Credit Hour Policy

POLICY PURPOSE

This policy provides the definition of the credit hour, the calculations involved in determining the credit hour in the various academic programs and courses, the time both in-class and out-of-class that is necessary for a student to earn a credit hour, and the procedure for determining the credit hour.

POLICY APPLIES TO

This is applicable to all students and faculty and includes all CSU Pueblo academic programs.

DEFINITIONS

Please see table below for sample calculations.

POLICY STATEMENT

The University is committed to providing instruction that meets the required number of contact hours for credit hours assigned to a course and that ensures adherence to Federal and State requirements. Clearly defining the credit hour criteria demonstrates the University’s commitment to our students and to the requirements defined by the U.S. Department of Education and the Colorado Department of Higher Education.

1. Credit Hour (for a typical fall or spring “full term” course)

For minimum state and federal compliance, a traditional lecture class requires 750 minutes in-class and 1,500 minutes outside-of-class; the total clock time is defined as 2,250 minutes minimum per credit hour. For a 3 credit hour class that is a total of 3 X 2,250, or 6,750 minutes.

This is the minimum and is exclusive of any cancellations due to inclement weather, power outages or other events which may cancel classes.

2. Face-to-Face Courses

Face-to-face is a course in which instructors interact with students in the same physical space for 100% of minimum required time according to designated day(s), time and location in the course offering schedule.

For a traditional face-to-face 3credit lecture course at CSU Pueblo, sample calculations for the 16-week semester of 15 weeks of classes plus finals week would be:

MWF: 15 (weeks) x 50 (minutes) x 3 (days) = 2,250 minutes plus twice that amount outside-of-class, plus 140 minutes for the final exam yielding a total of 6,890 minutes.

TuTh or MW: 15 (weeks) x 75 (minutes) x 2 (days) = 2,250 minutes plus twice that amount outside-of-class, plus 140 minutes for the final exam yielding a total of 6,890 minutes.

Both MWF and MW or TTH formats meet the 6750 minimum required minutes of combined in and out-of-class activity and each meets the in-class requirement of 2250 minutes.

3. Alternative Time Frames

For courses offered in alternative or compressed time frames, such as summer session, in-class instructional time and outside-of-class student preparation time will be equivalent to that required in a full-term course.

4. Mixed Face-to-Face, Distance (including Online), or Correspondence Courses

• Mixed Face-to-Face: A course in which instructors interact with students in the same physical space for 25% or more but less than 75% of the instructional time with the remainder of the instructional time provided through distance education.
• Distance: A course in which instructors interact with students in the same physical space for less than 25% of the instructional time and use one or more forms of distance delivery to support regular and substantive interaction with students (who are not in the same physical space as the instructor), synchronously or asynchronously.
  • Synchronous interaction is through real-time scheduled electronic interface with students in virtual meetings.
  • Asynchronous interaction is through electronic interface with students accessing instructional materials and completing work on their own schedule.
• Online courses: Distance courses in which instructor interaction with students is 100% through electronic interface and may include asynchronous or synchronous format or a combination of these, as defined by the course offerings schedule.
• Correspondence: Courses in which instructors interact with students through mail or electronic interface (typically self-paced). This type of instruction differs from distance education because interaction between the instructor and the student is not regular and substantive and is primarily initiated by the student.

5. Independent/Directed Study

Instructors interact with students through a flexible format.

6. Calculation of Credit Hour

Courses offered through the online, mixed face-to-face or distance modalities are to be delivered so that the sum of faculty instruction and student preparation time is equivalent to the relevant credit hour calculations in sections D.1.

PROCEDURES

1. Initial Establishment of Course Credit Hours

When new courses are approved by department and college or school curriculum committees, course credit hours assigned will be evaluated for appropriateness based on a review of the course description, which includes learning objectives, texts and other resources used, course requirements, and detailed course outlines.

2. Periodic Review

Application of the Credit Hour Policy shall be reviewed by the departments, chairs and deans during the Academic Program Review process. Departments, chairs and deans are expected to ensure that credit hour assignments are accurate, reliable, and appropriate to degree level.

Evidence to support credit hour assignments includes course syllabi, course learning objectives, assignment schedules, and class schedules identifying the times that classes meet (if applicable).

Colorado State University Pueblo Academic Credit Hour Summary Chart

The requirements that follow represent minimums for typical students. Some deviation in excess of these requirements may occur at the undergraduate or graduate level.