The document discusses student workload and perceptions of workload. It notes that excess material can lead students to take a superficial approach to learning, lacking connections between concepts and an inability to select relevant information. Both teachers and students may perceive workload differently. The key is to reduce actual workload while also reducing the perceived workload through techniques like active learning, clear expectations, relevance, enthusiasm, and removing unnecessary "bad" workload.

1. Student workload workshop
Liz Norman
IVABS Student Workload Workshop, 3 September, 2015

2. Parkinson, Gilling & Suddaby (2006). Workload, study methods, and motivation of students within a BVSc program.
Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 33(2), 253-265.
Why student workload is important

3. Why student
workload is
important
excess
material
superficial
approach
lack of
connections
inability to
be selective
perception
of overload

4. superficial
approach
Excess material leads to
rote learning strategies
Entwistle & Ramsden (1982) Understanding student learning. Kent, UK.
Kember & Leung (1998) Influences upon students’ perceptions of workload. Educational Psychology, 18(3), 293-307
Kember & Leung (2006) Characterising a teaching and learning environment conducive to making demands on students
while not making their workload excessive. Studies in Higher Education, 31(2), 185-198

5. lack of
connections
Superficial learning is
unlikely to develop solid
connected knowledge.

6. lack of
connections
Superficial learning is
unlikely to develop solid
connected knowledge.
insufficient disconnected
disordered
connected
ordered
Biggs & Collis (1982) Evaluating the quality of learning: The SOLO taxonomy (structure of the observed learning outcome).
New York: Academic Press

7. inability
to be
selective
Lack of connected
knowledge leads to
difficulty identifying
relevant and irrelevant
material.

8. perception
of
overload
Teachers and students
may have very different
perceptions of the course
workload

9. perception
of
overload
Filename: Save date: 4/11/2014
excess
material
superficial
approach
lack of
connections
inability to
be selective
perception
of overload

10. But what about…
Studies of award winning teachers show that
they place high demands on students
Kember & McNaught (2006) Excellent university teaching: The Chinese University Press.

11. ‘Good’ vs ‘bad’ workload
• Differential effect of ‘bad’ and ‘good’
workload on evaluations of teaching:
• an increase in work the student considers
valuable for learning is associated with
increased course satisfaction. (up to a point)
• an increase in work not considered valuable is
negatively related.
Marsh (2001) Distinguishing between good (useful) and bad workloads on students’ evaluations of teaching.
American Educational Research Journal, 38(1), 183-212.

12. ‘Perceived’ vs ‘actual’ workload
• Differential effect of ‘perceived’ and ‘actual’
workload
• actual workload is only a minor contributor to
variances in perceived workload
• we can lower the perceived workload without
reducing the amount of work
Kember & Leung (1998) Influences upon students’ perceptions of workload. Educational Psychology, 18(3), 293-307
Kyndt, Berghmans, Dochy & Bulckens (2013) ‘Time is not enough.’ workload in higher education: A student perspective.
Higher Education Research & Development, 33(4), 684-698.

13. What influences perceptions of
workload?
surface
approach
perceived
workload
Kember D, & Leung DYP (1998). Influences upon students’ perceptions of workload.
Educational Psychology, 18(3), 293-307.
Kember D (2004). Interpreting student workload and the factors which shape students'
perceptions of their workload. Studies in Higher Education, 29(2), 165-184.

14. surface
approach
perceived
workload
Biggs & Collis (1982) Evaluating the quality of learning : The SOLO taxonomy (structure of the observed learning outcome).
New York: Academic Press.
assessment

15. Parkinson, Gilling & Suddaby (2006). Workload, study methods, and motivation of students within a BVSc program.
Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 33(2), 253-265.

16. What influences perceptions of
workload?
Complex interplay of factors including:
• Surface vs deep learning approaches by the student
• Assessment
• Motivation and interest of the student
• Time savers: clear structure, asking Qs
• Contact hours (but not independent study time)
• Projects – ‘active’ learning activities
• Student-student relationships
• Difficulty of the subject
• Concentrated deadlines
• Other stressors going on in the student’s life
• English ability

17. So what can we do?
• Reducing ‘bad’ workload
• Reducing actual workload
• Reducing perceptions of excessive workload

18. The problem:
• Teaching small animal clinical endocrinology
to 100 year-4 vet students
• 32 hours worth of reading in their textbook
• But only 11.4 hours of their time to learn it
• Also less than 43% of class interested in this

19. Timetabled sessions
• 6 hours lectures
• 2 hours tutorials
• 3.7 hours self study
What I did
• 5 hours case-based guided
self study (individual or group)
• 3 hours discussion sessions
(with me)
• 2 hours case-based
workbook tutorials (with me)
• 1.4 hours spare for any
unanticipated reading and
general tasks eg
downloading materials,
reading the instructions

21. How I controlled actual workload
• Concentrated on key knowledge for new
graduates
• Did not reteach basic sciences
• Used shorter readings (including abstracts)
• Reduced ‘bad’ workload

22. How I controlled perceived workload
• Relevance – introduction, clinical scenarios
• Enthusiasm – motivation and interest
• Active learning
• Allowed students to share work and work in teams
• Reduced contact hours (but not independent study
time)
• Clear structure and learning outcomes – they knew
what they had to do
• Discussion sessions extended what they had been
doing, did not repeat it
• Alignment of assessment
• Reduced ‘bad’ workload

23. How I reduced ‘bad’ workload
• Put all the materials into one download
• Made the download easy to find on Stream
• Made the document accessible for computers,
tablets or print
• Ensured the information they needed was in the
readings
• Provided page numbers for finding information
• Provided clear instructions and clearly navigable
documents (followed guidelines for good
document layout)
• Converted units for them where they were not si

24. Other examples?
• How do you show students the relevance of your
subject?
• How do you make it clear what they should be
doing to learn your subject?
• How do you make sure the actual workload is not
too high?
• How do you ensure that the assessment is
encouraging the type of learning we want?
• What do you do to remove ‘bad’ workload?

25. Working out actual workload
1. Calculate the face-to-face time
2. Calculate the hours of exams or tests. Add on 9
hours of study for each hour of exam/test
3. List all the required learning activities and
calculate the time for each
eg reading material, self tests, videos to watch
For reading work out the word count and allow 70 words per
minute.
4. List any other assessments and calculate the
time for each
eg 5 hours to produce a 10 minute oral presentation
5. Calculate total

26. Some helpful metrics
Student task Time to allow
Reading time 70 words per min
Examination/Test
preparation time
9 hours per hr
of exam/test
Prep time for a 10 min
oral presentation
5 hours
Poster preparation 10 hours
1500 word assignment 10 hours
Available student time (hours) = 10 x the credit value

27. Workload calculator and resources
IVABS community Stream site
http://stream.massey.ac.nz/course/view.php?id
=11331

28. Why student
workload is
important
excess
material
superficial
approach
lack of
connections
inability to
be selective
perception
of overload
http://www.slideshare.net/liznorman