Credit hours is not enough: Explaining undergraduate perceptions of course workload using LMS records.

• LMS features explain six times more course load variance (36%) than credit hours (6%). • Students report time load to be most important but also most manageable. • Low psychological stress manageability is most correlated with course load (−0.79). • Number of prerequisites of a course correlates positively with course load (0.40). • Mixed models employed to infer course load via LMS and enrollment data. Credit hours traditionally quantify expected instructional time per week in a course, informing student course selection decisions and contributing to degree requirement satisfaction. In this study, we investigate course load measures beyond this metric, including determinants from course assignment structure and LMS interactions. Collecting 596 course load ratings on time load, mental effort, and psychological stress, we investigate to what extent course design decisions gleaned from LMS data explain students' perception of course load. We find that credit hours alone explain little variance compared to LMS features, specifically number of assignments and course drop ratios late in the semester. Student-level features (e.g., satisfied prerequisites and course GPA) exhibited stronger associations with course load than the credit hours of a course; however, they added only little explained variance when combined with LMS features. We analyze students' perceived importance and manageability of course load dimensions and argue in favor of adopting a construct of course load more holistic than credit hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]