About time: a metacognitive view of time and workload created by technological advancements in an ODL environment

Management of time and workload is influenced by the quality of awareness of impacting factors. Faculty has to attend to many responsibilities, with technology in teaching a recent but game-changing impacting factor. This article is a case study which explores the metacognitive awareness of the impact of technology on teaching, learning and research by a senior professor at a distance education institution. Current research often focuses on institutional policy, with less attention being paid to how staff consciously reflect on it. Although policy creates necessary frameworks, a healthy and comprehensive awareness of relevant issues is required for making informed decisions about time and workload. Many academics are so accustomed to being overworked that they seem to become unaware of the rising heat, much like the proverbial “frog in a pot of slowly heated water.” What is suggested is that faculty should be skilled in metacognitive awareness strategies, in order to better manage their time and workload.