Abstract:

Serbian higher education institutions have made many mistakes since the complete transformation of the higher education system that took place at the beginning of this century with the introduction of ECTS. One of the most significant issues, and also one of the most commonly quoted in analyses of the implemented education system as a primary cause of a significant proportion of dropouts and lengthier time required for course completion is student workload. Given that this issue has multiple implication for students, educational institutions, as well as the society, it should be addressed with full seriousness.

This paper presents a model for planning and ascertaining student workload developed at the University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Economics in Subotica. The aim of this model is to initiate general assessment of student workload, as well as to stimulate a discourse on this topic, necessary for a more rigorous future surveying and testing of student workload on individual study programmes.

The model, presented in detail, was generated as a result of extensive analysis of relevant literature concerning student workload and the factors influencing it. This paper explores several factors that need to be taken into consideration when calculating workload, such as inherent difficulty, assessment difficulty, student ability, effort, etc., with the particular highlight on time, as a factor.

Keywords:

University, student workload, factors, model.