Study through a distance education program is somewhat different to undertaking a program as an enrolled student in a mainstream school. In a distance program all school work is completed in the home environment. This leads to the question: Do students undertaking a distance education program have homework?

The answer to this question is: Yes, students undertaking a distance program will have homework at various times. The quantity and nature of the home work will depend upon the year level in which the student is enrolled and the subjects that are being undertaken.

In a mainstream classroom homework is generally set by the classroom teacher and corrected either on an individual student basis or as part of a group activity in class. What forms can homework take in a distance mode of learning?

Homework in a distance program may involve:

•    Completion of tasks left over from today’s lesson

•    Completion of a task set by a teacher during part of a Scheduled Telephone Lesson (STL)

•    Preparation for tomorrow’s lesson - Pre-Lesson Reading

•    Time for reading eg. - a novel for English

•    Time to develop study summaries

•    Time to work on larger projects or assignments

•    Time to revise for a coming test/exam

The time that will need to be devoted to each of these tasks will vary from day to day and week to week. For example, closer to the end of a semester more time may be required on revision for tests or exams.

Education Queensland has established a policy in relation to the maximum hours of homework over a week.

The policy recommends the following maximum homework hours over a week:

In the Prep Year, generally students will not be set homework.

Years 8-9: Could be up to but generally not more than 5 hours per week.

Years 10-12: The amount of time devoted to homework and independent study will vary according to the student’s learning needs and individual program of learning, determined through their Senior Education and Training (SET) Plan.

Brisbane School of Distance Education recommends that students undertake homework within the recommended times specified at the year level at which they are enrolled. This should enable return of work in accordance with work rate calendar requirements to be met by students. Any concerns in relation to homework should be, in the first instance, directed to the class or subject teacher. Subsequent issues should be directed to the Head of Department or Deputy Principal at the relevant year level.