Rockford University Credit Hour Policy

Rockford University uses the credit hour or its equivalent for academic scheduling and awarding of credit. The credit hour is defined in accordance with Federal Policy as follows:

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 of out-of-class student work for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester hour of credit.
• at least an equivalent amount of work as required in the paragraph above 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.

In accordance with commonly accepted practices in higher education, Rockford University requires a minimum of fifteen, 50-minute sessions of direct faculty instruction and a minimum of 2-3 hours of student preparation time outside of class per week throughout the semester for one semester hour of credit. Final exam periods may be counted as class time when computing required minutes.

Faculty Instruction

Faculty Instruction and Student Preparation Time

Credits are assigned to courses by the department, and college, from which a course originates in accordance with the academic work and student learning outcomes required in the course. The credit hour assignment for each course is reviewed through the faculty governance process which requires review by the University Curriculum Committee/Graduate Studies Committee and approval by the full faculty. Prior to each academic year and prior to the course schedule being published for student registration purposes, a proposed academic calendar and schedule is developed by the College Deans and Registrar. The proposed academic calendar and schedule includes the calendar of class meetings as well as the beginning and end date for all courses. The proposed schedule provides the number of class meetings for each month of the semester as well as the total number of meetings for the semester.

Individual departments are responsible for implementing, enforcing, and including in their assessment process changes to the credit hour policy which impact their course offerings. Courses that have a nonstandard structure such as on-line courses, studio work, or any other academic work leading to the award of credit hours, at a minimum, must state clearly workload expectations in course syllabi and provide copies of these to the Office of Academic Affairs.

University courses are offered in a variety of modes, each of which is described below. Credits in each of these modes is based on the fundamental model of 1 credit per hour of class per week based on a 15-week semester but calculated for the unique situation each mode presents for student learning.

Lecture/Seminar

Lecture courses focus on principles, concepts or ideas, lecture, discussion and demonstration. One credit is earned for fifteen, 50-minute sessions of direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of student preparation time outside of class per week throughout the semester.

Accelerated Sessions

These courses are offered within the standard semester at an accelerated rate in a compressed amount of time in which the credits offered are the same as standard semester courses. The content and substantive learning outcomes are the same. These courses must meet the definition of standard lecture course contact time (750 minutes per credit).

Experiential Learning Courses

These experiences include approximately 3 hours of practical experience per week or 42-45 hours/semester to earn one credit.

Internships

Internships require a minimum of 45 hours of on-site work for each credit earned. Internships range from 1-6 credits and span varying time durations. Community internship partners must be approved by the Department Chair, and on-site supervisors must agree to place the student in a position that will benefit not only their organization, but will add to the student's education in a meaningful manner. A reflective component is required for successful completion of any internship.

Non-Credit-Bearing Laboratory Sections

Most laboratory sections on campus are non-credit bearing but impact the grade of the co-requisite course. Non-credit laboratory sections typically meet for 170 minutes per week during the standard 15-week semester.

Laboratory

These practical application-type courses are where the major focus is “hands on” experience to support student learning (use of equipment, activities, tools, machines generally found in a laboratory). One credit is earned for fifteen, 170-minute sessions of practical experience in the laboratory and a minimum of two hours of student preparation time outside of class per week throughout the semester.

Community-Based Learning

Community-based learning (sometimes called service-learning) links the classroom to the community in an experiential learning process. In community-based learning (CBL), the professor, the students, and the community agency learn collaboratively while helping the Rockford community. Rockford University does not offer stand-alone CBL classes. In courses in which CBL is embedded, the instructor must indicate in the syllabus the number of hours outside of the classroom in which students are required to participate in CBL activities.

Non-Credit-Bearing Nursing Clinical Sections

In these supervised experiences, students are able to apply skills and techniques acquired through the nursing curriculum. Most clinical sections are non-credit bearing but impact the grade of the co-requisite course. Non-credit clinical sections typically meet for 6-8 hours per week during the standard 15-week semester. The number of hours varies by clinical site hour requirements and necessary work for a specific course.

Education Courses with Clinical Hours

The Education Department offers several lecture-based education courses that contain embedded clinical hours to be completed in area pre-K – 12 schools. The number of clinical hours is included in the catalog course description and the course syllabus. Rockford University does not offer stand-alone clinical hours except for the student teaching semester described below.

Student Teaching Placement

An experience most often completed in the student’s last semester of coursework which focuses upon classroom observation, assistance to the teacher, and actual teaching supervised by the classroom teacher and university supervisor. Student teaching is completed during a 16-week period for a minimum of 525 total hours. One credit is earned for every 43.75 hours student teachers spend in their assigned experiences.

Private Music Lessons

The Music department offers private lessons for credit in voice and a number of orchestral and band instruments. Lessons are scheduled individually with the instructor. One credit awarded for one 30 minute one-on-one lesson and 4-6 hours of student work per week outside of class for a minimum of 12 weeks.

Studio Courses

In the fine and performing arts, studio courses meet 1-3 hours in class per credit per week with an expectation of 1-6 hours of out-of-class practice and/or preparation per week for each credit. Individual departments determine specific out-of-class requirements based on standard professional practices in the field and must state those in the course syllabus.

Independent Study

These courses permit a student to study a subject or topic in considerable depth beyond the scope of a regular course. Students meet periodically, as agreed upon with the faculty member, for the duration of the course. Credits are assigned based on the amount of activity associated with the course, faculty supervision, and amount of expected student outside work.

Tutorial

These are regular courses that the student has not been able to schedule in the regular sequence. The faculty and student meet individually to cover the course material during the semester. Scope, assignments, requirements, and credits for a tutorial course are the same as for the regular course with the same course number, title, and description. Students meet periodically, as agreed upon with the faculty member, for the duration of the course based on the amount of activity associated with the course, faculty supervision, and amount of expected student outside work.

Hybrid

A course is considered hybrid (or blended) when it is composed of both online learning and classroom learning and incorporates the best features of both environments to meet the learning objectives of the course. No less than 51% of the course is to be scheduled as face-to-face, and no more than 49% of the course is to be scheduled as online. For a three-credit course, no less than 76.50 minutes (1.275 hours) a week can be scheduled face-to-face and no more than 73.50 minutes (1.225 hours) per a week can be scheduled online equaling a total of 150 minutes of instruction per week.

Online

Courses where instructors and students do not meet in the same space should be consistent in terms of quality, assessment, learning outcomes, requirements, etc. as courses offered face-to-face with the same department prefix, number, and course title. Scope, assignments, credits, and requirements for an online course are the same as for the regular course with the same course number, title, and description. Faculty must demonstrate active academic engagement through interactive methods, including but not limited to, interactive tutorials, group discussions, virtual study/project groups, discussion boards, chat rooms, etc. Simply logging on, either by faculty or students, does not constitute active student learning. These courses must meet the definition of standard lecture contact time within the duration of the online version (750 minutes per credit).