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ITEC810 Workload

1 Overview

This page explains the workload expectations for ITEC810. The workload expectations are based on the University's agreed student workload metrics, which suggest that each credit point corresponds to three hours of work per week. Since these are four-credit-point units, this means that you are expected to spend 12 hours each week on class-related work. The semester is 15 weeks long (13 teaching weeks plus a two-week recess), and so you are expected to spend a total of 180 hours over the course of the semester on class-related work. This page provides a suggested breakdown for how this time might be allocated; depending on your circumstances, you may find it appropriate to apportion your time differently.

2 A Suggested Time Plan

Work required for these units falls into two categories: work which is directly related to carrying out your project, and work which is somewhat more peripheral to the actual execution of your project. The second category includes class attendance and some of the assignments. Most assignments, however, are part of executing and writing up your project.

2.1 Work Related to Your Project

The total time you are expected to spend on your project over the course of the semester is 140 hours, or, if we assume a 35-hour working week, the equivalent of four weeks full time effort.

In terms of the 15 weeks of semester (13 teaching weeks plus the two-week recess), you are encouraged to think of Weeks 1-3 as being focussed on planning your project (three weeks elapsed time); Weeks 4-11 as being primarily concerned with executing your project (eight weeks elapsed time including the recess); and Weeks 12-15 with writing up your project (four weeks elapsed time).

Here is a suggested breakdown of effort across the assignments related to your project:

It is important to recognize that these times are only indicative of the expected amounts of effort, and you may decide to allocate time differently. It's also important to note that although marks are assigned here to written deliverables, each of these deliverables is the outcome of specific work on your project, and so the times indicated encompass more than just writing.

2.2 Other Work

The numbers here assume you will attend all scheduled classes, including the end of semester workshop. Classes will generally be three hours in length, but we will typically end early on one or two occasions. You are also assumed to spend up to one hour each week reading material on the class website and contributing to discussions.