THE
CREDIT HOUR CALCULATOR
Harding University
April 2013
Dr. Cheri Pierson Yecke
Mr. Mike Chalenburg
Dr. Marty Spears
The Credit Hour Calculator
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Concept
Research Base
Development
Demonstration
Policy Statement
Harding University
The Credit Hour Calculator
1. Concept

Driven by two concerns:
1. Federal Compliance
 34
CFR §600 and § 668
…a credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by
evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably
approximates:
Not less than one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours out
of class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester
hour of credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of
work over a different amount of time, or;
At least an equivalent amount of work as outlined in item 1 above 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. (§600.2)
A semester hour approximates one hour (or 50 minutes) of classroom time and two hours of outof-class student work each week in a 15-week semester or its equivalent. (Report of the Meeting
of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, December 2010, U.S.
Department of Education, pp. 25-26).
Harding University
The Credit Hour Calculator
1. Concept
How might the regulations be enforced?
For example, as of July 1 of this year, the U.S.
Department of Education has regulations in effect
that formally define a credit hour as one hour of
classroom ‘seat time’ and two hours of
homework, she said.
“Your class could be sampled, and you’ll have to
justify both the seat time and out-of-class time.”
Dr. Susan Phillips, University of Albany, State University of New York, as cited
in Monitor on Psychology, October 2011, p. 16.
Harding University
The Credit Hour Calculator
1. Concept
2. Course (Time) Consistency
 How
well do our courses utilize our students’ time?
 Is there equity in time requirements across courses?
 Are some courses more time consuming than others?
 How do we, as an institution, measure the time
commitments of various courses?
 How do we ensure course quality and time consistency
when there are so many course and term variations?
Harding University
Total
Number
of Weeks
Total
number of
hours
A+B
C
(A+B) x C
2
4
6
3
6
9
15
15
15
45
90
135
1
2
3
3
1
2
6
6
0
2
4
12
12
3
3
6
18
18
15
15
15
5
10
45
45
90
90
180
1
1
2
2
4
Independent study, individual studio,
dissertation
.5
.5
.5
2.5
5.5
8.5
3
6
9
15
15
15
45
90
135
1
2
3
Full-time Independent Study
Student teaching, practicum, clinical
placement
Experiential Learning
0
45
45
1
45
1
Approved activities
0
45
45
1
45
1
12.5
18
8
8
21.25
10
27
15
15
44
22.50
45.00
23.00
23.00
65.25
2
1
4
6
2
45
45
92.0
138.0
130.5
Type of Instruction
Contact Hours
per week
(“class hours,” 50minute segments)
A
Weekly
Prep Time
(50 minute
segments)
B
1
2
3
Number of credit
hours awarded
45 = 1; 90 = 2
135 = 3; 180 = 4
Traditional Class
Lecture, recitation
Supervised Group Activity
Lab, Group studio, Practicum
Field Trip
Supervised Individual Activity
Short Sessions
Summer sessions, intersessions,
weekend sessions, workshops,
seminars
1
1
2
3
3 University
Harding
The Credit Hour Calculator
2. Research Base
1. Starting with what we know:
One credit = 45 total hours:
 15 hours in class, and
 30 hours outside of class.
 In-class time


One “hour” = 50 minutes
Out-of-class time

Reading, writing, reviewing, preparing for labs, practicing
instruments,
Etc.
Etc.
Etc.
Harding University
The Credit Hour Calculator
2. Research Base
We developed two assumptions:
1. Faculty have a pretty good sense about the time
needed/required for practicing music, lab prep, etc.
2. Faculty needed a research-based tool to measure the length
of time necessary for assignments in reading and
writing.
We found research regarding average reading times; however,
we did not locate a similar body of research on writing, which
is an iterative process.
Harding University
The Credit Hour Calculator
2. Research Base
READING: Based on research from:
 Rosalind Streichler, Ph. D., Center for Teaching Development,
University of California, San Diego;
 Karron G. Lewis, Ph. D., Associate Director, Center for
Teaching Effectiveness;
 Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment, The
University of Texas at Austin; and
 Cambridge University
Harding University
Harding University
The Credit Hour Calculator
2. Research Base
Next step…..moving from
the desire to ensure consistency,
the need to meet federal mandates, and
the foundation of a research base…
…we worked to develop a tool to meet
our goals.
Harding University
The Credit Hour Calculator
3. Development

Three iterations were developed, working collaboratively
with our stakeholders:

CHC 1.0


CHC 1.1


A standard three-hour academic class
An experiential-based class
CHC 1.2

A database to ensure all courses meet our policy
Harding University
The Credit Hour Calculator
4. Demonstration
Demonstration
 How does it work?
 How is the research base incorporated into the
formulas?
Course Examples
 Handout example: Math 200 Elementary Statistics
 Handout example: POLS 435 Constitutional Law
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Harding University
5. University Credit Hour Policy

Initial proposal drafted jointly by provost council
and deans council, but it was refined in response to
rich conversations in academic leaders meetings.
 Like
the federal regulation, the policy is two-pronged,
allowing for compliance with 1) time expectations or 2)
equivalent work expectations.
 Credit Hour Calculator was developed in response to
feedback to address time expectations.
 A syllabus statement was developed to help
standardize, educate and motivate.
Harding University
5. University Credit Hour Policy
University Credit Hour Syllabus Statement
For every course credit hour, the typical student should
expect to spend at least three clock hours per week of
concentrated attention on course-related work,
including but not limited to time attending class, as well
as out-of-class time spent reading, reviewing, organizing
notes, preparing for upcoming quizzes/ exams, problem
solving, developing and completing projects, and other
activities that enhance learning. Thus, for a three hour
course, a typical student should expect to spend at least
nine hours per week dedicated to the course.
Harding University
5. University Credit Hour Policy
Other Issues that arose in conversations
Curriculum changes might be necessary to address
differences in time/work expectations among courses.
 Student committee members asked about consideration
of a maximum expectation for time/work in a course.
 The need to include non-traditional courses (i.e. part-ofterm, delivery mode, etc.) was discussed at length.
 Discussed a survey of faculty and students to investigate
time/work expectations across the curriculum
 Summer maximum load issue are being considered

Harding University
Next Steps
18

New courses
 CHC

Existing courses
 CHC

required
to be applied to all courses this summer
Non-traditional courses
 Courses
translated into a different part of term or
delivery method
 CHC can be used to demonstrate equivalent work
Harding University