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[mathprofdk]

I'm in the midst of my second semester teaching an online statistics course, and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with the workload complaints.  This is a 4-hour course, so I typically expect about 8 hours outside of class for my face-to-face students.  I make it clear to my online students that this means I expect about 10-15 hours a week from them.

I teach at a community college, and many of these students are first-year traditional college-age students.  I do have a few in the online who are returning students, with the typical characteristics there as well.  (Some retraining, a single mother, etc.)  Many work and take a full courseload, and few have any university coursework experience.

My face-to-face students tend to complain about the workload, but I can usually somewhat diffuse it when I explain the course content I'm expected to cover, the actual number of hours they need to work, and how the practice helps them learn.  I haven't been able to do that in the online class.  Additionally, there are always a few students (two in particular, this semester) who just get turned off at some point and blame everything on me.  "There's too much work", "None of my other professors require this much", "All the other students are complaining, too, so it must be you", etc.

It's easy to blame this on student these days - the sense of entitlement, the lower expectations (maybe created by the lower workload in other departments), etc - but I want to get past that.  I don't want to make my course "easier", but I do want students to understand and accept the amount of work required.  Is that possible?  Anyone have any suggestions?

Not that I need counselling about it, but it's hard to receive scathing emails questioning my integrity, saying I don't care about what's going on in their lives and I'm setting them up to fail.

[zuzu_]

Have a required syllabus quiz as the first thing due. Have several questions in this quiz specifically address the numbers of hours expected. If you include information in the syllabus about the rationale for these hours, the syllabus quiz can also address the rationale.

You are doing good by explicitly stating this course will require 10-15 hours. I do something similar, but I also make a breakdown that more specficially shows what that looks like:

2-4 hours reading
6-8 hours on assignments
2-3 hours on quizzes

[mathprofdk]

Ah, I like that, Zuzu.  I do have the required syllabus quiz, but I don't have anything specifically regarding the number of hours.  I have very detailed information about a suggested weekly schedule (when to work through the lessons, when to start the homework, etc.), but nothing at all about how long they should expect those steps to take.

Nice one!

[prof22]

For my 3 credit hybrid course, my syllabus states:

Please spend about three hours for each hour spent in class. This is a standard college-level expectation.  Note that some weeks require fewer than nine hours outside of class while others require more.  Students who expect to work less than what is expected outside of class are presumed to be in the wrong course and should make an appointment with the professor.    

I read this part of the syllabus on the first day of class.  If they want to drop, they can.  Unfortunately, I'm the only professor teaching the course and it's required for their major.  Ha!

[larryc]

Yes, what Zuzu said. Also, redirect conversations about workload into conversations about dropping the course.

Student: u r 2 hard!

You: This certainly is a demanding course and I can understand if you need to drop it. I will offer it again next fall so perhaps you can create more time in your schedule and take it then.

[mathprofdk]

Yes, what Zuzu said. Also, redirect conversations about workload into conversations about dropping the course.

Student: u r 2 hard!

You: This certainly is a demanding course and I can understand if you need to drop it. I will offer it again next fall so perhaps you can create more time in your schedule and take it then.

Except those are the easy ones, Larry.  I have more trouble with the adult students who are taking my course online because they actually have lives (unlike some of the younger students who are creating they're own business so they can pay for their iPhone).  They're either not prepared for the rigors of the course, or my expectations are anomalous.  Regardless, they get upset, they send me emails I try not to take personally, and it generally goes downhill from there.

[hulkhogan]

I teach online, too, and I have come to realize that some of these complaints appear to be a side effect of the online environment. My take is that students who have to drive to class, sit in class, and drive back home after class realize that they have to make a sacrifice and will do so. Online students often get into online classes because they (mistakenly) believe that such a class can somehow be added on to their lives as is without making adjustments. What then kicks in is basic human psychology. I once read (and strongly agree with) a statement that people tend to blame others not so much if something bad happens to them but rather if their expectations are violated. We can probably debate the accuracy of this statement, but I see it over and over again that the complainers are those who had different expectations of online learning. Add to that the lack of a personal connection with you and students' anxieties about their ability to perform (after all, it's statistics), and you have the makings of a perfect storm.

There's really little you can do about people's expectations other than posting in numerous places online what students should expect and patiently explaining again and again and again what the time and work commitments for an online class are. It is also important that you never become angry or annoyed with a student; don't fire off a snarky email even after a personal attack or childish whining. Always take the high road and be relentlessly supportive and understanding. If nothing else, you can later prove to your chair that you were trying to be helpful and cooperative.

One thing that defuses these issues for me is to stay in regular contact with students, to send messages to the whole class on a regular basis, to offer encouraging comments even after hostile emails, to respond to emails quickly (same day for sure), and to return assignments within a day or two with comments on how to improve next time.

If students become nasty, don't return the favor. Instead, assume that whatever was said was said out of fear over grades or an ability to perform, and respond with extra kindness. It feels odd at first to do that, but it can be highly effective. But if you're looking to wave a magic wand that will make students understand and accept the workload--that's just not going to happen.

[larryc]

Yes, what Zuzu said. Also, redirect conversations about workload into conversations about dropping the course.

Student: u r 2 hard!

You: This certainly is a demanding course and I can understand if you need to drop it. I will offer it again next fall so perhaps you can create more time in your schedule and take it then.

Except those are the easy ones, Larry.  I have more trouble with the adult students who are taking my course online because they actually have lives (unlike some of the younger students who are creating they're own business so they can pay for their iPhone).  They're either not prepared for the rigors of the course, or my expectations are anomalous.  Regardless, they get upset, they send me emails I try not to take personally, and it generally goes downhill from there.

Oh yes, I get those too. And they get the same answer. I appreciate how busy you are, I understand that you are too busy for the workload I ask, I hope that you can clear out your schedule somehow next semester so you give yourself a fair chance to complete the course...

[hegemony]

Is it possible that it is taking the students longer to do the assignments than you have figured on?  E.g. you might expect them to complete an assignment in two hours, but actually their skill level is such that it takes them four?  You might want to check with colleagues (assuming you haven't) -- I know there's a culture of entitlement out there, but it also is possible that your expectations are too heavy for these students at this course level.  I'd just want to be sure before I assumed that the students are out of line.

[archman]

Is it possible that it is taking the students longer to do the assignments than you have figured on?  E.g. you might expect them to complete an assignment in two hours, but actually their skill level is such that it takes them four? 

I have not encountered this situation yet. But I give a great deal of time to do online assignments (roughly double what I think is necessary). The real concern for me is time management. The majority of students (over 80%) wait until the last 4-18 hours to do their weekly online assignments/readings. I (used to) expect that weekends were where many students did their homework and studying, but examining online access records shows that the weekend is irrelevant (unless there is a Monday morning deadline).