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Teaching Online - A Time Comparison

The success of distance courses has prompted universities nationwide to increase the number of courses offered online. As the number of these courses has increased, the challenges involved in developing and offering them have become more apparent. One particular difficulty when teaching in an online format is that it can be more time-consuming than teaching in a traditional in-class format. This case study investigates this issue through the use of a detailed comparison of the time required to prepare and teach a traditional course, and that required for the same course presented in an online format. The additional time required by the online format is found to result largely from increased student contact and individualized instruction and not from the use of technology per se. Introduction and Significance of the Study There has been a rapid growth in the institutions offering distance education courses and the number of students that are taking online courses. During the 1999-2000 academic year 7.6% of all undergraduates took at least one distance education course and 60% of these courses were offered online. By the 2000-2001 academic year, 90% of public institutions offered distance-education courses. Looking specifically at the fall term 2002, 81% of all higher education institutions offered online courses and over 1.6 million students took at least one of these (Allen and Seaman 2003, NCES 2003). The developing and offering of these courses has not come without significant challenges. One difficulty faced by instructors of online courses is the large time requirement involved in teaching these courses. This study directly compares two courses, one online and one in-class, in order to determine the factors that result in the teaching time disparity. Two courses were taught and logged simultaneously by the same instructor. This analysis compares time spent teaching online courses with