The Credit Hour Calculator

1. The Credit Hour Calculator Harding University April 2013 Dr. Cheri Pierson Yecke Mr. Mike Chalenburg Dr. Marty Spears

2. The Credit Hour Calculator 1. Concept 2. Research Base 3. Development 4. Demonstration 5. Policy Statement Harding University

3. The Credit Hour Calculator1. 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 out-of-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

4. The Credit Hour Calculator1. 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

5. The Credit Hour Calculator1. 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

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7. The Credit Hour Calculator2. 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. Easy Complicated! Harding University

8. The Credit Hour Calculator2. 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 readingtimes; however, we did not locate a similar body of research on writing, which is an iterative process. Harding University

9. The Credit Hour Calculator2. Research Base READING: Based on research from: • Rosalind Streichler, Ph. D., Center for Teaching Development, University of California, San Diego; • KarronG. 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

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11. The Credit Hour Calculator2. 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

12. The Credit Hour Calculator3. Development • Three iterations were developed, working collaboratively with our stakeholders: • CHC 1.0 • A standard three-hour academic class • CHC 1.1 • An experiential-based class • CHC 1.2 • A database to ensure all courses meet our policy Harding University

13. The Credit Hour Calculator4. 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 Harding University

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15. 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

16. 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

17. 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-of-term, 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

18. Next Steps • New courses • CHC required • Existing courses • CHC 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