Hours of Instructional Activity Equivalent

Fully Online Course

A fully online course is defined by the Florida Board of Governors as having 100 percent of the direct instruction of the course delivered using a form of technology when the student and instructor are separated by time, space, or both. All special course components (exam, internship practice, clinicals, labs, etc.) that cannot be completed online can be completed off-campus.

Credit Hour

A credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement, for the various modes of instruction offered at Florida Atlantic University, in accordance with the following guidelines:

1. For traditionally delivered courses, not less than one (1) hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction each week for fifteen (15) weeks per Fall or Spring semester, and a minimum of two (2) hours of out-of-class student work for each credit hour. Equivalent time and effort is required for which may be offered over a shortened time frame. ELearning, hybrid, and other non-traditional modes of delivery will demonstrate equivalent time and effort.[BH1]

Procedures:

Faculty develop the syllabi for each of their courses, following the Provost’s Guidelines for Course Syllabi and any additional guidelines provided by the department/school and college, and the credit hour guidelines in this memorandum.

1. The course syllabus must document not less than one hour (50 Minutes) of direct instruction each week for fifteen weeks per semester for each credit hour. Courses meeting during shorter enrollment periods must document the equivalent direct instruction time. ELearning, hybrid, and other non-traditional modes of delivery must document weekly equivalent instructional activities to demonstrate the effort needed to achieve the course learning outcomes.