4.9 Definition of Credit Hours
The institution has policies and procedures for determining the credit hours awarded for courses and programs that conform to commonly accepted practices in higher education and to Commission policy. (Definition of credit hours)
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William Carey University defines a credit hour in accordance with commonly accepted practice in higher education, as expressed by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), as: “A unit of measure representing the equivalent of an hour (50 minutes) of instruction per week over the entire term” (NCES Credit hour definition). The unit of measure for educational programs at William Carey University is the semester hour, which is a standard unit based upon the definition of credit hour above, equaling one hour (50 minutes) of instruction per week for 15 weeks, supplemented by student work outside the classroom of approximately twice the amount of time in class, or whatever amount of time is required to achieve intended learning outcomes.
Class meeting times at William Carey University are based on the definition of credit hour given above, with the necessary adjustment to reflect the university’s trimester system. Whereas on a semester calendar, the 2250 minutes (3 x 750 minutes) for a three-credit hour lecture course are distributed over 15 weeks (three 50-minute class meeting per week x 15 weeks), under the trimester calendar the 2250 minutes are distributed over 10 weeks, with at least 225 minutes in class each week. The standard class meeting schedule for a three-hour course has three 80-minute class periods per week, two 120-minute class periods, or one class period of 230 minutes. Comparable total minimum amounts of time are expected in courses other than lecture courses, including laboratories, internships, practica, field work, studio work, clinicals, directed readings and independent studies, online courses, and other academic work.
Academic and administrative units that develop, deliver, or oversee any credit-bearing activities are responsible for ensuring that the amount of time allotted is adequate to meet or exceed the standard set by the definition.
Documentation