Assignment of Academic Credit Policy

I. Scope

This policy applies to all academic credit issued by Indiana Wesleyan University.

II. Policy Statement

IWU awards academic credit in accord with the federal definition of the credit hour.

III. Reason for the Policy

The pattern of assignment of academic credit is inherited from longstanding, informal consensus in the academy, developed in the context of the common academic year composed of semesters.  Efforts in the early 1900’s to establish standards of measure for faculty and student labor eventually settled on the Carnegie Unit and the common academic credit hour.  With a semester length of about 15 weeks, courses that met for one hour, once per week, were assigned one semester hour of credit.  It was assumed that students spend twice as much time outside of class periods mastering course material, so total student investment in academic work would be nominally 45 hours of labor per credit.  The pervasive practice of courses meeting for 50 minutes with a ten-minute change break set the actual value of average student investment in the upper 30’s to low 40’s.  IWU’s current 15-week calendar for the traditional, residential campus, with 55-minute periods MWF and 85-minute periods TTh, provides about 38.5 contact hours for a nominal 3-credit lecture class, within the range of what is common in the academy.

This connection between credits and measures of student labor is inherently awkward because students are normally evaluated not on effort but on learning, and the earned degree that the credits accumulate toward is an institutional certification of mastery of essential knowledge, skills, and dispositions, not time invested.  The growth of competency-based programs which measure student progress solely in terms of content mastery, independent of time or effort, highlight the inadequacy of a simple, labor-derived standard.  

Systems for establishing equivalencies for credit assignment have always been required.  Some classes, by their nature, require little student work outside of contact time; others require more.  Compressed time formats in the residential context, such as January terms, May terms, and summer school, are long-established variations in delivery modality, requiring equivalent systems for credit assignment.  Sometimes an equal number of contact hours is provided in the compressed calendar, with a commensurate assumption of equal outside student work, but this is not always the case.  The advent in recent decades of a wide variety of delivery modalities and schedules, tailored to the ne

ds and gifts of particular student groups, including asynchronous online delivery in which there are no contact hours in the traditional sense, has further complicated the assignment of credit.  Of particular note in this context is education for the working adult.  Variations in delivery modality are required for the sake of accessibility for adult students, but differences in curriculum are also appropriate because of the different expectations and preparations that adult learners bring to the table.  Knowles (1980)[1] articulated the core ideas of an andragogical theory of adult education, further developed by many researchers and practitioners, including the faculty of Indiana Wesleyan University.[2][3]  The andragogy model leverages the characteristics of adult learners, such as their relatively high degree of internal motivation, their reservoir of relevant life experience, and their readiness to learn, to maximize learning outcomes in accelerated-format modalities.[4]  The academy now has decades of experience with accelerated courses, commonly five to eight weeks with 20 to 32 contact hours for a 3-credit class.[5]  Accelerated modalities can produce equal or greater learning in adult students when compared to the learning of traditional students in traditional modalities.[6][7][8][9][10][11]   Learning efficiencies in the andragogical model are not well enough measured to unambiguously guide credit assignment policy, but decades of practical experience at IWU in constructing curricula that have successfully produced program learning outcomes in the lives of thousands of students suggest at least a 25% advantage, reflected in current practice.  Even though the Carnegie unit has its origin in measures of student labor, the credit hour is a unit of learning and credit assignment across many modalities must ultimately be tied to expected learning outcomes.

The U.S. Department of Education has attempted to include the historic root and its modern permutations in the definition of the credit hour that it uses for allocating federal financial aid. In its role as gatekeeper of financial aid eligibility on behalf of the Department, the Higher Learning Commission holds us accountable to award credit according to this standard:

(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 activities as established by an institution, including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading toward to the award of credit hours. 34CFR 600.2 (11/1/2010)

[1] Knowles, M. S. 1980.  The modern practice of adult education: From pedagogy to andragogy.  2^nd edition. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Cambridge Adult Education.

[2] Fleming, C. T., and J. B. Garner.  2009.  Brief guide for teaching adult learners.  Marion, IN:  Triangle Publishing.

[3] Drury, S., ed. 2007.  Systems of excellence in adult higher education.  Marion, IN:  Triangle Publishing.

[4] Ross-Gordon, J. M. 2011.  Research on adult learners: Supporting the needs of a student population that is no longer nontraditional.  Peer Review 13. https://www.aacu.org/publications-research/periodicals/research-adult-learnerssupporting-needs-student-population-no

[5] Wlodkowski, R.J. 2005.  Accelerated Learning.  In L.M. English (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Adult Education.  New York:  Palgrave Macmillan.

[6] Scott, P.A. & Conrad, C.F.  1992.  A critique of intensive courses and an agenda for research.  In J.C. Smart (Ed.), Higher education:  Handbook of theory and research.  New York:  Agathon Press.

[7] Caskey, S. R. 1994.  Learning outcomes in intensive courses.  Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 42(2), 23-27.

^[8] Wlodkowski, R. J. 2003.  Accelerated learning in colleges and universities.  New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education 97:5-15.  

[9] Scott, P.A. & Conrad, C.F.  1992.  A critique of intensive courses and an agenda for research.  In J.C. Smart (Ed.), Higher education:  Handbook of theory and research.  New York:  Agathon Press.

[10] Daniel, E.L. 2000.  A review of time-shortened courses across disciplines.  College Student Journal, 34(2).

[11] Wlodkowski, R. J. & Westover, T.N.  1999.  Accelerated courses as a learning format for adults.  Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education, 13(1), 1-20.

IV. Procedures 

For term courses that follow the traditional academic calendar, the amount of direct faculty instruction and out-of-class student work assumed for the average student conforms to paragraph (1) of the federal definition.

Courses that include practicums and internships include less direct faculty instruction but more out-of-class student work with the total student investment of labor conforming to paragraph (2) of the federal definition. 

Accelerated courses that have shorter-than-traditional durations on the calendar may include the same amount of direct faculty instruction and student labor concentrated into fewer days (e.g., May Term), or may have fewer hours of direct faculty instruction with greater investment of student labor outside of class, or may have asynchronous contact between faculty and students as in online courses.  Courses designed for adult learners realize andragogical efficiencies in both contact time and student labor in accomplishing the same learning outcomes.  In every case, the intended learning outcomes for accelerated courses are identical to those of any equivalent traditional-length course and the anticipated investment of student labor is comparable, in accord with the opening phrase of the federal definition.

Individual academic units have policy statements to guide credit assignment for their particular course patterns. These policy statements are gathered on the following pages as indicated in the following outline. The master list of courses indicates for each course the applicable credit assignment patterns.

• College of Adult and Professional Studies (CAPS)
• College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)
• Wesley Seminary (WS)

 

College of Adult and Professional Studies (CAPS)

 

College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)

Credit Pattern	Description
CAS-A	Lecture: a lecture course that meets once a week for an hour (55 minutes currently) over the duration of the traditional IWU semester (15 weeks currently) will be assigned one semester-hour of credit, on the assumption that the average student will work two hours out of class for every hour in class in order to accomplish the course requirements and master the course learning outcomes with a passing grade. Lecture courses that meet more frequently over the traditional semester will be assigned credit proportionally. Lecture courses specifically designed to require much less or much more out-of-class work by students will be assigned credit based on the estimated total course-related academic activity of the average student.
CAS-B	Online: Workshop based format delivered via Learning Management System. One semester hour requires 45 hours of student work. Courses may be delivered in 15 week, full semester or 8 week, half-semester, format
CAS-C	Practicum: One semester hour of credit requires a minimum of 40 hours of documented practicum experiences over the traditional semester. There is an additional expectation of a minimum of 1-2 hours per week of journaling and reflection.
CAS-D	Professional experience: One semester hour requires 45-60 hours of documented experiences over the course of a traditional semester. Additional time must be spent journaling and reflecting on these experiences.
CAS-E	Internship: An immersive experience where one semester hour requires 50-75 hours of documented experiences over the course of a traditional semester. These hours must be supervised by an on-site, external supervisor. Additional time must be spent journaling and reflecting on these experiences.
CAS-F	Independent Study: Students must meet with supervising faculty at least one hour per week. Students are then expected to spend 2 hours outside of class for each credit hour earned.
CAS-G	Laboratory course: Meets one time per week for a minimum of 2 hours for lab data collection with an additional 2 hours out of class for one hour of credit.
CAS-H	Travel Course: One semester hour of credit requires a minimum of 45 hours of documented, active travel related experience with appropriate reflection, typically involving course work both before and after travel.
CAS-I	Research: an research project course in which the student meets individually with the faculty member for 1 hour per week per registered credit hour (1, 2, or 3 credit hours) throughout the semester. In addition, students are expected to individually work on their research project at least 1 hour per week per credit hour.

Credit Pattern	School of Arts and Humanities
CAS/SAH-A	Ensemble: The course for a music ensemble that rehearses three hours per week over the duration of the traditional IWU semester will be assigned one semester- hour of credit. Students may elect to take the course for zero credit.
CAS/SAH-B	Private Applied Lesson: Non-major, Minor: students who are non-majors or minors are granted 1 credit for 30-minutes of instruction once a week, and are required to practice a minimum of 3 hours each week outside of the lesson.
CAS/SAH-C	Private Applied Lesson: Applied major: students who are an Applied major emphasis are granted 1 credit for 55-minutes of instruction once a week, and are required to practice a minimum of 6 hours each week outside of the lesson.
CAS/SAH-D	Private Applied Lesson: Performance major: students who are a Performance major are granted 2 credits for 55-minutes of instruction once a week, and are required to practice a minimum of 10 hours each week outside of the lesson.
CAS/SAH-E	Private Applied Lesson: Junior Recital: students who are preparing for a Junior Recital are granted 2 credits for 55-minutes of instruction once a week, and are required to practice a minimum of 10 hours each week outside of the lesson. A 30-minute (minimum) recital is performed at the end of the course.
CAS/SAH-F	Private Applied Lesson: Senior Recital: students who are preparing for a Senior Recital are granted 2 credits for 55-minutes of instruction, twice a week (total 110- minutes, each week) and are required to practice a minimum of 12 hours each week outside of the lesson. A 30-minute (minimum) recital is performed at the end of the course for applied majors, and a 45-minute (minimum) recital is performed at the end of the course for Performance majors.
CAS/SAH-G	Music Therapy Internship: A professional internship in a clinical setting. Six semester hours of student credit requires a minimum of 900 hours of documented professional internship over the traditional IWU semester. There is the expectation of a minimum of 5-6 hour per week of journaling.
CAS/SAH-H	Art Senior Exhibit: During the senior year, each student is required to schedule an exhibit of the best of his work of his four years of university study. 0-2 credits. All three credit hour options have the same requirement: meet weekly for 1.25 hours for class; 0-1 hours require a minimum of 40 hours of work outside of the classroom over the traditional IWU semester. Two semester hours of work require a minimum of 80 hours of work over the traditional IWU semester.
CAS/SAH-I	Music Senior Project: One semester hour of student credit requires a minimum of 45 hours of documented practicum experiences over the traditional IWU semester. There is the expectation of a minimum of 2 hours of journaling per week.

Credit Pattern	School of Physical and Applied Sciences
CAS/PAS-A	Lecture-Lab course: A combination course that typically meets for 4-5 hours per week of combined lecture-lab format for 4 student semester hours of credit over the duration of the traditional IWU semester. Eight hours of academic activity outside of class per week over the course of the semester is expected to meet the course requirements.
CAS/PAS-B	Professional Observation: One semester hour of student credit requires 40 hours of documented professional observation over the traditional IWU semester. There is the expectation of 1-2 hour per week of journaling per week.
CAS/PAS-C	Activity: an activity course that meets twice a week for an hour (55 minutes) for half of the 15-week semester, will be assigned one semester-hour of credit on the assumption that the average student will participate in activity two hours out of class
CAS/PAS-D	Clinical: a hands-on clinical experience, within a professional program leading to licensure/certification that meets once a week for an hour over the duration of the traditional IWU semester to learn clinical skills and completion of 42 hours in a professional setting practicing those skills will be assigned 1 credit hour.
CAS/PAS-E	Capstone: A senior capstone experience that serves as the culminated academic experience for students. One semester hour of credit will be assigned for a minimum of 50 hours of project work completed, a small number of hours may be spent in the classroom while a majority of the hours are independent work. Additional credit hours will be assigned proportionally.
CAS/PAS-F	Addictions Counseling Practicum: One semester hour of student credit requires 175 hours of supervised field experience involving the 8 core functions of Addictions Counseling, in addition to weekly journaling about the experience and a total of 55 minutes of class time (i.e. university supervision) each week. The class time remains the same irrespective of credit hours.
CAS/PAS-G	Cross-Cultural Immersion Experience: One semester hour of student credit is assigned for each 15 hours of cross-cultural experiential learning. In order to achieve a passing grade in the course students are also required to complete assigned readings and a reflection paper.
CAS/PAS-H	Service Learning: One semester hour of credit per each 45 hours of student research.
CAS/PAS-I	Social Work Supervised Field Experience: 120 hours for 3 credits, and 420-hour practicum for 9 credit hours. It is a supervised field experience and the students journal weekly.

Credit Pattern	School of Teacher Education
CAS/STE-A	Course-based field experiences: Students apply classroom learning in an authentic, public- or private-school setting. University students are assigned to one or more school students for observation and interaction, with the intent to diagnosis learning disabilities and prescribe appropriate educational interventions. Students spend 10 hours/week in their placement locations; 0-1 load hours.
CAS/STE-B	Special education clinical placements: students to spend 90 clock hours in one or more P-12 special needs classrooms; 2 credit hours
CAS/STE-C	Student-teaching: 14-15 weeks (600-700 clock hours) of full-time placement in a P-12 school location; 15 credit hours.
CAS/STE-D	Field placement: two weeks full-time in a P-12 school setting; 60-70 clock hours; 1 credit hour.
CAS/STE-E	Elementary education field experience: ten weeks, two days/week in a supervised K-6 school setting. Students spend 150 clock hours in these placements; 1-2 credit hours.
CAS/STE-F	Secondary education field experience: ten weeks, 45 clock hours in a supervised, P-12 setting; 1 credit hour.

Credit Pattern	School of Nursing and Health Sciences
CAS/SNHS-A	Online intensive: Two-week online intensive, students complete 16 hours in class and are expected to spend approximately 56 hours outside of class
CAS/SNHS-B	2-week intensive class: Students are in class 68 total hours. In addition, there are 4-2-hour open labs for a total of 16 hours for the two-week class.
CAS/SNHS-C	Fieldwork, level I: 15-week combination of didactic and practical experience, including community practice at a clinical/community site. Clinical presence is five 8-hour days. 1 credit.
CAS/SNHS-D	Fieldwork, level II: 12-week clinical placement, 40 hours per week. 7 credits.
CAS/SNHS-E	Residency: 640-hour doctoral residency project performed at clinical/community site under mentorship, 9 credits.
CAS/SNHS-F	BSN level lab - Pre-licensure onsite: Experiential learning under direct faculty supervision. Meets once per week for one hour (55 minutes concurrently) of face to face instruction and once per week for supervised lab practice over the duration of the traditional IWU semester (15 weeks currently) for 2 credit hours. An associated two hours of course-related lab practice per week is expected for each credit awarded.
CAS/SNHS-G	BSN level classroom based with associated clinical/practicum hours - Pre- licensure: Courses that meet once per week for one hour (55 minutes concurrently) over the duration of the traditional IWU semester (15 weeks currently) for 1 semester-hour of didactic credit and 3 hours per week of experiential learning in a clinical /practice setting per week for every 1 semester hour of clinical credit awarded (or 42 hours per semester). An associated two hours per week of course-related academic activity is expected for each credit awarded.

 

Wesley Seminary (WS)