Carolyn, Terence, other friends:
Here's how I calculate a fair load.
Let's assume the students are treating their studies as they would a job. If a full-time employee works 1800 hours a year, we have a baseline. (Fifty-two nweeks a year at 37.5 hours per week, minus two weeks of vacation, and 10 days of statutory holidays => 48 weeks * 37.5 hours => 1800 hours / year.) Then, let's assume a normal load is 5 courses a semester, equivalent to one-third of a year. Hence a full-time student would carry five courses each semester, for an annual load of 15 courses. Thus, an appropriate expectation for normal performance would 1800/15 hours per course, or 120 hours.
If we have 13 weeks of classes, with three hours per week, 39 of those hours are dedicated to being in class.
I also use a reading/pred load of 1:1, so another 39 hours are assigned to readings and other class prep. Now think, how many pages of what kind of material can you read for comprehension in an hour? Multiple that by 39 and you have a fair reading load for a semester-long course. (If your reading and other prep load is 1:2, then you have essentially designed a course with class time and prep time adding up to 117 hours, leaving 3 hours for assignments or exams....)
At this point, we have used up 78 of the 120 hours on classes and class prep, leaving us 42 hours for assignments. How long should it take an average student to do a good job on each assignment? Add it up, and then cut back on either the assignments or the expectations of depth until you get back to 42 total hours.
Grading needs to be aligned with time commitments. An assignment for which only ten hours is allocated can't be worth 50% of the grade! That said, what portion of the grade is assigned to class time or class-prep time? In non-exam courses, I try to make sure that classroom parts of the time budget support the students' work on specific assignments. An alternative is to use exams, keyed to that part of the course.
For me, this formula defines a fair allocation of time, for an average student, expecting average results, i.e., a B for graduate students, and a C for undergrads. Some students want to work harder, some less. Some are more efficient, some are less efficient. some may be smarter than others. But this formula establishes a fair level of effort.
I include these time budgets in my syllabi, as part of the contract with students, demonstrating what I think is a reasonable commitment on their parts -- and defining what I think is a reasonable level of effort on theirs. Many assignments have to be calibrated on this basis. What is the reasonable output for a book report, for example? Well, how much time does it take to read the book? Then think about it? Do some ancillary research? Write and edit the report? If the answer is 100 hours, don't expect anyone to attend class or prepare for it! For example, I often have a mini-version of a business plan assignment in my Entrepreneurship courses. Since most VC-considered business plans take 500-1000 hours of good professional time to develop, it would be totally unfair to expect such a product at such a standard from any 120-hour/student course. Consequently, I have developed 10-hour, 25-hour, and 50-hour versions of that assignment, and communicated to the students the differences among them. They need to know what I expect as a fair output.
The above formula is one we can adjust for different course formats. If a full-time annual load is 12 courses, for example, then a fair course would require 150 hours of focused effort. The benchmark remains the number of hours a full-time professional would reasonable be required to commit in that profession. We know that some people put in a lot of overtime -- but that is bonus effort. Conversely, some countries have a full-time work definition under 1800 hours. Adjust accordingly. I find that a real load of 100-150 hours works well. Instructors who assign loads above that deserve to be pummeled on their evaluations, as they are forcing students to put in uncompensated overtime -- or cut back on work in other faculty's courses -- neither of which is fair.
I find this time budget helps students to understand what level of effort means in their future occupations, and something about their choices in effort.
Best,
Tom.
Dr. Tom Bryant
Visiting Rohrer Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies
Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA
On Aug 24, 2006, at 10:14 AM, Carolyn Chavez wrote:
Terence,
I require my UG and MBA students to turn in weekly assignments – case analysis, reflection journals, Study Questions, etc. I also assign 1 – 2 major group projects each semester (research paper, presentation, Portfolio, etc.). I generally give 5-8 Qwests (not comprehensive enough to be called a test, too hard to be called a quiz – thus Qwests) throughout the semester. They read 1-2 chapters plus handouts each week. My Ph.D. and post grad students get a lot more.
They also say I give them too much work. But then, they have a vested interest in doing so. I say -- follow your heart – do whatever it takes to insure that students learn. After all, that is a major reason that we chose this career. It is also likely that your teaching standards are one of the reasons the university hired you.
Carolyn Chavez (aka Dr. "C")
Department of Management
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">New Mexico</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">State</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place>
My students (Under-grad, Post-grad and MBA) say that I give more homework (self-study, assignments and activities) than any other teacher.
What is a reasonable amount of homework per class hour?
Should assignments for assessment be considered separately?
Terence Egan
Professor
Business and <st1:placename w:st="on">MBA</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Schools</st1:placetype>
<st1:placename w:st="on">Central</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype> of Finance and Economics
<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Beijing</st1:place></st1:city>, PR China
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