Dec 21, 2024  
2024-2025 College Catalog 
    
2024-2025 College Catalog

Credit Hour Definition


LIM College adheres to the U.S. Department of Education’s definition of the credit hour as “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 one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out of-class student work for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit …, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time.”

One credit hour for experiential learning academic activities such as laboratory work, internships, Senior Co-op, and other work leading to the award of credit hours requires 45-65 hours working at the worksite and related classroom, online, or independent work over the course of a semester.

Online courses have learning goals and rigor equivalent to those taught in the classroom. Contact hours are satisfied by using various course activities such as threaded discussions, journals, online seminars, interactive tutorials and online meetings. The syllabi for these courses are carefully reviewed by faculty and the Dean of Graduate Studies to ensure equivalency to face-to-face courses.

Learning outcomes must be appropriate to college-level work in the case of associate and bachelor’s degree programs and the equivalent of post-graduate work in the case of master’s degree programs and must be achievable in the prescribed timeframe.