how many contact hours is an online course

Depending on course type (such as with a typical lecture or seminar) the expectation is that for every hour of contact time there are two hours of outside of class or nonscheduled preparation work. In total, that three semester credit hour course totals approximately 126 hours of work (42 contact hours and 84 preparation hours).”

Full Answer

What are contact hours in education?

In higher education, the term 'contact hours' is used very broadly, to refer to the amount of time that you spend learning in contact with teaching or associated staff, when studying for a particular course. This time provides you with support in developing your subject knowledge and skills, and opportunities to develop and reflect on your own,

Do you have the time to take an online course?

In the end, whether or not you have the time to take an online course depends more on you and your willingness to stick to a regular schedule and learn to study effectively than on any other factor.

How many contact hours constitutes one credit hour?

Lecture, discussion or seminar = one contact hour constitutes one credit hour (1:1) Self-Contained or Self-Directed laboratory = approximately 2 – 3 contact hours constitutes one credit hour (3:1 or 2:1) Studios = approximately 2 contact hours constitutes one credit hour (2:1)

How many hours a week should a student take a course?

So in other words, a student in a full semester 3-credit course should expect to spend nine hours a week on the course. What happens if the course runs for a portion of the semester?

What is contact hours for online courses?

Contact hours quantify the amount of regular and substantive interaction between students and their instructor, and are most traditionally associated with the number of hours that a class meets on campus. In the online format, this can be interpreted as the number of hours of synchronous online instruction.

How many hours a week is an online course?

Many online learners say they spend 15 to 20 hours a week on coursework. That workload, of course, may vary between full-time and part-time students.

How do you calculate contact hours for a course?

The contact hours should be calculated on a per week basis. For example, one contact hour per week of lecture for 15 weeks equals one credit hour (e.g., a three semester credit hour course meets for 45 contact hours). VSU categorizes course section offerings by the teaching approach employed.

What does 1 contact hour mean?

A contact hour is a measure that represents an hour of scheduled instruction given to students. A semester credit hour is normally granted for satisfactory completion of one 50-minute session (contact hour) of classroom instruction per week for a semester of not less than fifteen weeks.

How long are online classes a day?

One of the many advantages of online schools is that they will require less time from you compared to traditional schools. But then again, it is highly dependent on the online school that you or your child is enrolled in. On average, students spend four hours online.

How long is the average online course?

The length of online classes varies. Some can be completed in as little as five weeks, while others take longer. On average, online courses last eight to nine weeks, especially those offered through universities.

How many contact hours is 4 credit hours?

Contact and Non-Contact Hours per TermCourse UnitsContact HoursNon-Contact Hours112.52522550337.575437.5*112.5

How many contact hours do you need for a 3 credit course?

Typically, a three semester credit hour course meets for three contact hours (three 50-minute sessions or two 75-minute sessions) per week for the 14 weeks of a semester.

How are credit hours calculated for online classes?

One semester credit is equal to: • one hour of lecture per week for a semester or the equivalent number of hours. two hours of lab per week for a semester or the equivalent number of hours. three hours of externship/clinical per week for a semester or the equivalent number of hours.

Are learning hours the same as contact hours?

Here's the difference between the two: one contact hour of continuing education is equal to 60 minutes (one clock hour) of an organized learning activity. One CEU is equal to 10 contact hours (or 600 minutes) of an educational activity.

Is a contact hour the same as a CEU?

Contact Hour Developed as Standard Measure One continuing education unit (ceu) or credit is equal to 10 contact hours; meaning it requires 10 clock hours to complete. If the course offers Ceus, you need to multiply the number by 10 to determine the number of contact hours.

How many hours is 1 credit hour?

Each credit hour corresponds to a minimum of 3 hours of student engagement per week for a traditional 14-week course or 6 hours per week for a 7-week course. This time may be spent on discussions, readings and lectures, study and research, and assignments. Most courses at AIC are three credit hours.

How many contact hours are required for a 15 week semester?

Internships, field work and practicums use the following guidelines during a 15-week semester: 3-credit hour internship, field work course, or practicum = approximately 10 contact ...

How many sessions are in a three semester credit hour course?

Typically, a three semester credit hour course meets three 50-minute sessions per week for fifteen weeks for a total of 45 sessions (or two 75-minute sessions per week for fifteen weeks for a total of 30 sessions). This definition applies to all delivery formats.

How many hours are required for a practicum?

Internships, field work and practicums use the following guidelines during a 15-week semester: 1 3-credit hour internship, field work course, or practicum = approximately 10 contact hours/week or 150 – 200 hours/semester 2 6-credit hour internship, field work course, or practicum = approximately 20 contact hours/week or 300 – 400 hours/semester 3 12-credit hour internship, field work course, or practicum = approximately 40 contact hours/week or 600 – 750 hours/semester

How many hours of class is a semester credit hour?

A semester credit hour is normally granted for satisfactory completion of one 50-minute session (contact hour) of classroom instruction per week for a semester of not less than fifteen weeks . This basic measure may be adjusted proportionately to reflect modified academic calendars and formats of study. One credit hour should involve an input of ...

How many hours of instruction are required for 1 credit hour?

1 Minimum requirements for 1 credit hour are defined as 15 hours of instruction accompanying a minimum of 30 hours of out-of-class work. Hours of instruction and out-of-class work may be redistributed proportionately to reflect modified academic calendars, formats of study, and academic activities as established by the institution.

How many hours is 4 60 minutes?

Hours listed may exceed minimum requirements. 4 60 minutes of out of class work is the equivalent of 1 “Clock Hour”. This unit of time is used only in the calculation of “Hours of Student Work Outside of Class” and should not be used in calculations of “Hours of Instruction”.

How many hours does a 6 credit internship take?

6-credit hour internship, field work course, or practicum = approximately 20 contact hours/week or 300 – 400 hours/semester. 12-credit hour internship, field work course, or practicum = approximately 40 contact hours/week or 600 – 750 hours/semester. It is recognized that some proposed courses will request contact hours during which a mix ...

Undergraduate Courses

As summarized in the above article, undergraduate courses use the following formula: For every 1 credit, the student has 3 hours of work each week for a full semester session. So in other words, a student in a full semester 3-credit course should expect to spend nine hours a week on the course.

Graduate Courses

Graduate students should expect to put more time into a course. The following is our estimations by number of weeks and credit hours for graduate courses. Please note that we’ve only indicated the time on task amounts for the credit + duration combinations offered by our program.

How many hours of coursework is required for a Carnegie class?

180-192 hours of coursework. In a traditional face-to-face class or synchronous learning session, the breakdown of Instructional-Contact hours from additional hours is easy to identify. In the Carnegie system a contact or instructional hour refers to a 50-minute class or session.

What is the Carnegie Classification Unit for credit hours?

The Carnegie Classification Unit for student credit hours allows institutions of higher learning a standardized method for of assessing a student’s educational attainment. Student credit hours are essentially the currency of higher education in the US that students attain while working towards a degree or certificate at an institution of higher learning.

Do online students have to invest the same number of clock hours in a course?

As such, online students should be expected to invest the same number of clock hours in a course even though they won’t have the seat time of instructional contact hours. In an effort to verbalize these expectations it is further suggested that faculty include this information on the syllabus of their courses.

How many hours of contact time is required for a 3 semester course?

The typical course has one unit of contact time with the instructor for every two units of preparation time by the student. As such, it is expected that three semester credit hours are equivalent to a combined total of 6300 minutes: 2100 minutes of contact (instructional presentation) time and 4200 minutes of preparation ...

How many hours of work is 3 semester credit hours?

In total, that three semester credit hour course totals approximately 126 hours of work (42 contact hours and 84 preparation hours).”.

How many hours of preparation for a semester?

Semester Credit Hour: the amount of credit awarded for successful completion of one contact hour of classroom instruction and two preparation hours per week for a semester of not less than 14 weeks.

How many weeks of class is Rice University?

Rice University Academic Calendars are structured to provide 14 weeks of class instruction, a period of study days, followed by a week of final exams. 1. Typically, a three semester credit hour course meets for three contact hours (three 50-minute sessions or two 75-minute sessions) per week for the 14 weeks of a semester.

How many hours of study time should I do for every credit hour?

Figure two hours of study time for every credit hour for elective classes or classes in subjects that come easier for you. Plan four hours a week for every credit hour for difficult classes and three hours for the classes that fall somewhere in the middle.

How many hours do you spend in class?

You will spend roughly three hours in class per class each week. A standard load is 12 credits, which is usually four classes. That means that you will spend 36 hours per week in class, leaving you 76 hours for study and other things.

How many hours does Gail have to do homework?

That’s 24 hours of homework per week, leaving Gail with 16 hours per week for other things, which is a little more than two hours a day. That’s not a lot of time, especially if Gail has to do work study to pay for college. She could cut back on the sleep, but that’s not healthy. Of course, these are average numbers.

How many classes does Gail take?

Gail is taking four classes online. As stated, she has 76 hours with which to work. Budgeting her time, and shooting for an A in every class, she studies three hours per week for each of her credits. That adds up to 36 hours a week of study, leaving her with 40 hours for other things, which equates to a little less than six hours a day.

How to reduce time spent studying?

You can dramatically reduce the amount of time you need to spend studying by studying at the right time. Allow yourself a half-hour before each log-in to review your notes and downloads from previous classes and schedule a half-hour after each log-in to go over what you have just learned. This will trim hours from your weekly study schedule. Each week, review all online notes and downloads, personal notes and old tests or quizzes. Read your textbook as you go along. It will make it much easier to understand the work. Complete all assignments by the date on the syllabus, even if they aren’t due until the class ends. These steps will usually take much less than the traditionally recommended 2-4 hours of study each week. However, you will need to schedule in extra study time before tests and quizzes.

How many hours should a B student study?

Conventional wisdom holds that a B student should plan two hours of study each week for every credit hour and an A student should hit the books for three hours per week for every credit hour earned. This isn’t necessarily bad advice. However, most classes don’t require that much studying, and some actually require more.

How long can you sit with material in front of you?

It’s possible to sit with material in front of you for hours upon hours and to retain nothing. It’s equally possible to study for just a few hours and to retain nearly everything. Your affinity for the material is also important.

How long is ASU online?

Through Arizona State University’s online programs, called ASU Online, undergrad and graduate courses are structured in seven and a half week sessions rather than 14-week semesters.

How many hours does ASU take?

Through Arizona State University’s online programs, called ASU Online, undergrad and graduate courses are structured in seven and a half week sessions rather than 14-week semesters. For one session, a student should expect to spend six hours a week on coursework for every course credit.

Why is time management important for online learning?

Additionally, one of the key benefits of online learning is that students can create their own schedules and fulfill their study hours whenever works best for their individual needs. Students who have full-time careers often make time for school in the evenings and on weekends, ...

What is the purpose of meeting and exceeding minimum contact hour standards set forth by the Carnegie Foundation?

Meeting and exceeding minimal contact hour standards set forth by the Carnegie Foundation is one means to dem-onstrate a commitment toward meeting established standards for student contact and student learning.

How many hours of class credit is required for APUS?

APUS defines one unit of class credit as consisting of three hours of instructive learning per week for a 16-week class or six hours of instructive learning per week for an 8-week class. For the typical three credit class, it is expected that a student will be engaged in classroom learning experiences of 150 minutes x 16 weeks = 2400 minutes or the equiva-lent of 45 contact hours using the Carnegie unit of measurement. This means the student should spend these hours within their classroom participating in discussion boards, taking examinations, looking at PowerPoint slides, reading information from linked web sites, reviewing instructor lectures or any other items that engage the student within the APUS classroom.