The institution employs sound and acceptable practices for determining the amount and level of credit awarded for courses, regardless of format or mode of delivery.
[Compliance]
Narrative:
The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) is in compliance with Principle 3.4.6 because it conforms to well articulated, well established and acceptable practices for determining the amount and level of credit awarded for courses, regardless of format or mode of delivery. UAH employs the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE) definition of a credit hour as "a unit of measure representing the time and activity required for one hour of credit. Traditionally this means the equivalent of 50 minutes of instruction each week for a semester, trimester, or quarter." In practice at UAH, the semester consists of fifteen weeks and therefore 1-credit hour session consists of 750 minutes of instructional time; 2-credit hour sessions consist of 1500 minutes; 3-credit hour sessions consist of 2250 minutes, and 4-credit hour sessions 3000 minutes of instructional time.
The level and amount of course credit is determined at UAH through the process of curriculum and course development. New courses originate in the academic department, which recommends the appropriate number of credit hours and level of credit. These course proposals are then sent to the college curriculum committee. If approved, the course is submitted on a Course Approval Form to the dean of the college or school. From there it goes to the Office of the Provost. The Provost then determines whether the proposal will be referred to the Faculty Senate Undergraduate Curriculum Committee for review and action. Final decisions concerning the creation of new courses and curriculum changes lie with the Provost. The process for graduate level courses is the same except that after the dean's approval the Provost refers proposals to the Graduate Council. In all cases the amount and level of credit is stated on the Course Approval Form. Approved courses are entered into either the UAH undergraduate catalog or graduate catalog. All incoming UAH students receive a copy of the catalog and it is available online to the general public. Catalogs are sent to all two- and four-year public and private colleges in the State.
Credit level and amount apply to distance learning courses and to courses taught in non-traditional formats and modes of delivery. In the case of distance learning, class sessions conform to traditional classroom instructional time. In non-traditional formats, content, requirements and learning outcomes conform to traditional course definitions, all of which are clearly defined in the course approval process.
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ACHE Operational Definition of Terms, p. 2, Credit and Contact Hours
