The Relationship of ECTS Credits with Study Time, Workload, and Achievement in Higher Education

Abstract

The importance of estimating an appropriate student workload for higher education is well recognized. In Europe, it is often determined using the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), which presumes 25–30 hours of study per credit. This study mapped the relationship of students’ ECTS credit load with study time, workload experience, and learning using data from two Finnish universities. ECTS credits were associated with contact teaching time but moderately with other study time. Time use was largely independent of workload experience, which had the strongest association with learning. Policy implications include reconsidering the ECTS system’s role in curriculum development.