of study ( Karjalainen et al ., 2008 ). Assuming that our timetabled hours in modules with exams are predominantly transmission ( lecture , screencast ) or reinforcement ( workshop ), this agreement of 30 timetabled hours represents 120 hours of student time per module . The assessment period would require 32 additional hours per module . the presence or absence of formative assessment . Assessment deadlines fall more heavily in the later weeks of semester as can be seen from the credits per week maps ( Figures 5 and 6 ), and naturally that may draw the focus of students away from any formative assessment opportunities in those weeks . The project and dissertation components of the course are designed to be worked on continuously throughout both semesters , however anecdotally attendance at laboratory sessions and engagement with the project drops off towards the middle , then towards the end of semester when assessment demands are becoming higher . Independent study modules such as the dissertation are harder to account for in a workload model . A student working continuously and regularly would be expected to put in 5 – 8 hours per week during semester 1 . The project module is similarly challenging with the total number of hours available on the timetable not necessarily reflecting the number of hours required for reasonable completion of the required research work . These may be considered systematic ambiguity across all years studied and offer a degree of reassurance that the proposed workload model may be overestimating workload in certain weeks .
On a week-by-week basis the key influences on objective workload are the presence of assessment deadlines , asynchronous learning requirements , and contact time . These have evolved over the 10-year period with changes to assessment weightings and
48