Credit Hour, Class Meetings and Distance Education Policy

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to address the following:

1. Define a credit hour

2. Describe credit hour calculations

3. Outline undergraduate final examination expectations

4. Define distance education

5. Establish guidelines for equivalent instructional activities

Credit Hour Definition

Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) uses the Carnegie unit to measure semester credit hours awarded to students for course work. Credit hours are assigned to courses on the basis of instructional time. Instructional time may occur in the classroom or outside the classroom, depending on the type of course. Instructional time in the classroom is inclusive of regularly scheduled instruction, as well as a scheduled examination period. Credit hours are calculated on the basis of instructional time, which is supplemented, but cannot be replaced by hours expected outside of instructional time. 

In some cases, EMU offers courses and classes that carry zero credits. Such activities provide learning opportunities without the possibility of earning credit.

Credit Hour Calculations

The class schedule indicates the required amount of instructional time for each class to meet. The class schedule is designed to meet federal and state credit hour requirements, and in general provides for 50 minutes of classroom/instructional activity per week per credit hour (e.g., 150 minutes per week for a 3 credit hour 15-week semester course) in addition to a scheduled examination period. Instructional time during the examination period may include, but is not limited to; seated exams, take-home tests, and/or final projects or papers. Credit hours are calculated on the basis of instructional time, which is supplemented, but cannot be replaced by hours expected outside of instructional time. The instructor has the privilege of minor variations in the amount of time spent in class but should confer with the program director or respective dean’s office if regular or substantial deviations from the announced schedule are desired.

A credit is awarded for fifteen 50-minute sessions of classroom instruction, with the expectation of outside study time for each session. The amount of outside study time expected depends on the degree level. The expectation for undergraduate courses is that students engage in 2 hours of study time. The expectation for graduate courses is that students engage in 2.5-3 hours of study time. Appendix I provide in-class, out-of-class and total engagement expectations for a variety of course scenarios.

There are some instances where instruction is offered outside of a traditional 15-week schedule. Examples include half-semester terms and intensive course offerings. These and other alternative instructional offerings are scheduled in such a way as to achieve the same amount of instructional time as traditional class offerings (750 total minutes per credit hour). 

The university assumes that students will participate in campus-wide learning via EMU Engage credits (required as part of the undergraduate core curriculum), the Academic and Creative Excellence (ACE) Festival, and Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Study Day as part of the instructional activity that contributes to their overall academic engagement. In particular, participation in the ACE Festival and MLK Study Day is expected and often required as part of the learning activities outlined in course syllabi.

Final Examination Expectations for Undergraduate Classes

For the undergraduate program final examinations (or equivalent culminating activities) are to be given at the time designated by the university registrar in the final examination schedule prepared each year. The instructor or another faculty member is to be present while an examination is in progress. Final examinations are to be taken at the scheduled time except for emergencies. Requests are handled through the Request to Take Final Examination Out of Schedule form available on myEMU. If the student is ill, the health services coordinator is to notify the office of the student’s respective academic dean before the time of the examination. Students who have more than two exams in one day may request to take a final examination out of schedule by the Friday before final exam week.

In the event an undergraduate student wishes to take a final examination out of schedule for non-emergency reasons, the reasons must be recognized by the instructor and the office of the student’s respective academic dean as justifiable. A fee must be paid at the business office before the student is eligible to take the test. Payments due to faculty for administering final examinations out of schedule are paid on June 30. The professor receives 75% of the student charge.

Distance Education

Distance Education is a formal educational process in which the majority of the instruction (interaction between students and instructors and among students) occurs when students and instructors are not in the same place. Instruction may be synchronous or asynchronous. A distance education course may use the internet, audio conferencing, or video conferencing. Interaction between the instructor and the student is regular and substantive. Regardless of instruction mode or delivery method, the same minimum amount of combined instructional time and supplemental work is required for credit, and faculty must provide regular and substantive interactions with students. 

Course instructional mode

The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) defines a distance education course as a course in which the instructional content is delivered exclusively via distance education. Requirements for coming to campus for orientation, testing, or academic support services do not exclude a course from being classified as distance education. Additionally, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) provides guidance to inform EMU's mandatory reporting on course instructional format. That guidance is provided in Table 1 along with further details as it pertains to the EMU context. 

Table 1. Course instructional modes

EMU verifies the identity of a student who participates in class or coursework and notifies students of any projected additional charges associated with verification of student identity. In addition, EMU protects the privacy of students enrolled in distance education courses or programs.

EMU includes distance education headcount enrollment on its annual Institutional Profile submitted to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). 

Program classifications

EMU classifies instructional programs with regard to distance education using a two-level framework. This classification framework is informed by federal definitions that guide the university's annual reporting to IPEDS. EMU's degree and certificate programs must be classified into one of the two categories described in Table 2. EMU applies the SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation to all programs of the institution, regardless of mode of delivery.

Table 2. Categorization of distance education programs

Guidelines for Equivalent Instructional Activities

In addition to distance education, courses may be offered in other formats that differ from the traditional face-to-face classroom context. When a class is offered in an alternate format, the equivalent instructional activities should:

1. Be directly related to the objectives of the course/program

2. Be measurable for grading purposes

3. Have the direct oversight or supervision of the faculty member teaching the course

4. Be equivalent in some form to an activity conducted in the classroom

Three common types of instructional activities include laboratory courses, experiential learning, and independent study.

Laboratory Courses

A laboratory (lab) course is a course that combines traditional instruction with instructor-supervised application of methods and principles through experimentation, observation, or practice in real-world or simulated settings. For lab courses, one credit hour is equal to fifteen sessions of  1.25 hours of combined traditional instruction and laboratory experience.

Table 3. Laboratory course minutes required per credit hour granted

Experiential Learning and Individual Study

Experiential learning and individual study courses are courses with instructional time outside of the classroom where instructional time is defined as time spent on-task under the supervision or guidance of the instructor. This includes time spent on research, in an internship, in a culminating practicum or student teaching experience, clinical experiences, field study experiences, and independent study courses. Given that these components are outside of the formal classroom, one credit is assigned for 40 hours of instructional time spent on-task.

Table 4. Experiential learning and individual study minutes required per credit hour granted

Appendix I

EMU Credit Hour, Instructional Time and Student Out-of-class Engagement Time Requirements

Table A1. Minutes Required Per Credit Hour Granted

Table A2. Hours Required Per Credit Hour Granted

Responsible Party

The Provost is responsible for this policy.

Policy Review

This policy is to be reviewed every three years.

Distribution

Faculty/Staff Handbook