In our book, Managing Online Instructor Workload: Strategies for Finding Balance and Success (Conceição & Lehman, 2011), we discuss four strategies based on four major
themes that emerged from an instructor/learner study we conducted: 1. design strategies,
2. support strategies, 3. teaching strategies, and 4. time-allocation strategies. The focus of these strategies is to
help instructors determine how they can manage their workload and prioritize
their time in order to find balance and success in their work and personal
life.
Once an instructor becomes experienced with online teaching, managing time should become a natural part
of workload. The workload strategies we discuss can help by serving as guidelines
for practice. The first one is DESIGN.
1. DESIGN - Instructors use the following
design strategies to manage workload: pre-planning to make sure that everything is ready prior to the beginning of the course for their learners; anticipating all course
responsibilities and plotting them on a grid or timeline to see the "big picture"; prioritizing course activities to easily see which ones need more time and which less; anticipating learners’ needs so that needs are met before they become concerns; and reflecting on and revising courses already taught so that the courses are up-to-date and relevant. The more instructors can pre-plan and visualize the "big picture" the less they will have to be concerned with time-consuming issues during the actual course delivery.
Next week, we'll look at: 2. SUPPORT STRATEGIES.
