Out of hours: online and blended learning workload in Australian universities

Out of hours: online and blended learning workload in Australian universities

[Summary of Findings]:
Australian academic staff in this study overwhelmingly perceived that their workload allocation did not sufficiently account for the additional workload engendered by e-teaching, whether in fully online or web-supplemented modes. Consistent with other research (Coates et al., 2009), they believed they had excessive workloads. This study could not quantify work hours in e-teaching-one of 88 participants was prepared to estimate that blended learning added 20% to classroom instruction time; another posited it consumed double a face-to-face workload. However, the study provides a new insight into high reported work hours as a direct result of the new technology tasks and communication modalities in teaching. The study also points to the inadequacy of Australian university WAMs to account for academic roles that routinely include more students, more tasks, and constant reskilling. This study would indicate that, as Larkins (2011; 2012) argues, 'student person numbers (not EFTSL) more accurately reflect academic staff workload issues.' On that basis, Larkins has established that the Student to Staff Ratio averages 34:1 across the Australian sector. It demonstrates that notwithstanding the valorisation of research over teaching (Chalmers, 2011; Bexley et al., 2011), for the academics interviewed here, deliberately reducing their teaching time to lower load would negatively impact on student learning. They accepted, albeit reluctantly, they would continue to teach 'out of hours'.

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