Time Formats for Credit Courses

Time Formats For Credit Courses

Below is Penn State's Policy 42-23 concerning credit distribution (as stated on pages 36-37 of Penn State's Policies and Rules for Students):

A course credit by instruction is defined as listed below for various types of educational experiences. In all cases, the course must be in the charge of a qualified member of the University's instructional staff, and formal evaluation of the student's achievement must be included in the course. The distribution of time between class activities and outside preparation varies from course to course; however, for the average student, a total of at least forty (40) hours of work planned and arranged by the University faculty is required to gain 1 credit.

1. Lecture, Discussion or Recitation - The distribution of time is usually one-third formal instruction and two-thirds outside preparation. Formal classes are normally scheduled for twelve and one-half (12-1/2) hours per credit.
2. Laboratory - The distribution of time varies from twenty-five (25) to thirty-seven and one-half (37-1/2) hours of laboratory instruction per credit with additional sufficient outside preparation.
3. Undergraduate Theses, Projects, Honors Programs, and Field Trips - At least forty (40) hours of work are required per credit with varying amounts of individual instruction.
4. Student Teaching and Internships - At least forty (40) hours of work are required per credit. Prior written approval of the appropriate University faculty is required for subsequent granting of credit.
5. Workshops - At least forty (40) hours of work are required per credit.
6. Individualized Instruction (e.g., Independent Learning courses and computer-aided instruction) - At least forty (40) hours of work are required per credit, with varying amounts of individual instruction.

One-Credit Acceptable Time Frames

The following are some of the more commonly used acceptable time frames for Penn State College of Education one-credit courses. All other formats are unacceptable unless approved by the College of Education.

• One 2-1/2 hour class per week for five weeks, with appropriate out-of-class assignments.
• One 2-1/2 hour class each day for five consecutive days, with appropriate out-of-class assignments. (This is a good model for Summer Session!)
• Two full days with 6-1/4 instructional contact hours per day, spread over at least one week, with appropriate out-of-class assignments.
  
  An example would be: Day 1—Saturday and Day 2—Saturday with assignments for out-of-class work for the time between the two Saturdays. The assignments would be expected to consist of about 25 hours of academic work.

In all cases, class contact would be at least 12-1/2 hours and outside preparation would consist of about 25 hours of work.

Two-Credit Acceptable Time Frames

The following are some of the more commonly used acceptable time frames for Penn State College of Education two-credit courses. Any other formats are unacceptable unless approved by the College of Education.

• One 2-1/2 hour class per week for 10 weeks, with appropriate out-of-class assignments.
• One 2-1/2 hour class each day, Monday through Friday, for two consecutive weeks, with appropriate out-of-class assignments.
• Four full days with 6-1/4 contact hours per day, spread over at least two weeks, with appropriate out-of-class assignments.
  
  An example would be Monday and Friday of Week 1, followed by Monday and Friday of Week 2, with assignments for out-of-class work for the time between the first and last classes. The assignments would be expected to consist of about 50 hours of academic work.

In all cases, class contact would be at least 25 hours and outside preparation would consist of about 50 hours of work.

Three-Credit Acceptable Time Frames

The following are some of the more commonly used acceptable time frames for Penn State College of Education three-credit courses. Any other formats are unacceptable unless approved by the College of Education.

• One 2-1/2 hour class per week for 15 weeks, with appropriate out-of-class assignments.
• Twice a week (2-1/2 hours each session) for 7-1/2 weeks with appropriate out-of-class assignments.
• Six full days with 6-1/4 instructional contact hours per day, spread over at least three weeks, with appropriate out-of-class assignments.
• Thirty days for 1-1/4 hours per day with appropriate out-of-class assignments. This is often used in Summer where the class meets every day for six weeks.

In all cases, class contact would be at least 37-1/2 hours and outside preparation would consist of about 75 hours of work.