Policy
Ohio Northern University's policy is to ensure compliance with national and state credit-hour standards.
Procedure
Through rigorous oversight at multiple levels—faculty, department, college, and registrar—Ohio Northern University upholds the integrity of its academic offerings and compliance with federal and state credit-hour requirements regardless of format or duration by adhering to established credit-hour definitions and instructional expectations.
Definitions
The definition of a credit hour as published in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 34, Part 600.2 is as follows:
“Credit Hour: Except as provided in 34 CFR 668.8(k) and (l), 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
(1) One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out of class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or
(2) At least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition 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.”
Similarly, according to the Ohio Department of Higher Education, “One semester credit hour will be awarded for a minimum of 750 minutes of formalized instruction that typically requires students to work at out-of-class assignments an average of twice the amount of time as the amount of formalized instruction (1,500 minutes). It is acknowledged that formalized instruction may take place in a variety of modes. While awarding semester credit hours typically occurs for instruction delivered in accordance with an institution's standard semester calendar, it may also occur for instruction that may not follow the typical pattern of an institution's standard semester calendar as long as the criteria for awarding such credit is met.”
Credit Hour Oversight
The faculty is responsible for the curriculum. Credit values for courses are determined at the department level based on faculty expertise and course objectives. Upon departmental approval the course is entered into our curriculum system and undergoes additional evaluation as it moves through the course approval process. All curriculum and review/approval bodies at Ohio Northern University are responsible for following the policy on credit hours in their review and approval of all courses; they are also responsible for certifying that the expected student learning outcomes for the course meet the credit-hour standard wherever and however courses are taught.
Department Chairs, Program Directors, and appropriate College Curriculum Committees are responsible for reviewing the syllabi of any new courses to make sure that minimum university standards for credit hours are being met. When planning new courses, faculty should ensure that a total of 37.5 hours/2,250 minutes of teaching and learning per semester is included for every credit hour. Each lecture-based credit hour will usually consist of 50 minutes of formalized faculty-directed or guided interaction plus a minimum of 100 minutes of independent student learning per week in a standard 15-week term, which includes one week for exams. Research papers, projects, and take-home exams that are due during the exam week may count as the final week of instruction. Other combinations of time are possible, where appropriate (such as a higher proportion of instructional/interactional time for a laboratory or a lower proportion of instructional/interactional time for independent research). All courses no matter their term length, instructional modality, or delivery method must meet these hour minimums.
Faculty-directed, formalized, or guided interaction is the amount of time a student is expected to be involved in structured learning under the direction or facilitation of the instructor. Examples include, but are not limited to, in person or online lectures, seminars, discussions, art and design studios, supervised group work, and examinations. Independent learning is the amount of time students spend outside of scheduled or direct instruction to fulfill course objectives. Examples include, but are not limited to, reading assignments, working out problems, preparing for exams, completing online and face-to-face group work, writing papers, and working on a project.
Approved courses are sent to the Office of the Registrar for inclusion in the Schedule of Classes and the University Catalog, as appropriate based on their status as experimental or permanent. The Office of the Registrar is responsible for reviewing the Schedule of Classes prior to the start of each semester to ensure that all face-to-face classes are scheduled for the minimum number of minutes. Any discrepancies are brought to the attention of the appropriate department or college for correction or verification that credit-hour minimums are being met.
Guidelines for Credit-Hour Planning
Lecture (L) – One credit hour for one hour of faculty-led instruction per week for a 15-week term. This assumes normal outside preparation by the student of two hours for every hour in class. A one credit-hour lecture course represents 750 minutes of direct instruction supplemented by a minimum of 1500 minutes of student independent study or preparation. A standard three-credit hour lecture course includes at least 2,250 minutes of faculty-directed instruction and 4,500 minutes of student independent study/preparation over the term of instruction.
Example: A 3-credit hour lecture course that meets
- Fifteen times in a term: would need to meet for 150 minutes per meeting (2,250/15 = 150)
- Eight times in a term: would need to meet 282 minutes per meeting (2,250/8 = 282), or 4 hours and 42 minutes each meeting, and would need to add a session if any session falls on an academic holiday.
- In addition to direct instruction, the course would need to require 4,500 minutes of independent study and preparation. This would equate to 300 minutes per week for a full 15-week term and 900 minutes per week for an 8-week term.
Practicum/Clinical (PC) – One credit hour for every three hours of practicum/clinical pre week, supervised by a faculty member and/or an approved member of an outside agency, for a 15-week term. Faculty regularly interacts with and directs student outcomes with periodic contact for this modality. Course work likely contains directed activity/learning outside of a lecture setting. Although these courses must meet the minimum credit hour requirements, the range of coursework hours can vary greatly by subject area and type of experience and may be much higher than the university minimums. No matter the ratio, each credit hour for this type of course will consist of a minimum of 2,250 minutes of course work, including both direct instruction and student independent study.
Laboratory courses: The ratio of directed vs independent work may vary in lab courses. Often for non-major labs, a minimum of two-thirds of the course work is scheduled, directed laboratory time. Each credit hour of a typical lab course consists of a minimum of 1,500 minutes of scheduled laboratory activity supported by 750 minutes of homework. No matter the ratio, each credit hour for a laboratory course will consist of a minimum of 2,250 minutes of course work including both direct instruction and student independent study.
Lab 1:1 credit/contact ratio 1+2 (LB1) – One credit hour for one classroom hour per week for a 15-week term. This is for supervised group activity such as a laboratory involving substantial outside preparation by the student (two hours for every hour in class).
Lab 1:2 credit/contact ratio 2+1 (LB2) – One credit hour for two classroom hour per week for a 15-week term. This is for supervised group activity such as a laboratory involving outside preparation by the student (one hour per week).
Lab 1:3 credit/contact ratio 3+0 (LB3) – One credit hour for three classroom hour per week for a 15-week term. This is for supervised group activity such as a laboratory involving less than one hour per week of outside preparation by the student.
Lecture/Lab (LLB) – Combination definition of Lecture and Lab.
Lecture/Lab/Clinical (LLC) – Combination definition of Lecture, Lab, and Clinical.
Lecture/Clinical (LCN) – Combination definition of Lecture and Clinical.
Individual Instruction (II) – One credit hour for three hours of individualized instruction by the instructor and outside preparation by the student per week for a 15-week term. Meets the same learning outcomes as regular instruction.
Independent Study (IS) – One credit hour for three hours (on average, per week) of supervised work by the student including any one-on-one meetings with the instructor for a 15-week term. These are courses of study in which a faculty member regularly interacts and directs student outcomes with periodic contact. Minimum credit hours are usually determined based on the traditional lecture section equivalent but may vary. Credit hour minimums must still be maintained, but the ratio of directed work versus independent work varies.
Seminar (S) – Highly focused course that may include student-presented research. One credit hour for one classroom hour per week for a 15-week term. This assumes normal outside preparation by the student of two hours for every hour in class.
Research (RES) – Reflects an experience of faculty mentored student research that is unrelated to student competitions. One credit hour for three hours (on average, per week) of supervised work by the student including any one-on-one meetings with the instructor for a 15-week term. While this course is repeatable, each course offering a student completes will be distinctly different than previous enrollments. Thus, no letter grade from a research schedule type course can be excluded from GPA. No more than 3 credit hours of research coursework count towards undergraduate graduation requirements.
Distance Learning (DL) – One credit hour for three hours of remote instruction and student preparation per week for a 15-week term. Distance education uses the internet or other technologies (i) to deliver instruction to students who are separated from the instructor: and (ii) to support regular and substantive interaction between the students and the instructor, synchronously or asynchronously. These courses must be reviewed and meet Quality Matters standards. For courses in which 100% of the instruction is delivered in an online mode, each credit hour consists of 2,250 minutes of course work including both direct instruction and student independent study. Lecture courses that are fully online typically include 750 minutes of faculty directed instruction and 1,500 minutes of supporting independent work. Faculty-directed instruction may include activities such as multimedia interaction, discussions, online meetings, and/or assessment activities as documented in the course syllabus.
Hybrid (HYB) – One credit hour for one hour of faculty-led classroom and internet-based instruction per week for a 15-week term. This assumes outside preparation by the student of two hours for every hour of instruction. Over the course of the term, students should meet with the faculty member in person for at least 25% of the contact hours.
Student Teaching (STT) – One credit hour for one week of full-time student teaching.
Performance/Activities (PA) – One credit hour for one and a half hours of in-class instruction and/or student performance/rehearsal where the student is engaged in the study and application of theory and techniques to further advance student’s proficiency in their field of performance. The student will complete one and a half hours of outside preparation for every one and a half hours of in-class instruction during the 15-week term. Each credit hour of work in the field represents 2,250 minutes of faculty instruction.
Pharmacy Rotations (PH) – One credit hour per week of full-time professional experience.
Co-op (CO) – Cooperative education (or Co-op) is a partnership between students, ONU, and employers that formally integrates students’ academic study with work experience in cooperating employer organizations. These experiences are multi-semester, the students are paid via compensation, there are evaluations by both ONU and the employer, and students will receive one credit hour for every semester they participate in a co-op assignment.
Internship (IN) – Internships are a partnership between students, ONU, and employers that formally integrates students’ academic study with work or community service experience. The internship will be for a specified duration, will have performance evaluations from both ONU and the employer, and it may involve compensation. Students can register for one credit hour per 100 hours of recorded internship experience. No undergraduate degree program can require more than three credit hours of internship, and undergraduate students can apply no more than six credit hours towards their degree requirements. Note: The College of Law has a different ratio, defining one credit hour for a minimum of 37 hours of recorded internship experience.
Capstone (CAP) – One credit hour for three hours (on average, per week) of supervised work by the student including any one-on-one meetings with the instructor for a 15-week term.
Study Abroad (ABR) – Study abroad is an educational experience outside the United States that is completed by ONU students as part of their degree program.
Varsity Sports (V) – Students who belong to a varsity sport and are listed on the team’s roster are awarded one credit hour using the S/U grading scale for every season a student successfully completes. Students will be expected to have met for team practices at least 10 hours per week under the direction of their coach, in addition to attending competitions.
Accelerated Courses: These may contain any modality listed above but are offered in an accelerated format that is shorter than a standard semester. The content and substantive student learning outcomes are the same as those in the standard semester. These courses must meet coursework minimums of both faculty-directed instruction and independent student work per credit hour within the accelerated timeframe.
Example: A 3-credit hour lecture course that meets
- Eight times in a term: would need to meet 282 minutes per meeting (2,250/8 = 282), or 4 hours and 42 minutes each meeting, and would need to add a session if any session falls on an academic holiday.
- In addition to direct instruction, the course would need to require 4,500 minutes of independent study and preparation. This would equate to 900 minutes per week for an 8-week term.
Table for Calculating Minimums per Credit Hour in Standard 15-Week Full-Term
| Course Format |
Credit Hour
|
Direct Instruction (minutes)
|
Independent Learning (minutes)
|
Total Minutes per Week
|
Total Hours per Week
|
Total Semester Hours
|
Total Minutes per Term
|
Lecture or
Seminar or
Independent Study |
1
2
3
4
|
50
100
150
200
|
100
200
300
400
|
150
300
450
600
|
2.5
5
7.5
10
|
37.5
75
112.5
150
|
2250
4500
6750
9000
|
| Laboratory |
1
2
|
Variable
Variable
|
Variable
Variable
|
Variable
Variable
|
2.5
5
|
37.5
75
|
2250
4500
|
Practicum or
Clinical or Internship or
Capstone or
Research or |
1
2
3
4
|
Variable
Variable
Variable
Variable
|
150
200
300
400
|
450
300
450
600
|
2.5
5
7.5
10
|
37.5
75
112.5
150
|
2250
4500
6750
9000
|
Performance
Activities |
1
2
3
4
|
75
150
225
300
|
75
150
225
300
|
150
300
450
600
|
2.5
5
7.5
10
|
37.5
75
112.5
150
|
2250
4500
6750
9000
|
