Policy:
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 15 weeks for one semester
- – OR – at least an equivalent amount of work as required 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.
Courses taught in traditional classroom format during regular academic term:
Pursuant to TBR Guideline A-090 – Calendar Conversion, DSCC requires 750 minutes of instruction per semester hour of credit for courses taught in a traditional classroom format during a regular academic term. In determining the length of a regular academic term, DSCC adheres to TBR Guideline A-019 – Academic Calendars and Student Registration.
The credit hour range of DSCC courses is from one to 17. Courses are assigned credit hours as determined by the amount of class time and/or the amount of work both in and outside the classroom for successful acquisition of the stated learning outcomes. The following indicates the number of minutes of instruction required for courses taught in the traditional classroom format over the period of a regular academic term.
1 credit hour course = 750 minutes of instruction
2 credit hour course = 1,500 minutes of instruction
3 credit hour course = 2,250 minutes of instruction
4 credit hour course = 3,000 minutes of instruction
5 credit hour course = 3,750 minutes of instruction
7 credit hour course = 5,250 minutes of instruction
8 credit hour course = 6,000 minutes of instruction
9 credit hour course = 6,750 minutes of instruction
10 credit hour course = 7,500 minutes of instruction
14 credit hour course = 10,500 minutes of instruction
17 credit hour course = 12,750 minutes of instruction
To accommodate the required minutes of instruction, DSCC requires 55 minutes of instruction per class meeting for courses that meet three times per week; 85 minutes of instruction per class meeting for courses that meet twice a week and 170 minutes of instruction per class meeting for courses that meet once a week.
Using the required number of minutes per class meeting and the 750 minutes of instruction per credit hour, the following indicates the number of class meetings that are required during the fall and spring semesters.
| Meeting Patterns | Number of MEETINGS needed | CLASS LENGTH | TOTAL MINUTES OF INSTRUCTION |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, Wednesday, Friday | 41 | 55 | 2250 |
| Tuesday and Thursday | 27 | 85 | 2295 |
| Monday and Wednesday | 27 | 85 | 2295 |
| Monday and Wednesday evenings | 27 | 85 | 2295 |
| Tuesday and Thursday evenings | 27 | 85 | 2295 |
| Monday evening | 14 | 170 | 2380 |
| Tuesday evening | 14 | 170 | 2380 |
| Wednesday evening | 14 | 170 | 2380 |
| Thursday evening | 14 | 170 | 2380 |
| Friday evening | 14 | 170 | 2380 |
| Saturday | 14 | 170 | 2380 |
For fall and spring semesters, DSCC adheres to TBR Guideline A-019 – Academic Calendars and Student Registration, which requires a minimum of 15 weeks of instruction during the fall and spring semesters.
Courses taught in traditional classroom format during abbreviated academic term:
DSCC offers the following terms of alternate length in addition to the 15-week fall and spring semesters:
• May Semester
• Summer Term First Session
• Summer Term Second Session
• Summer Term Full Session
To comply with the 750 minutes of instruction per credit hour for courses taught in the traditional classroom setting during these terms, the following dictates each of these summer terms:
- May Semester – Three credit hour courses require a minimum of 12 days of instruction and must meet a minimum of 190 minutes daily. Adjustments are made for courses greater than three credit hours.
- Summer Term First and Second Sessions – Three credit hour courses require a minimum of 24 days of instruction and must meet five days a week for a minimum of 95 minutes daily. Adjustments are made for courses greater than three credit hours.
- Summer Term Full Session – Three credit hour courses require a minimum of 47 days of instruction and must meet five days a week for 55 minutes daily. Adjustments are made for courses greater than three credit hours.
Courses taught in a distance learning format: For these courses, a combination of course elements is provided and may come from the following possible equivalencies:
- Lecture/discussion/chat sessions delivered synchronously directly by the instructor via D2L;
- Required and faculty-involved asynchronous interaction via discussion boards, blogs, wikis or other appropriate social media;
- Proctored tests/exams or student evaluation tasks delivered through D2L;
- Assignments (reading, writing, video) that exceed assignments required in a face-to-face course.
Courses taught in a laboratory or clinical setting: Courses for which instruction is provided in a laboratory or clinical setting which is included in assigning the number of credit hours for the course must include a minimum of two hours of laboratory or clinical instruction for the credit hour associated with the laboratory or clinical instruction. For example, a 4-credit hour science course must contain a minimum of three hours of lecture and two hours in the laboratory (3 x 55 minutes of classroom instruction + 2 x 55 minutes of laboratory instruction = 275 minutes of instruction per week).
Cooperative Education Work Experience: Courses offered as a part of the Cooperative Education Work Experience must adhere to the standard of a minimum of 750 scheduled minutes of instructional time or the equivalent per credit hour.
The number of credit hours required in degree programs will be in accordance with TBR Policy 2:01:00:00 – General Education Requirements and Degree Requirements.
The number of credit hours required in certificate programs will be determined by the academic division offering the certificate.