Document No. ACA-1020
Revision No. 2505 on May 1, 2025
1. Purpose
This policy provides general guidelines for faculty and administrators in determining the number of credits awarded for Richmindale courses. This policy requires oversight by persons academically qualified to make necessary judgements.
2. Scope
This policy applies to all Richmindale curriculum development teams, faculty, administrators, and students.
3. Policy
This policy conforms with the DEAC Part 3, Section F, Academic Units of Measurement, DEAC Accreditation Handbook, page 77 requirement that institutions document policies and procedures used to define the chosen academic unit of measurement. Academic units are measured by either clock hours or credit hours. This policy also complies with the definitions of distance education, clock hours, credit hours, and other related terms used in this policy as described in Title 34 of CFR.
Credit Hours as Unit of Measurement
Richmindale College uses credit hours as the academic unit of measurement for its online courses and programs. Richmindale College uses the Carnegie unit as the basis in awarding credits in a course, where one credit/semester hour is 15 hours of academic engagement and 30 hours of preparation.
Richmindale College offers bachelor's degrees, with each bachelor’s degree length of 120 credit/semester hours, and master’s degrees, with each master’s degree length of 36 credit/semester hours.
Credit Hours Calculation
Richmindale College involves course developers who are subject matter experts, with the right academic qualifications and experience, to develop its programs, courses, syllabi, and other course materials. During course development, course developers analyze and identify the number of hours of academic engagement and preparation activities of students based on the course topic coverage and align them in a 15-week semester course schedule. The Credit Hours Calculation Form (ACA-5100) is provided to help course developers identify student activities and their corresponding duration.
The standard course activities of each Richmindale College course that contribute to its credits are as follows:
Course Activity Typical 3-Credit Course Duration and Schedule Estimated Duration for Average Student
Number of Weeks: 15 Bachelor’s Degree Master’s Degree

ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

(45 hours for 3-credit course / 60 hours for 4-credit course / 75 hours for 5-credit course per semester)

Listening to or reading course lectures. ~34% of the total hours.
1.0 hour per week /
15.0 hours per course 		~20% of the total hours.
0.6 hour per week /
9.0 hours per course 		25 pages per hour
Faculty contact for inquiries, follow-ups and getting information about the course. ~10% of the total hours.
Weekly time varies /
4.5 hours per course 		~14% of the total hours.
Weekly time varies /
6.0 hours per course 		5 hours per course
Watching videos or listening to audio related to the course. ~10% of the total hours.
Weekly time varies /
3.0 hours per course 		~10% of the total hours.
Weekly time varies /
3.0 hours per course 		Actual time
Reading discussion forums and making responses. ~10% of the total hours.
0.3 hour per week /
4.5 hours per course 		~10% of the total hours.
0.3 hour per week /
4.5 hours per course 		3 responses per hour
Performing or listening to presentations or demonstrations. ~10% of the total hours.
Weekly time varies /
4.5 hours per course 		~20% of the total hours.
Weekly time varies /
9.0 hours per course 		2 performances per hour
Taking quizzes and exams (multiple choice). ~13% of the total hours.
0.4 hour per week /
6.0 hours per course 		~13% of the total hours.
0.4 hour per week /
6.0 hours per course 		20 questions per hour
Taking quizzes and exams (written response). ~13% of the total hours.
0.4 hour per week /
6.0 hours per course 		~13% of the total hours.
0.4 hour per week /
6.0 hours per course 		2 questions per hour

PREPARATION ACTIVITIES

(90 hours for 3-credit course / 120 hours for 4-credit course / 150 hours for 5-credit course per semester)

Reading additional course supplemental resources from textbooks. ~5% of the total hours.
Weekly time varies /
4.5 hours per course 		~5% of the total hours.
Weekly time varies /
4.5 hours per course 		25 pages per hour
Reading additional course supplemental resources from websites. ~5% of the total hours.
Weekly time varies /
4.5 hours per course 		~5% of the total hours.
Weekly time varies /
4.5 hours per course 		4 web pages per hour
Studying for quizzes and exams. ~30% of the total hours.
2.0 hours per week /
30.0 hours per course 		~30% of the total hours.
2.0 hours per week /
30.0 hours per course 		2 topics per hour
Answering assignments (project, journalizing, etc.) ~10% of the total hours.
Weekly time varies /
9.0 hours per course 		~10% of the total hours.
Weekly time varies /
9.0 hours per course 		1 assignment per hour
Writing case studies. ~15% of the total hours.
Weekly time varies /
12.0 hours per course 		~15% of the total hours.
Weekly time varies /
12.0 hours per course 		1 page per hour
Writing research papers. ~15% of the total hours.
Weekly time varies /
12.0 hours per course 		~15% of the total hours.
Weekly time varies /
12.0 hours per course 		3 hours per page
Creating motion graphics (video, animation, etc.) ~4% of the total hours.
Weekly time varies/
3.0 hours per course 		~4% of the total hours.
Weekly time varies/
3.0 hours per course 		1 minute of output duration per hour
Creating static image using image editing tools. ~3% of the total hours.
Weekly time varies /
3.0 hours per course 		~3% of the total hours.
Weekly time varies /
3.0 hours per course 		1 image per hour
Reviewing faculty feedback or assignments. ~10% of the total hours.
Weekly time varies /
9.0 hours per course 		~10% of the total hours.
Weekly time varies /
9.0 hours per course 		4 assignments per hour
Reviewing Reaction/reflection papers or book reports. ~3% of the total hours.
Weekly time varies /
3.0 hours per course 		~3% of the total hours.
Weekly time varies /
3.0 hours per course 		1 paper per hour
Field work/internship/practicum. - - Actual time
Estimated Duration for Average Student and Course Activity Content
Course developers must provide concrete evidence to substantiate the credit hours assigned to a course, such as citing other research or studies done, or recording actual performance using a survey or proctored activity, to document definitions and formulas for verifying student work. Some references used in the above activities are as follows:

The average adult reading rate is 250 words per minute with 70 percent comprehension. [Smith, Brenda D. “Breaking Through: College Reading” 7th Ed. Longman, 2004]

Reading for learning (100-200 wpm); reading for comprehension (200-400 wpm); and skimming (400-700 wpm). With an average of 400 words per page, at 200 words per minute, a student should read around 30 pages per hour (200 words per minute x 60 = 12,000 words per hour divided by 400 = 30 pages per hour). Therefore, we use 25-30 pages per hour.

To make the content of course activities standard, consistent and more accurately align with the credit hours, course developers consider the estimated duration for the average student as the basis in creating content. The content of each activity must be relevant and aligned with the topics and learning outcomes of the course and measured with rubrics that align with the institution’s Student Achievement Goal.
Course developers must consider content that meets collegiate expectations for rigor, workload and measurable learning outcomes.
Weekly Time Schedule and Total Course Hours
Faculty may deviate from the actual weekly time and schedule provided by the course developers in a course, but the actual total hours of the course must be followed as a minimum.
Documentation and Evaluation of Student Work
All student work must be documented in the curriculum materials and syllabi, including a reasonable approximation of the time required for the student to complete the assignments. Evaluation of a student’s work must be identified as a grading criterion and weighted appropriately in the determination of a final grade for a course.
REFERENCES

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) Accreditation Handbook.

DEFINITIONS
Clock hour (34 CFR 600.2).
Clock hour, as defined in 34 CFR 600.2, is a period of time consisting of:
(1)
A 50- to 60-minute class, lecture, or recitation in a 60-minute period;
(2)
A 50- to 60-minute faculty-supervised laboratory, shop training, or internship in a 60-minute period; or
(3)
Sixty minutes of preparation in a correspondence course.
Correspondence course (34 CFR 600.2).
Correspondence course is defined in 34 CFR 600.2 as:
(1)
A course provided by an institution under which the institution provides instructional materials, by mail or electronic transmission, including examinations on the materials, to students who are separated from the instructor. Interaction between the instructor and student is limited, is not regular and substantive, and is primarily initiated by the student. Correspondence courses are typically self-paced.
(2)
If a course is part correspondence and part residential training, the Secretary considers the course to be a correspondence course.
(3)
A correspondence course is not distance education.
Credit hour (34 CFR 600.2).
Credit hour, as defined in 34 CFR 600.2, is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably approximates not less than:
(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 academic activities as established by the institution including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.
Direct assessment program (34 CFR 668.10).
Direct assessment program, as defined in 34 CFR 668.10, is an instructional program that, in lieu of credit hours or clock hours as a measure of student learning, utilizes direct assessment of student learning, or recognizes the direct assessment of student learning by others. The assessment must be consistent with the accreditation of the institution or program utilizing the results of the assessment.
Direct assessment of student learning (34 CFR 668.10).
Direct assessment of student learning, as defined in 34 CFR 668.10, means a measure by the institution of what a student knows and can do in terms of the body of knowledge making up the educational program. These measures provide evidence that a student has command of a specific subject, content area, or skill or that the student demonstrates a specific quality such as creativity, analysis or synthesis associated with the subject matter of the program. Examples of direct measures include projects, papers, examinations, presentations, performances, and portfolios.
Distance education (34 CFR 668.2).
Distance education means education that uses one or more of the technologies listed in paragraphs (1) through (4) of this definition to deliver instruction to students who are separated from the instructor and to support regular and substantive interaction between the students and the instructor, either synchronously or asynchronously. The technologies may include—
(1)
The internet;
(2)
One-way and two-way transmissions through open broadcast, closed circuit, cable, microwave, broadband lines, fiber optics, satellite, or wireless communications devices;
(3)
Audio conferencing; or
(4)
Video cassettes, DVDs, and CD-ROMs, if the cassettes, DVDs, or CD-ROMs are used in a course in conjunction with any of the technologies listed in paragraphs (1) through (3) of this definition.
Academic units of measurement (DEAC Guide for Clock Credit Hour Policy).
Semester and quarter hours shall be equivalent to the commonly accepted and traditionally defined units of academic measurement in accredited institutions. Academic degree or academic credit-bearing distance learning courses are measured by the learning outcomes normally achieved through 45 hours of student work for one semester credit1 or 30 hours of student work for one quarter credit2. This formula is typically referred to as a Carnegie unit and is used by the American Council on Education in its Credit Recommendation Evaluative Criteria.
1One credit/semester hour is 15 hours of academic engagement and 30 hours of preparation.
2One quarter hour credit is 10 hours of academic engagement and 20 hours of preparation.