Discover what you're actually asking your students to do
The evidence is clear: Student workloads have increased to an average of 33.4 hours per week (Times Higher Education, 2023), while 68% now work part-time jobs—double the rate from previous years. Yet credit hours alone are poor predictors of actual workload. QAA guidance recommends transparency and realistic breakdowns, with assessment representing just 20-30% of module hours.
This tool shows you what your module expectations look like in the context of a real student's life across multiple modules, with clear RAG (Red/Amber/Green) status indicators.
Important: All credit systems represent total learning time including contact hours, independent study, reading, and assessment preparation - not just contact time.
Note: Some UK institutions interpret credit hours as 50-minute "nominal hours" rather than full clock hours.
This Workload Calculator tool was designed by David Calum Millar collaboratively with a custom agent called Morna, running on Claude (Anthropic), who is trained on the Creative Compass & Learning Design Compass frameworks by David Calum Millar, then developed using Claude Code. The final design, all editorial decisions, and responsibility for the tool’s content rest with the author. Special thanks to the invaluable critical feedback from Dr. Piotr Jaworski and Dr. Egor Kiselev.