Definition of a Credit Hour

Methodist University defines a credit hour according to federal and regional accreditation guidelines, along with generally accepted practices in higher education. This definition applies equally at the undergraduate and graduate level.

1. A credit hour is the amount of academic work represented by: Not less than one contact hour of direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work for each week of approximately 15 weeks of instruction for one semester, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time.
2. At least an equivalent amount of work as required outlined in item 1 above for other academic activities as established by the institution including distance education, laboratory work, directed and independent study, internships, practica, student teaching, clinical rotations, physical education, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.

Regardless of method of instructional delivery, faculty who teach remote, hybrid, or online classes have identical learning outcomes and content established for a face-to-face course and then reformat the content for online delivery and assessment of student learning. The faculty are responsible for ensuring that the expected quantity of student learning relative to credit hours is achieved.