This paper seeks to address the issue of student workload with particular reference to the University of the South Pacific, University Extension Physics Foundation courses using a modified form of workload formula due to Lockwood et al. (1980). The calculation of student workload involves assigning to each activity an estimated time that an average student would spend and comparing it with the time an on-campus student is expected to spend on that course or the time suggested by the course development team. It is maintained by the authors that overloading has occurred in the distance physics courses. This may force off-campus students to be surface/strategic learners, even withdraw from a course. Heavy workload could be one of the reasons for low success rate of such students. Recommendations have also been made to improve learning through extension.