How to Use the Workload Estimator

The linked document below is a workload estimator that you can use to estimate not only how much time your students might spend on work for your class but also how much time you will spend providing feedback and grading.

Screenshot of a completed example of the workload estimator displaying areas for Reading, Viewing, discussion boards, quizzes or exams, project, paper, or other activities, followed by total minutes and total hours for both student and teacher. To the right is an example of a completed workload estimator.

You will notice there are modules listed along the top with columns for total minutes for activities.

Read: In this example, the number of pages in the textbook has been multiplied by 5 to equal an estimated 230 minutes total for readings in Module 1.

View (Video): There are no videos in Module 1, so the space has been left blank. In the instance there is a video, a rough estimate is the exact runtime of the video, though new research is suggesting doubling the number of minutes to account for students re-watching the video and taking notes.

DB (discussion board): a simple post and read is estimated at 30 minutes to complete, while a read and reply to other students is estimated at 45-60 (with no research involved). A post requiring research for the initial post and research for responses is estimated to be 60-90 minutes or more.

Quiz or Exam: For multiple-choice questions, the estimated time is 1 minute per question, 3-5 minutes per short answer, and 15-45 minutes per essay question.

Project, paper, or other: For this example, a short entry in a reflection journal assignment is required for the course, with an estimate of 10 minutes to complete.

At the bottom of the spreadsheet, you will see totals for the minutes you have entered, as well as total hours. The calculations are built into the spreadsheet for you, all you need to do is enter the minutes in the appropriate areas.

All the way to the right, you will see Total Minutes is 1,570 and Total Hours is 26.16. These are the total estimates for the example course and is not indicative of a credit course.

Your course should adhere to the required number of hours per CHE guidelines. If you are unsure how many total hours your course should be, check with your Faculty Chair or Program Director.

Attachments

Workload Estimator (Excel spreadsheet)