{"id":364,"date":"2019-06-24T16:00:24","date_gmt":"2019-06-24T15:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/learning-design\/?p=364"},"modified":"2022-10-12T14:05:36","modified_gmt":"2022-10-12T13:05:36","slug":"workload-mapping-part-2-mapping-in-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/learning-design\/?p=364","title":{"rendered":"Workload mapping part 2: mapping in learning design"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this series of posts, we\u2019<\/span>re<\/span> looking at student workload mapping. This second post\u00a0explains how we monitor workload during module design, and where we might make recommendations to authors.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Overall workload for a module is agreed right at the beginning of learning design, with set times to aim for based on the level of study, credits and duration of a module. In our first post<\/a> in this series we looked at the case of Alex, and the <\/span>3 week<\/span> workload lump. <\/span>With that level 1, 60 credit <\/span>30 week<\/span> module,<\/span> the weekly workload should have looked something like thi<\/span>s:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Module directed workload: 13<\/span>\u00a0hours<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Student directed workload: 7 hours<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Total workload: 20 hours<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This balance is taken in to consideration when planning the overall structure of a module, with authors dividing topics, units and blocks across the 30 weeks in as even a distribution as possible.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Slight v<\/span>ariations in the workload <\/span>are to be expected, and can <\/span>creep <\/span>in <\/span>unknowingly during drafting, where authors start blocking out the details of teaching activities. Detailed workload mapping starts here, with an aim to informing tweaks for the next sets of drafts. If we take another look at Alex\u2019s module, the results might look something like this:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

So, how do we go about <\/span>it<\/span>?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The process changes slightly as a module fills out and nears presentation, but the core elements <\/span>of mapping <\/span>are:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n