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Students have a false perception that online courses are much easier than traditional in class courses; how can instructors communicate to students the need for them to spend substantial time participaing in each online course?
Flexibility is key for online.
Part of the reason online classes are attractive to students is they allow for time flexibility. Equating that time flexibility with easiness is one mistake that online students make.
One thing you can do is include a time/effort estimate in the title of each online activity.
If you provide time estimates with your assignment, then students can allocate the appropriate amount of time before sitting down to start their work.
and why do students have that perception???