Examples of Academic Activities
This chart of instructional and assignment activities is offered as a resource to help instructors determine the amount of time students are expected to spend in their course each week.
The Federal Definition of a Credit Hour which is also recognized by SACS COC is found here. This definition basically requires 45 hours of instruction and/or work outside of the classroom for each credit hour (3 hours per week in a 15 week semester). Due to the shorter six-week session format of many of our courses, this translates to 7.5 hours of instructional activity and up to 15 hours of additional student work outside the classroom per week.
| Instructional Activities | Description | Rate of Equivalency |
| 1. | Online videos and podcasts | Videos and podcasts from both publisher sites as well as open sites such as Youtube and Itunes University. | Length of video or podcast = same amount of instructional time. |
2. | Synchronous online chat or webinar | A real-time conversation using either chat, video, or some combination of both. | Length of synchronous online chat or webinar = same amount of instructional time. |
3. | Faculty or Publisher- created PowerPoint presentation (with or without Voiceovers) | A lecture, set of notes, or detailed discussion of a topic generated by faculty member or publisher using a format that lends itself to online sharing (e.g., PowerPoint). | 2 minutes of instructional time per slide without Voiceovers |
4. | Field trips or virtual tours | An out-of-class educational activity attended by the student. The activity may be an actual or virtual tour (e.g., museum, talk, play). | 1 hour of field trips/tours = 1 hour of instructional time |
5. |
Online Games | Games that allow students to reinforce what they have learned or introduce them to new content. | Length of time in game = same amount of instructional time.
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| Assignments | Description | Rate of Equivalency |
| 1. | Discussion board (Forum) | Threaded discussion posts relating to a reading, video, podcast, or class activity. Discussion posts tend to be thoughtful articulations or principled arguments for a particular position. Reply comments should be constructive, meaningful, and express an understanding of the original post and the learning outcomes of the assignment. | Each student post = ½ hour of instructional time. |
| 2. | A summary, in the student’s own words, of a concept, construct, problem, point of view, or other content which reflects significant thought and integration of ideas. | Each student wiki entry = ½ hour of instructional time. | |
| 3. | Short responses that indicate that the student understands a term or concept. A glossary entry is always expected to be in the student’s own words. | Each student-posted definition = ½ hour of instructional time. | |
| 4. | Student-created online PowerPoint presentation | A lecture, set of notes, or detailed discussion of a topic generated by a student or group of students using a format that lends itself to online sharing (e.g., PowerPoint). | 1 - 4 hours depending on number of slides created and presented at the equivalency rate of 15 minutes per slide |
| 5. | Student-created audio/video presentation | A lecture or presentation that is recorded and uploaded by a student or group of students. | Each 15 minutes of video (includes research, planning, and presentation) = 2 hours of instructional time. |
| 6. | Reflection paper (writing and posting) | A short paper, usually 2-3 pages, where the learner is asked to respond to something that he or she has been exposed to. Typically, it does not involve integrating external material. | 1 hour of instructional time |
| 7. | Online quizzes/tests (multiple choice) | An online quiz or exam in multiple-choice format. | 1 minute of instructional time per question |
| 8. | Online quizzes/tests (short answer) | An online quiz or exam that uses short-answer format (typically, 4-10 sentences). | 5 minutes of instructional time per question |
9. | Online quizzes/tests (essay) | An online quiz or exam which requires more in-depth narrative answers (typically 1-2 pages per question). | 20 minutes of instructional time per question |
| 10. | Library research | A research paper integrating concepts obtained from a range of primary and secondary sources to address a specific learning goal. | 3-5 page paper = 1-2 hours of instructional time |
| 11. | Evaluation of posted peer work | A qualitative and/or quantitative evaluation of peer work which may use a formal rubric. | Posting of rubric and/or written response = ½ hour of instructional time |
| 12. | Service learning projects | A project that requires the student to apply concepts from the classroom to address real-world problems. | 1 hour of service learning = 1 hour of instructional time |
13. |
Reading Assignments | Expectations for reading of book, article, or website with content. | Scientific/technical reading = 11 pages/hour
General Expository/ Fiction and nontechnical materials = 19 pages/hour
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| 14. |
Online Games | Assigned as opportunities for students to reinforce learning, to be assessed for understanding, or to practice applying what they have learned.
| Length of time in game = same amount of instructional time.
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An additional resource for types of instructional activities can be found here.
To calculate more specifically the amount of time different tasks of reading, writing, and exams take, you may also want to consult the Wake Forest Center for the Advancement of Teaching Workload Estimator 2.0.
Back to Definition of and Guidelines for Credit Hour Policy and Spalding University