Examples of what a good workload statement would look like:
For a traditional 3-credit class:
This class meets twice weekly for 75 minutes, for a total of 37.5 hours of required lecture time. You should expect to take at least 60 hours over the course of the semester reading the textbook and other required texts. There are also 8 homework assignments which you should expect to require at least 5 hours each. You should reserve at least ten hours to study for and take the final exam. All told, this class is likely to take 147.5 hours of your time.
Another, more tabular way to express the same information:
Expected Workload (hours)
| Lecture | 37.5 |
| Required Reading | 60.0 |
| Eight homework assignments at 5 hours each | 40.0 |
| Studying for and taking the final exam | 10.0 |
| Total | 147.5 |
More Examples:
This is a four-credit course, so the expected time commitment from students is Approximately 192 hours. Although the exact breakdown will vary by student and by week, my expectation is that students will spend approximately 30% of the time reading and reviewing lecture notes, assigned readings, and posted Power Point presentation; 25% of the time on calculation and interpretation exercises; 25% of the time on computer-based SPSS exercises; and 20% the time preparing for quizzes.
Time Investment. The amount of time that an average student should expect to spend on this class is as follows:
- Time spent studying modules: 45 hours
- Time spent working on case study: 30 hours
- Time spent completing quizzes: 15 hours (15 quizzes, 3 attempts, 20 minutes each)
- Time spent commenting/reading discussion boards: 30 hours
- Time spent reviewing module material after initial quiz attempts: 24 hours
Total time spent on this class: 144 hours
Statement of time investment by the average student: On average, students should spend 48 hours per credit per semester on in-class activities and activities outside of the classroom (i.e., approx. 144 hours for a 3-credit course).
- Total Hours: 3 credits x 48 hours = 144 hours
- In Class: 150 minutes x 15 weeks = 37.5 hours
- Reading/Viewing Course Materials: 2x class time = 75 hours
- Taking Quizzes: 5 minutes x 30 periods = 2.5 hours
- Working on Presentations/Assignments = 29 hours
Instructors may wish to emphasize that the workload is an estimate and that students are assessed on their performance, not on the time put into the course.