Original Date of Issue: 5/11/16
Revised: X/XX/XX
Purpose
The purpose of the credit hour policy is to provide documentation of Delaware County Community College's procedure for determining credit hours awarded for all credit-bearing courses. Credit hours refer to the number of credits a student receives for successful completion of a course.
Definitions
For the purposes of defining the credit hour, the following definitions are in effect:
Semester (also called full term) is 14 weeks of instruction and one additional week for final exams.
Clock Hour (also called seat hour) determines the number of minutes of instruction. Classes are scheduled for 55 minutes per contact hour.
Policy
Credit hours shall be awarded in compliance with the following:
Pennsylvania Department of Education (PA Code §31.21.b)
Degree requirements … may be stated in terms of semester credit hours … as determined by the institution and conforming to generally accepted academic practices. [A] semester credit hour represents a unit of curricular material that normally can be taught in a minimum of 14 hours of classroom instruction, plus appropriate outside preparation or the equivalent as determined by the faculty.
U.S. Department of Education (34 CFR Section 600.2)
[A] credit hour is an amount of student work defined by an institution, as approved by the institution's accrediting agency or State approval agency, that is consistent with commonly accepted practice in postsecondary education and that reasonably approximates not less than –
One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester …or the equivalent amount of work over a different period of time; or
At least an equivalent amount of work … for other academic activities as established by the institution, including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.
The College applies the commonly-accepted definition of a semester credit hour as: a minimum of three hours of work per week for a semester. A credit hour equals one hour (55 minutes) of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class work each week. One credit hour thus equals 42 hours of instruction including classroom sessions and outside preparation. The distribution of the credit hour usually occurs over a 14-week semester and an additional one-week period for final exams. The credit hour policy is applied consistently over different length sessions including accelerated, summer and winter terms, and short-course offerings.
Types of Instruction
Courses at Delaware County Community College are offered in a variety of instructional methods, including lecture, lab, clinical, independent, field experience and studio. Frequently, they are a combination of two or more. The ratio of credit hour per hour of classroom instruction is determined by the type of instruction. These guidelines vary by the instruction needed for the student to meet course competencies.
Lecture and Seminar (1 hour: 1 credit)
Courses with multiple students who meet to engage in various forms of group instruction under the direct supervision of a faculty member.
Laboratory (2 or 3 hours: 1 credit)
Courses with a focus on experiential learning under the direct supervision of a faculty member wherein the student performs substantive work in a laboratory setting.
Studio (1.67 hours: 1 credit)
A combination of multiple educational practices within a class setting, including traditional lecture, group and individual critique/discussion, demonstration, the production and execution of creative, design or technical processes and periods of sustained practice under the direct supervision of a faculty member.
Clinical (1 to 3 hours: 1 credit)
Hands-on learning activities in a simulated or professional environment in which a student can observe and/or practice the skills for which they are being trained. Clinical experiences may be directed by faculty, preceptors, professional staff, or a combination, who are able to provide the student with feedback and/or guidance.
Internship/Practica/Field Experience
Courses of study in which a faculty member regularly interacts and directs student outcomes with periodic contact, but where the actual learning environment takes place off campus at an approved site. The learning experience will typically involve a site supervisor or preceptor and directed activity/learning will occur outside of a lecture setting. Contact time and outside student work requirements must be established and documented. The faculty member or program director responsible for the experience is required to keep records of amount of supervised work and the amount of outside work assigned so that contact hours can be calculated.
NOTE: The college may offer courses in which credit is determined by the total number of hours of instruction required. This includes courses in which hours are established by Pennsylvania state statute, external program accreditor and/or licensure requirement. These are noted in course descriptions in the college catalog.
Minimum Contact Time per Credit Hour per Semester
Lecture Hours
| Credits awarded | Minimum contact time per week | Minimum instructional time per semester | Minimum out of class student work per week | Minimum out of class student work per semester | Total of instructional contact time and out of class student work |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 55 Contact Minutes | 770 Contact Minutes | 110 Minutes | 1,540 Minutes | 2,310 Minutes |
| 2 | 110 Contact Minutes | 1,540 Contact Minutes | 220 Minutes | 3,080 Minutes | 4,620 Minutes |
| 3 | 165 Contact Minutes | 2,310 Contact Minutes | 330 Minutes | 4,620 Minutes | 6,930 Minutes |
| 4 | 220 Contact Minutes | 3,080 Contact Minutes | 440 Minutes | 6,160 Minutes | 9,240 Minutes |
Laboratory Hours
| Credits awarded | Minimum contact time per week | Minimum instructional time per semester | Minimum out of class student work per week | Minimum out of class student work per semester | Total of instructional contact time and out of class student work |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 110 Contact Minutes | 1,540 Contact Minutes | 55 Minutes | 770 Minutes | 2,310 Minutes |
| 2 | 220 Contact Minutes | 3,080 Contact Minutes | 110 Minutes | 1,540 Minutes | 4,620 Minutes |
| 3 | 330 Contact Minutes | 4,620 Contact Minutes | 165 Minutes | 2,310 Minutes | 6,930 Minutes |
| 4 | 440 Contact Minutes | 6,160 Contact Minutes | 220 Minutes | 3,080 Minutes | 9,240 Minutes |
Studio Hours – The College follows guidance from its program accreditor, the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). All studio art courses meet a minimum of 4.5 hours per week per full-term semester.
Internship / Independent Hours
Typical award per total semester hours:
1 credit - 60 hours
2 credits - 120 hours
3 credits - 180 hours
Other Class Formats
Accelerated Courses
Courses offered outside of a standard 15-week semester in which the credit hours offered are the same as standard semester courses and the content and substantive learning outcomes are the same as those in the standard semester. These courses must meet the total amount of instructional and student work time as the examples above even if delivered within an accelerated time frame.
Online Courses
Courses offered entirely online without any onsite face-to-face meetings. These courses have the same learning outcomes and substantive components of a standard lecture / seminar course with an alternate delivery method. Contact time is satisfied by several means which can include, but is not limited to, the following: a) regular instruction or interaction with a faculty member once a week for each week the course runs. b) Academic engagement through interactive tutorials, group discussions moderated by faculty, virtual study/project groups, engaging with class peers, and computer tutorials graded and reviewed by faculty. In all such instances, these courses must meet the total amount of instructional and student work time as the examples above even if delivered online or asynchronously.
Hybrid Courses
Courses offered in a blended format with one or more onsite face-to-face class sessions and at least one or more online sessions, both containing direct interaction with a faculty member. Contact time is assessed using both onsite definitions (for the onsite portion) and online definitions as above (for the online portion). In all such instances, these courses must meet the total amount of instructional and student work time as the examples above even if delivered online or asynchronously.