Gwynedd Mercy University 2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog
Instructional Hour
In general , students should expect to spend at least 3 hours of effort outside of class for every credit hour . For example , a 4-credit course will require at least 12 hours of student time each week ( homework : 2 hours or more ; reading and studying 6 ½ hours per week ).
Federal regulations require that the university confirms all courses meet the required number of inclass instructional hours . For all undergraduate term programs and non-lab courses , Gwynedd Mercy University defines an “ instructional hour ” as a 50-minute session . While Gwynedd Mercy University is committed to an outcomes-based approach to curriculum and assessment in accordance with its accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education ( MSCHE ) and other program accrediting associations , it also complies with and endorses the requirements of the Pennsylvania Department of Education on what constitutes a semester credit hour of instruction ( 22 PA . Code Chapter 31-21-31.22 ). The standard states that “ a semester hour represents a unit of curricular material that can normally be taught in a minimum of 14 hours of classroom instruction , plus outside preparation or the equivalent as determined by the faculty .” The institution also supports the federal regulations for credit hours as specified in the Higher Education Opportunity Act as : “ 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 .”
At Gwynedd Mercy University , a three-credit course represents 42 hours of classroom instruction or its equivalent , not including final examination or homework as normally interpreted . The following guidelines are intended to assure compliance with the standard across the various course delivery formats offered by the institution , a consistency in when and how the equivalency is applied across formats , and the maximum opportunity for faculty to exercise academic freedom in meeting the extant standard while achieving the goals , objectives , and outcomes of the specific course .
Term Programs : Ordinarily , courses offered within a Term Program format will meet the 14 hours of classroom instruction per credit hour ( i . e ., 42 hours for a three-credit course , 56 hours for a four- credit course , etc .). However , if a class or classes in a course must be cancelled due , for example , to the closing of the University for Inclement Weather or the illness or other appropriate unavailability of the faculty member , then additional structured instructional activity ( or activities ) would be required to meet the equivalency standard . For example , if classroom instruction turns out to be 38 hours face- to-face , the faculty will determine the appropriate “ out of classroom ” instructional activities for the additional four hours required to meet the semester standard . Wherever possible , this contingency will be explained in the syllabus and documented accordingly .
Non-Term and Accelerated Programs : There are a number of outcome-based formats at the university in which instructional time is less than the 14 hours per one semester credit but meet the equivalency standard set forth in the regulation . In these alternative formats , the instructional time and the additional outside of classroom alternative instructional activities (“ Alternative Equivalent Instruction ” or AIE ) must meet the one semester credit hour per 14 hours ’ classroom instruction or its equivalent as determined by the faculty ( i . e ., 42 hours for a three- credit course ; 56 for a four- credit course , etc .). For example , if a three- credit course in a seven-week format meets face-to-face for 28 hours , an additional 14 hours of structured , alternative equivalent instruction activities ( AIEs ) are required ; for a five-week course that meets 20 hours face-to-face , an additional 22 hours of
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