Finding the Balance: Creating Meaningful Assignments Without Overwhelming Instructional Workload

Jennifer Stevens, Eastern Illinois University

Abstract

Online instructors are tasked with creating meaningful learning assignments, but they may struggle with balancing their teaching workloads. This article includes five strategies for creating assignments and activities that promote learning without overwhelming instructional workload, including anticipating student questions when writing assignments, creating reusable formative assessments, scaffolding assignments, creating choices for summative assessments, and encouraging student collaboration. These strategies draw from a constructivist learning paradigm while employing the concepts of interactivity, scaffolding, and collaboration.

Keywords:

constructivism, interaction, scaffolding, faculty workload