Summary. The determination of the number of credit hours awarded for courses is conducted by the faculty and academic administration of Point University in accordance with the mission and goals of the University. These are determined through an aggregation of the Carnegie collegiate student hour, related Federal definitions and requirements of the credit hour, and the standards, policies, and guidelines of SACSCCOC. This statement of credit hour policy and procedures directs and guides that process to ensure alignment to the Point University mission and goals.
Compliance with this policy is mandatory for all courses in every program offered by Point University.
Credit Hours Policy. The faculty is responsible for the content, quality, and effectiveness of the curriculum and, therefore, the responsibility for credit hour determination resides with them. The number of credit hours awarded for courses is determined based on the time spent in classroom instruction, direct instruction outside of class, and student work that occurs outside of class.
Instructional Types. The following are Point University’s working definitions of the three primary designations of instructional types for the purposes of ascertaining course credit.
Classroom instruction (CI) includes the traditional classroom, a supervised lab, private instruction, or any similar instructional meeting with an instructor and one or more students.
Direct instruction (DI) includes instruction or student activity that is outside of class meeting times and that meets all the following criteria.
Planned with education purpose/outcomes,
Actively facilitated by an instructor or field supervisor (e.g. guided, monitored, observed), and
Graded and documented.
This includes (but is not limited to) online lectures/instruction (synchronous or asynchronous), video presentations, journal/blog writing, chat rooms, discussion boards, field trips (in-person or virtual), group- or team-based activities, online tests/quizzes, video conferencing, virtual labs, supervised field experiences, and online content modules.
Outside-of-class student work (OCSW) includes activities related to the course that do not qualify as direct instruction, including (but not limited to) reading, writing, studying, preparing, practicing, and researching.
Determining Credit Earned in a Course. The following relationships guide the total calculation of minutes/hours for the purposes of calculating credit earned in a Point University course.
One semester hour of credit is granted for either:
750 minutes of classroom instruction and 1500 minutes of outside-of-class student work (the Carnegie collegiate student hour), or
the equivalent combination of classroom instruction, direct instruction, and outside-of-class student work as defined by this policy.
Classroom and direct instruction times are equivalent for the purpose of credit hour determination at Point University.
The ratio of classroom/direct instruction and outside-of-class student work may vary according to the course type, with the value of classroom or direct instruction possessing twice the value as outside-of-class student work (i.e., two minutes of OCSW work equal one minute of CI/DI) and vice versa.
The determination is the same for all course formats, lengths, levels (undergraduate or graduate), locations, and modes of delivery, whether traditional classroom, laboratory, online, electronic, private lesson, internship, and practicum, independent study, senior thesis, or hybrid. The amount and level of credit hours awarded for a course will be determined according to these expectations and courses will be monitored to ensure that they meet or exceed these expectations.
Procedures for Calculating Credit in a Course. A course credit-hour audit is performed or updated by its instructor or the appropriate program coordinator when a Point University course is proposed or experiences a significant revision to determine that the course meets or exceeds the expectations of the University’s credit hour policy. The standard course credit-hour audit uses the Master List of Non-Classtime Methods and Modalities and the Course Credit Hour Audit sheet as approved by the faculty.
The Master List of Non-Classtime Methods and Modalities identifies the variety of possible instruction methods and student activities utilized in direct instruction and outside-of-class student work with the “normal time to complete” for each. The “normal time to complete” for each method/modality is the estimated number of minutes that an average- to -below-average student would take to complete the method/activity to achieve the expected learning outcome, as determined and approved by the faculty of Point University.
The Course Credit Hour Curriculum and Development Tool enables the instructor to identify the following for each course.
Information regarding the course being audited (Section A),
Section B is a ledger where instructors can list all course activities, expected time, and instructional activity as listed in the syllabus that correlate to the Master List of Non-Classtime Methods and Modalities.
In Section C, the one completing the form receives ongoing notice of whether the course satisfies the requirements for a course at the specified level of credit. The spreadsheet calculates whether the identified content meets the minimum time engagement as both a percentage and balance of minutes.
Process for New or Revised Courses. For new or revised courses, the course credit hour audit is used during the course development and approval process to determine the amount of credit to be awarded. New or revised courses must meet or exceed the credit-hour expectations to be approved and offered.
Exceptions may be allowed in the methods and modalities utilized for a course (e.g., one not included in the Master List) and/or in the “normal time to complete” for a specified method/modality in a course credit hour audit. Exceptions must be marked as such in the Course Credit Hour Audit Form and approved by the Chief Academic Officer (CAO). If an exception is not approved by the CAO, the course credit-hour audit must be revised and resubmitted without that exception.
Maintenance. The Director for Institutional Effectiveness is responsible for the periodic review and revision of the Course Credit Hour Audit Form and the Master List of Non-Class time Methods and Modalities to improve their efficiency and effectiveness, to improve the categories and differentiation of the methods and modalities, and to modify the “normal time to complete” when necessary and appropriate.
The CAO is responsible for the approval of this policy by the faculty (or their appointed representatives) and its periodic review. Further, the CAO is responsible for the approval of course credit hour audits and compliance of the curriculum with this policy.
The faculty of Point University has participated in the development of this policy and its procedures and holds responsibility for the approval of this policy and its procedures, including any subsequent revisions, through normal faculty processes and procedures.