Judgment of Compliance

Narrative

Sam Houston State University (SHSU) follows the policies established by The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), Chapter 4, Subchapter A, section 4.6, to determine the number of contact hours necessary for three hours of credit [1].  According to these guidelines, “traditionally delivered three-semester-credit-hour courses should contain 15 weeks of instruction (45 contact hours) plus a week for final examinations so that such a course contains 45 to 48 contact hours depending on whether there is a final exam.” In its policy statement on credit hours, SACSCOC states that a credit hour “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 each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit” [2].  The definition of a “credit hour” at SHSU is consistent with these THECB and SACSCOC policies.  As defined by the SHSU undergraduate and graduate catalogs, a credit hour is “a unit of measure attached to academic courses, usually reflecting the number of lecture hours per week a course meets in a fall or spring semester” [3], [4].  Both the undergraduate and graduate catalogs also indicate the number of credit hours for each course listed in the departmental inventory [5], [6].  Furthermore, in the SHSU course numbering system, the second digit of the 4-digit course number indicates the credit hour value of the course [7].

Courses that award fewer than three credit hours, such as labs or music sessions, typically require more than one or two contact hours a week, but they normally combine instruction and application.  For example, the majority of 1-hour classes are lab classes that meet each week for two to three hours.  Within these two to three hours, some time is spent on didactic presentation, and the rest of the time is spent in applying the material.  With regards to music performance classes, the policies for awarding credit conform with both SHSU policies and those stated in the National Association of Schools of Music Handbook [8].  Section III, Parts 2a and 2c of this handbook state, respectively, “A semester hour of credit represents at least three hours of work each week, on average, for a period of fifteen to sixteen weeks,” and “it is recommended that one credit hour be given for each three hours per week of practice, plus the necessary individual instruction, with a maximum of six credits per term allowed for the major subject in music performance.”

For courses delivered during shortened semesters, the THECB policies cited above state that such courses are expected to have the same number of contact hours and the same requirement for out-of-class learning as courses taught in a normal semester [1].  Rules concerning the implementation of shortened courses are also addressed in SHSU Academic Policy Statement 860110 [9], section 2.03:

Shortened courses offered for credit by Sam Houston State University must consist of the same number of class contact hours as similar courses offered in a semester or summer term.  A three-credit-hour course must have a minimum of 45 contact hours.  All requirements for three-credit-hour courses shall apply proportionally to courses for one, two, four, or other credit hour values.  Further, no three-credit-hour courses shall consist of fewer than nine days of classes offered over not less than three weeks. 

Credit hours awarded for synchronous distance learning courses use the same guidelines as traditionally delivered courses.  Credit hours awarded for asynchronous courses match those for synchronous courses and face-to-face courses, based upon equivalent content.  Example syllabi are provided for four classes that are offered in both face-to-face and distance formats.  The syllabi indicate similar content and expectations, providing evidence that the online classes make similar demands and require similar amounts of work to earn the credit hours awarded [10], [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17].

A course is considered to be offered by distance education if students receive more than half of the instruction at a different location than the instructor [18].  A distance education degree or certificate program is defined as a program in which a student may complete more than half of the semester credit hours required for the program through any combination of electronic and off-campus delivery methods [18].  All SHSU courses taught via distance education, whether delivery is synchronous or asynchronous, adhere consistently to the practices outlined above in relation to credit hour, in which a 3-credit-hour course must have a minimum of 45 contact hours.  All syllabi, as well as course rigor, course content, and course textbook follow the same policies as the face-to-face courses.

Credit awarded for out-of-state or out-of-country coursework must, according to SHSU’s Academic Policy Statement 800107 [19], “conform to all relevant academic policies at the institution.  All courses must conform to the institution's workload and enrollment requirements, its contact hour/credit ratio, and similar matters.”  To further ensure the academic equivalency of the coursework, the policy also states that “courses may not offer credit primarily for travel, recreation, or pleasure.”  Such courses must be endorsed by the Dean of the College, the Academic Policy Council, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the President of the University, and approved by The Texas State University System (TSUS) Board of Regents and the THECB [19].

Students who wish to receive credit for work experience may do so in accordance with Academic Policy Statement 860904 [20], “Academic Credit for Work.”  According to this policy, credit for work must be reviewed and approved by the Department Chair, the Dean of the College, and the Vice President of Academic Affairs.  Furthermore, “the total credit hours given for work experience will be minimal in their relationship to the total hours required for a degree.”

When new courses are proposed, each department is required to complete a form indicating the proposed number of hours to be awarded as well as an outline of the 15-week course sequence [21], [22].  Data are used as part of the department’s justification for the course to include the number of hours to be awarded.   As part of the annual curriculum cycle (see Federal Requirement 4.2), the Department Curriculum Committee, the College Curriculum Committee, and the University Curriculum Committee review the integrity of the proposed courses and programs before recommending approval to the Academic Affairs Council and subsequently to the Provost, the President, the TSUS Board of Regents, and the THECB [23].

Supporting Documentation