How long will it take me? Assessing appropriate study times for Open Educational Resources

Abstract

There are many factors that can determine the amount of time a learner will spend studying educational materials. Some of these relate to the abilities and motivations of the learner, some to the form and nature of the educational materials, and yet others to the context in which the learner is engaging with those educational materials. This paper explains the way that study hours have been determined for open educational resources within OpenLearn from The Open University and reviews early evidence of how long self-learners are spending studying.