Policy

A credit hour will be defined for face-to-face instruction according to COMAR standards for lecture, laboratory and experiential learning.

Rationale

The College’s definition of a credit hour will be defined according to the COMAR standards, which are found in Section 13b.02.02.06. Scheduling and teaching courses according to these standards promotes effective credit transfer to other institutions of higher education.

Practice

• One credit hour of face-to-face lecture instruction will be defined as a minimum of 750 minutes of scheduled instruction. To meet this instructional time standard, a lecture time chart is provided below that correlates the needed class length with the number of class meetings.
• One credit hour of asynchronous online and hybrid instruction is defined as the same amount of work to meet the same learning outcomes as in face-to-face section of the same course.
• One credit hour of face-to-face supervised laboratory or studio instruction will be defined as a minimum of 1500 minutes of scheduled instruction.
• One credit hour of face-to-face experiential instruction, i.e. clinical experience, internships and cooperative learning experiences will be defined as a minimum of 2250 minutes of scheduled supervised learning.

COMAR Sec. 13b.02.02.16. Graduation Requirements

D. Credit Hours.

(1) An in-State institution shall award 1 credit hour for:

(a) A minimum of 15 hours, of 50 minutes each of actual class time, exclusive of registration, study days, and holidays;

(b) A minimum of 30 hours, of 50 minutes each of supervised laboratory or studio time, exclusive of registration, study days, and holidays;

(c) A minimum of 45 hours, of 50 minutes each of instructional situations such as practica, internships, and cooperative education placements, when supervision is ensured and learning is documented; or

(d) Instruction delivered by electronic media based on the equivalent outcomes in student learning in §D(1)(a) of this regulation, and may include a combination of telelessons, classroom instruction, student consultation with instructors, and readings, when supervision is ensured and learning is documented.

(2) One quarter hour of credit is awarded for instruction equivalent to 2/3 of the contact hours required for 1 credit hour.