Online and hybrid courses with online components can make it challenging to assess how much time students spend on learning. To help faculty and instructional designers estimate how many hours of work and learning are involved in a course plan, a new web app is being developed. This app is a quick and easy way to see how hours are distributed across types of activities throughout the entire course and complements the other resources and documentation on the Hours of Instructional Activity Equivalents (HIA) for Undergraduate Courses page.
Clearly defined and guided discussion directly related to course objectives.
Informal writing in reaction to a reading, video, quote, or questions from professor.
Research and writing of a formal research paper.
Review of peer papers.
Writing activities for applying learning concepts and reflecting on learning experiences, shared with the instructor and students.
Writing activities for applying learning concepts and reflecting on learning experiences, shared only with the instructor.
In-depth analysis related to course objectives and shared with instructor and/or classmates.
Required posting of updates to class, may involve some research and minimal writing.
Assigned readings from sources such as online content, popular reading, and websites.
Assigned scholarly readings from sources such as textbooks and scholarly papers.
In-depth analysis related to course objectives that may or may not be shared with instructor and/or classmates.
Written notes in response to video and lecture content.
Instructor-mediated PowerPoints, videos, and other content to expand upon and clarify course objectives and concepts.
Examples: conference calls, chat, phone call, video conference, web conference.
Brainstorming as a group, researching, sharing files, collaborating on creating project.
Video projects including interviews, informal recordings, field productions, and animations.
Podcast projects including interviews, informal recordings, field recordings, and creative projects.
Research and upload media from the internet or respond to instructor selected content that enhances class learning on a specific concept or concepts.
Activities, including virtual, that can be analyzed and learned from in relation to course content.
Creating and conducting experiments and writing lab reports.
Projects that include guidance and collaborative work depending on specific objectives and deliverables.
Instructor-guided reading and analysis of primary sources. Tied to specific course outcomes, instructor feedback provided.
Opportunity for instructor to assess students’ subject knowledge and provide feedback on students’ progress.
A custom activity that does not fit the other activity descriptions. Enter the number of expected hours of instructional work and student work to add to the totals.
Based on a 15-week, 3-credit course.
Tip: Click a category title above to hide it in the chart.
The following estimates are based on the activities for the entire length of the course, with recommended hours based on course credits and length.
Estimated Hours: 0.00 hrs (0.00 per week)
Recommended: 45 hrs (3.00 per week)
Estimated Hours: 0.00 hrs (0.00 per week)
Recommended: 90 hrs (6.00 per week)
Estimated Hours: 0.00 hrs
Recommended: 135 hrs
The following estimates are based on a single week of activities, with recommended hours based on course credits and length.
Estimated Hours: 0.00 hrs
Recommended: 3.00 hrs per week
Estimated Hours: 0.00 hrs
Recommended: 6.00 hrs per week
Estimated Hours: 0.00 hrs
Recommended: 9 hrs per week