University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Economic Statistics—Course Planning Tool
The Course Planning Tool is a formatted spreadsheet that facilitates a three-step process for institutions to establish and compare the instructional costs before redesign (the traditional course) and the instructional costs after the redesign (the redesigned course).
Step #1 shows the calculation of all personnel costs associated with preparing and delivering the course expressed as an hourly rate. Annual salary for faculty listed is the average of all faculty teaching the course and includes a 22% benefits rate. Step #2 uses this initial calculation to determine the cost of preparing and delivering the traditional course. Step #3 calculates these costs for the redesigned course. More specific Course Planning Tool instructions are available.
Below are a summary of the cost savings anticipated at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and the completed course planning tool.
Cost Savings
Economic Statistics II has already been through substantial revision as a SCALE efficiency project, reducing the cost-per-student from $237 in the traditional format to $169 and creating overall savings of roughly $108,800. The savings were generated primarily as a reduction in the number of TAs required from 13 to 9. In the redesign, the cost of training 1,600 students each year in Excel—training formerly provided by the staff of the Office of Information Management in the College of Commerce and Business Administration—is eliminated. Excel training will be incorporated into classwork and led by TAs for an additional saving of $16,000, reducing the cost-per-student to $159, for a total savings of $124,800.
When the two-stage redesign is complete, faculty hours for course delivery will decrease from 760 to 637, a decline of 16%, and TA hours will decline 38%. TAs no longer prepare and present lectures to individual sections; their time shifts to interacting with students and working on skill diagnosis. The course-planning tool shows the savings generated in Economic Statistics II. UIUC will also extend the redesign to Economic Statistics I, producing an annual cost reduction of approximately $249,600.
[For more detailed information regarding their initial academic redesign, consult the project plan description.]
Step #1: Determine Instructional Costs per Hour
Instructional Costs per Hour—Economic Statistics
| Faculty | |
| Annual salary and benefits | $65,101 |
| % devoted to instruction | 90% |
| % devoted to this course | 17% |
| $ devoted to this course | $9,765 |
| Contact hours for course | 45 |
| Out of class hours | 145 |
| Total hours | 190 |
| Cost per hour | $51 |
| TAs/GAs | |
| Salary | $25,570 |
| % devoted to instruction | 100% |
| % devoted to this course | 33% |
| $ devoted to this course | $8,523 |
| Contact hours for course | 45 |
| Out of class hours | 155 |
| Total hours | 200 |
| Cost per hour | $43 |
| Undergraduate TAs | |
| Cost per hour | |
| Professional Staff | $ per |
| Position | Hour |
Step #2: Determine Instructional Costs of Traditional Course
Instructional Costs of Traditional Course—Economic Statistics
| Color | Faculty | TAs/GAs | ||
| Color | # of Hours | Total Cost | # of Hours | Total Cost |
| Color | Hourly rate = | $51 | Hourly rate = | $43 |
| I. Course Preparation | ||||
| A. Curriculum Development | 40 | $2,056 | ||
| B. Materials Acquisition | 142 | $7,298 | ||
| C. Materials Development | ||||
| 1. Lectures/presentations | 75 | $3,872 | 1755 | $74,789 |
| 2. Learning materials/software | 6 | $308 | ||
| 3. Diagnostic assessments | ||||
| 4. Assignments | 33 | $1,696 | ||
| 5. Tests/evaluations | 12 | $617 | 117 | $4,986 |
| Sub-Total | 308 | $15,847 | 1872 | $79,775 |
| D. Faculty/TA Devmt/Training | ||||
| 1. Orientation | 9 | $445 | 169 | $7,202 |
| 2. Staff meetings | 20 | $1,028 | 390 | $16,620 |
| 3. Attend lectures | ||||
| Sub-Total | 29 | $1,473 | 559 | $23,822 |
| Total Preparation | 337 | $17,320 | 2431 | $103,597 |
| II. Course Delivery | ||||
| A. Instruction | ||||
| 1. Diagnose skill/knowledge | ||||
| 2. Presentation | 180 | $9,251 | 1755 | $74,789 |
| 3. Interaction | 74 | $3,803 | 1560 | $66,479 |
| 4. Progress monitoring | 39 | $1,662 | ||
| Sub-Total | 254 | $13,054 | 3354 | $142,931 |
| B. Evaluation | ||||
| 1. Test proctoring | 9 | $480 | 182 | $7,756 |
| 2. Tests/evaluation | 160 | $8,223 | 1820 | $77,559 |
| Sub-Total | 169 | $8,703 | 2002 | $85,315 |
| Total Delivery | 423 | $21,757 | 5356 | $228,246 |
| TOTAL | 760 | $39,077 | 7787 | $331,843 |
| Excel Training | $8,000 | |||
| GRAND TOTAL | $378,920 | |||
| Total # of students | 1600 | |||
| Cost per student | $237 |
Step #3: Determine Instructional Costs of Redesigned Course
Instructional Costs of Redesigned Course—Economic Statistics
| FACULTY | TAs/GAs | |||
| # of Hours | Total Cost | # of Hours | Total Cost | |
| Hourly rate = | $51 | Hourly rate = | $43 | |
| I. Course Preparation | ||||
| A. Curriculum Development | 60 | $3,084 | ||
| B. Materials Acquisition | 60 | $3,084 | ||
| C. Materials Development | ||||
| 1. Lectures/presentations | 75 | $3,855 | ||
| 2. Learning materials/software | 9 | $463 | 8 | $341 |
| 3. Diagnostic assessments | ||||
| 4. Assignments | 60 | $3,084 | ||
| 5. Tests/evaluations | 20 | $1,028 | 118 | $5,029 |
| Sub-Total | 284 | $14,596 | 126 | $5,369 |
| D. Faculty/TA Devmt/Training | ||||
| 1. Orientation | 8 | $411 | 64 | $2,727 |
| 2. Staff meetings | 38 | $1,954 | 352 | $15,003 |
| 3. Attend lectures | 240 | $10,228 | ||
| Sub-Total | 46 | $2,365 | 656 | $27,958 |
| Total Preparation | 330 | $16,961 | 782 | $33,327 |
| II. Course Delivery | ||||
| A. Instruction | ||||
| 1. Diagnose skill/knowledge | 225 | $9,588 | ||
| 2. Presentation | 180 | $9,251 | ||
| 3. Interaction | 433 | $22,254 | 3189 | $135,899 |
| 4. Progress monitoring | 10 | $514 | 44 | $1,875 |
| Sub-Total | 623 | $32,019 | 3458 | $147,363 |
| B. Evaluation | ||||
| 1. Test proctoring | 14 | $720 | 70 | $2,983 |
| 2. Tests/evaluation | 490 | $20,881 | ||
| Sub-Total | 14 | $720 | 560 | $23,864 |
| Total Delivery | 637 | $32,738 | 4018 | $171,227 |
| TOTAL | 967 | $49,699 | 4800 | $204,554 |
| GRAND TOTAL | $254,253 | |||
| Total # of students | 1600 | |||
| Cost per student | $159 |
Program in Course Redesign Quick Links:
Program In Course Redesign Main Page...
Lessons Learned:
Round 1...
Round II...
Round III...
Savings:
Round I...
Round II...
Round III...
Project Descriptions:
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