Credit Hour Policy and Procedure

Credit Hour Policy and Procedure

Policy

Clovis Community College follows the Federal Definition of Credit Hour policy in awarding academic credit. It is outlined below:

The federal definition of “credit hour” is based on the Carnegie unit of academic credit and is defined in 34 CFR 600.2 (and further modified in 34 CFR 668.8 (k) and (l) as “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 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, practical, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.”

For the purposes of credit assignment at CCC, a credit hour is earned for each hour of classroom instruction, every two hours of lab instruction, and every three hours for clinical experiences.

Credit hours for courses as well as programs are included in the Course Catalog and on the CCC website under specific programmatic requirements in the given discipline.

Procedure

The purpose of this procedure is to inform students on how course level and credits are determined for classes and disciplines at Clovis Community College.

The classes are provided in the following course modalities:

  • On campus: The curriculum is offered totally face-to-face on campus with the instructor in the physical presence of students.
  • Live online: The curriculum is offered totally in a virtual learning environment. The class is conducted at a designated, scheduled time and the instructor is online as well.
  • Fully online: The curriculum is offered in a virtual learning environment and scheduling time is up to the student.
  • Hybrid: The curriculum is offered partially on campus and the remainder of the class is offered in the virtual learning environment. On campus class sessions are on designated days and times.
  • Mixed: The curriculum is provided in a combination of on campus, live online, and fully online combination. The instructor defines the mode and the student decides how to participate. The on campus and live online sessions are at designated days and times, the fully online component is left to the student to decide how to participate.

Determining Course Levels:

New Mexico recently implemented a four letter/numbering system for determining statewide class transfer. Disciplines that have been updated by the state will use a four letter/number designation system. Those represented with a three letter/number designation have not been updated by the NM Higher Education Department. At the time that these revisions have been made, the changes will be made in each discipline and modified in the Course Catalog.

Transitional studies courses are designated with the TRST designation with course numbers of 0900-0999. The purpose of these courses is to prepare students for college readiness. These classes are reflected on the transcript, but do not earn college credit toward the discipline.

College level courses are designated by either the three letter/number or the four letter/number combination. Course numbers are 100-293 for three number designations, and 1110-2996 for four number designations. These classes are included in all certificate and degree programs.

Assignment of Credit Hours

Contact Hour: The actual time of student attendance in a class or lab.

Class: Credit of one semester hour is awarded for each 16 hours of lecture provided in a class under the supervision of an instructor.

Faculty Directed Laboratory: Credit of one semester hour is awarded for each 32 hours of lab work associated with didactic courses. These experiences are through work in the labs on campus or online. These experiences are under the supervision of an instructor.

Clinical Labs: Credit of one semester hour is awarded for each 48 hours of clinical practice. Clinical practice provides opportunities for Allied Health students to apply skills and knowledge in the delivery of healthcare in contracted clinical sites. These experiences are under the supervision of a qualified faculty member, clinical instructor, or clinical preceptor. An instructor within the Allied Health programs oversee these experiences and may include Allied Health Program Directors, Clinical Coordinators, and Nursing faculty.

 

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