Stan Plans Ahead to Predict His Workload

 

Stan, an assistant professor at a four-year institution, teaches three-credit adult education online courses at the graduate level. His academic load involves teaching three courses per semester, conducting research, and participating in service activities. He teaches both face-to-face and online courses during the regular 15- or 16-week semester and teaches online courses during the summer. His courses average an enrollment of about 22 non-traditional learners. His experience with non-traditional learners, who work full-time and have family obligations, requires that he design his online courses with a variety of options. That means planning ahead to meet learners’ needs. For his online courses, he uses design, teaching, and time allocation strategies to balance his workload based on his learner population. Below are Stan’s strategies for balancing his workload.

 

Design	Plans his online courses ahead of time. Puts himself in the role of the learner when designing his online courses. Offers an optional face-to-face course orientation. Organizes course based on units. Uses once a week synchronous chats, group discussions, and individual assignments. Chooses not to include teamwork because his non-traditional learners would have a difficult time coordinating team tasks. Has a folder with new ideas and notes taken during the delivery of the course, which serve as guides for when redesigning the course.
Teaching	Stan’s work tapers off as learners become more independent and his role changes from that of an expert to that of a guide. His time commitment to the course is reduced as the online course progresses. Encourages learner interaction by having them critique each other’s work.
Time-Allocation	Blocks out time in the morning to check his course, responds to emails, and participate in the discussion with learners. Announces that he responds to emails within 24 hours, so that course participants know what to expect.

 

Stan understands that online courses just don’t naturally happen. They require pre-planning, organization, and intentional design. Pre-planning helps him manage his workload so that his workload doesn’t manage him during his course delivery. The course organization assists instructors in determining a framework for their content and activities, thus they know what to expect during each course sequence. Intentional design serves as the means for instructors to maximize the efficiency, effectiveness, and appeal of online teaching to meet and anticipate their learners’ needs.

 

Reference

Conceição, S. C. O, Lehman, R. M. (2011). Managing Online Instructor Workload: Strategies for Finding Balance and Success. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.