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Hours to Create a Quality Course


This week I was asked, "how many hours does it take to develop a quality course?" I found very few sources on the topic, but there was one that addressed the "Time Required to Develop Online Courses" by Freeman (2015). The study explored 165 instructors, who teach online and F2F, from three diverse US universities. In terms of hours, 29% needed over 100 hours (median of 70) to develop the course. Most (81%) agree that it takes more time to develop an online course. However, subsequent online course developments are less time consuming and by the third time teaching, there is no difference when compared to the third time teaching F2F. [Freeman, L. A. (2015). Instructor time requirements to develop and teach online courses. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 18 (1).]

There are many variables, so I would like to share ideas to consider that may affect the amount of time that an instructor might spend to create a quality course:

  • When to begin (give yourself at least six months)

  • Teaching Philosophy

  • Effective Learning Outcomes (integrate Bloom’s Taxonomy) - check alignment with Teaching Philosophy

  • Authentic, Meaningful Assessments - check alignment with Teaching Philosophy and Outcomes

  • Active Learning Experiences (methods) - check alignment with Teaching Philosophy, Outcomes and Assessments

  • Course content - check alignment with Teaching Philosophy, Outcomes, Assessments, and Experiences

  • Course schedule - check alignment with Teaching Philosophy, Outcomes, Assessments, Experiences and Content

  • Accessible syllabus

References

Bloom, B. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives.: Cognitive domain. New York: McKay.

Davis, B. (1993). Preparing or revising a course. Tools for teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

McKeachie, W. et al. (2005). McKeachie’s Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers. 12th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,.

Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

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