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The United States Department of Education (US DOE) requires that college's make students aware of their school/work expectations outside the classroom. The standards call for every credit hour (50 minutes) of direct faculty instruction (with or without lab), the student is expected to have 2 hours of work per week outside of the class, including reading, class preparation, homework, studying, etc. This is what guides the limits on credit load by semester.
Students requesting to register in excess of the credit limits (indicated in red in the table below) may appeal in writing to the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs; please refer to the Credit Course Load Policy.
The chart below shows the minimum minutes per week, both in and outside the classroom.
|
Minutes - In Class/Out of Class per Week |
|||||||||
|
Credits |
15-week |
12 week |
6.5 week |
||||||
|
|
In |
Out |
Total |
In |
Out |
Total |
In Class |
Out of Class |
Total |
|
1 |
50 |
100 |
150 |
62.5 |
125 |
187.5 |
116 |
235 |
351 |
|
2 |
100 |
200 |
300 |
125 |
250 |
375 |
232 |
470 |
702 |
|
3 |
150 |
300 |
450 |
187.5 |
375 |
562.5 |
348 |
705 |
1053 |
|
4 |
200 |
400 |
600 |
250 |
500 |
750 |
464 |
940 |
1404 |
|
5 |
250 |
500 |
750 |
312.5 |
625 |
937.5 |
580 |
1175 |
1755 |
|
6 |
300 |
600 |
900 |
375 |
750 |
1125 |
696 |
1410 |
2106 |
|
7 |
350 |
700 |
1050 |
500 |
975 |
1475 |
812 |
1645 |
2457 |
|
8 |
400 |
800 |
1200 |
562.5 |
1000 |
1562.5 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
9 |
450 |
900 |
1350 |
625 |
1125 |
1750 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
10 |
500 |
1000 |
1500 |
687.5 |
1250 |
1937.5 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| 11 | 550 | 1100 | 1650 | 750 | 1375 | 2125 | -- | -- | -- |
| 12 | 600 | 1200 | 1800 | 812.5 | 1500 | 2312.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 13 | 650 | 1300 | 1950 | 875 | 1625 | 2500 | -- | -- | -- |
| 14 | 700 | 1400 | 2100 | 937.5 | 2100 | 3037.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 15 | 750 | 1500 | 2250 | 1000 | 2225 | 3225 | -- | -- | -- |
| 16 | 800 | 1600 | 2400 | 1062.5 | 2250 | 3687.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 17 | 850 | 1700 | 2550 | 1125 | 2375 | 3500 | -- | -- | -- |
| 18 | 900 | 1800 | 2700 | 1187.5 | 2500 | 3687.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 19 | 950 | 1900 | 2850 | 1250 | 2625 | 3875 | -- | -- | -- |
| 20 | 1000 | 2000 | 3000 | 1312.5 | 2750 | 4062.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 21 | 1050 | 2100 | 3150 | 1375 | 2875 | 4250 | -- | -- | -- |
Terms of different lengths are adjusted proprotionally.
Online Classes
The same formula is required to be used for Online classes. Student/Instructor Contact Time can include activities such as timed assignments completed totally online, online timed tests and quizzes, time spent participating in content-related discussions, blogs or journals, watching videos or Power-Points, reading class lectures only available through the online class or instructor-student communication (email, messaging) related to course content. Please note that according to recent interpretation of federal Pell Grant regulations, discussions not directly related to course content, and individual student-faculty communications not expressly related to course content cannot be considered as an applicable online “contact” activity. Student Activities Outside of Contact Hours can include activities such as textbook reading, research for and writing or assignments due for later delivery, watching videos not available only through the classroom or online class, exam preparation, take-home exams, required individual “class trips” (e.g., visits to museums by each student on their own) .
The following is a breakdown of average required contact minutes for a three-credit course by week:
|
Semester Length |
Student/Instructor Time |
Outside Time |
|
15-week |
150 |
300 |
|
12-week |
187 |
375 |
|
6.5-week |
375 |
750 |
|
3.5-week (Wintersession) |
643 |
1286 |
