Defining the Credit Hour

Last year, the Higher Education Act of 1965 was amended to include a new definition of the credit hour. The definition focuses on inputs like seat time and hours of instruction but also includes references to "intended learning outcomes" and "evidence of student achievement." It explicitly recognizes learning in settings such as "laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours." How can educators best establish credit hours in settings without seat time? How does your campus do it? Is calibration of expected hours of work to intended learning outcomes a promising avenue? Does the new definition provide an opening for efforts to get beyond traditional measures of college learning? Join us for a discussion of these and related questions.