Student success is the first priority

Credit Hour Commitment Model Presenters  James Thomas Coraggio, Executive Director, Institutional Research and Effectiveness  Magaly Tymms, Associate Director, Academic Effectiveness and Assessment February 18, 2012Florida Association of Institutional Research2 Institutional Research and Effectiveness St. Petersburg College P.O. Box 13489, St. Petersburg, FL (727) FAX (727)

Student success is the first priority St. Petersburg College Quick Facts  SPC, established in 1927, is the oldest 2-year college in Florida  First Community College in Florida to offer 4 year degrees (2002)  9 Campuses throughout Pinellas County  FTE: 20,011 (LD), 2,396 (UD)  Opening Fall 2011 credited enrollment: 33,480  Annual headcount: 64,094 February 18, 2012Florida Association of Institutional Research3

Student success is the first priority Background  “…the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Education has moved the definition of the credit hour closer to the top than I had ever imagined.” (Inside Higher ED, Reconsider the Credit Hour, Steven D. Crow, January 22, 2010:  SACS is now requiring institutions to provide a common definition of credit hour that can be applied across modalities February 18, 2012Florida Association of Institutional Research4

Student success is the first priority SPC Definition  Credits: The academic requirements that must be fulfilled to earn a degree. Each credit hour generally represents the number of hours students spend in class to fulfill that requirement. Thus, a three-credit English class meets three hours each week throughout the term. The class generally requires twice the number of credit hours of out-of-class work each week.  SPC definition based on the Carnegie Credit Hour definition  Also only represents a face-to-face, 16 week course February 18, 2012Florida Association of Institutional Research5 Source: SPC Student Planner and Handbook, page 68

Student success is the first priority Objectives  To ensure that students have the appropriate expectation for the amount of time required for each class  To establish a common metric that can be applied to all courses regardless of modality and schedule pattern February 18, 2012Florida Association of Institutional Research6

Student success is the first priority Credit Hour Commitment Model In Class Approx. 1 Hour Out of Class 2 Hours 3 hours per Week per Credit Hour February 18, 2012Florida Association of Institutional Research7 Current Credit Hour Definition

Student success is the first priority Credit Hour Commitment Model  Based on a 3 hour requirement per week per credit hour (CH)  This would require 9 hours each week for a 16-week course  Which would result in 144 hours each semester for a 16-week course February 18, 2012Florida Association of Institutional Research8

Student success is the first priority Credit Hour Commitment Model 3 hours X 3 CHs X 16 weeks = 144 hours  144-hour commitment is required for a 3 credit hour class  Regardless of Modality (FTF, Blended, Online)  Regardless of Session Type (16-week, 10-week, 8- week, etc.) February 18, 2012Florida Association of Institutional Research9 Note: Some exceptions apply such as labs and clinicals

Student success is the first priority Analysis by Week Session TypeCredit HoursTotal Hour Commitment Weekly Commitment 16-week31449 hours 10-week hours 8-week hours 5-week hours February 18, 2012Florida Association of Institutional Research10 Credit Hour Commitment Model

Student success is the first priority Weekly Commitment February 18, 2012Florida Association of Institutional Research hours 16-week 14.4 hours 10-week 18.0 hours 8-week 28.8 hours 5-week Credit Hour Commitment Model

Student success is the first priority Weekly Commitment  What about…  Work?  Family?  Eating?  Sleeping?  Travel?  Relaxation? February 18, 2012Florida Association of Institutional Research12

Student success is the first priority Weekly Schedule 24 hours X 7 Days 168 Hours Full-time Student Schedule February 18, 2012Florida Association of Institutional Research13 Classes 36 hours 12 Credit Hour Schedule 16-Week Commute 8 hours Family 16 hours Sleep 56 hours Eat 8 hours Leisure/ Other 24 hours Work 20 hours

Student success is the first priority Part-time Student Schedule February 18, 2012Florida Association of Institutional Research14 Classes 18 hours Commute 8 hours Family 16 hours Sleep 56 hours Eat 8 hours Leisure/ Other 22 hours Work 40 hours 6 Credit Hour Schedule 16-Week Weekly Schedule 24 hours X 7 Days 168 Hours

Student success is the first priority 8-Week Student Schedule February 18, 2012Florida Association of Institutional Research15 Classes 36 hours Commute 8 hours Family 16 hours Sleep 56 hours Eat 8 hours Leisure/ Other 4 hours Work 40 hours 6 Credit Hour Schedule 8-Week Weekly Schedule 24 hours X 7 Days 168 Hours

Student success is the first priority 5-Week Student Schedule February 18, 2012Florida Association of Institutional Research16 Classes 57.6 hours Commute 8 hours Family 16 hours Sleep 56 hours Eat 8 hours Leisure/ Other 2.4 hours Work 20 hours 6 Credit Hour Schedule 5-Week Weekly Schedule 24 hours X 7 Days 168 Hours

Student success is the first priority Life/School Balance Calculator A software interface is currently being developed as part of the Individualized Student Academic Plan process. Questions will drive an algorithm based on values from the Bureau of Labor statistics February 18, 2012Florida Association of Institutional Research17

Student success is the first priority Life/School Balance Calculator Example Student Questions On average, how many hours do you work each week? On average, how many hours do you sleep each night? On average, how many hours do you spend commuting each week? Do you have children? February 18, 2012Florida Association of Institutional Research18

Student success is the first priority Life/School Balance Calculator Example Calculated Items February 18, 2012Florida Association of Institutional Research19 Area of Time Usage (week)Have Children- Yes 1 Have Children- No 2 Eating and drinking7.7 Leisure and sports Other Caring for others8.40 Household activities7.70 Grooming05.6 Educational activitiesCalculated NOTE 1: Data include employed persons on days they worked, ages 25 to 54, who lived in households with children under 18. Data include non-holiday weekdays and are annual averages for NOTE 2: Data include individuals, ages 15 to 49, who were enrolled full time at a university or college. Data include non-holiday weekdays and are averages for Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Student success is the first priority Life/School Balance Calculator Student will answer Life/School Balance questions as part of their Individualized Student Academic Plan. Program will provide students an ideal sample of course credits and session types based on their responses. February 18, 2012Florida Association of Institutional Research20

Student success is the first priority Summary Intent of the proposed model is to…  Ensure students understand the amount of time required for each credit/class  Demonstrate our consensus on a credit hour metric consistent across instructional modalities  Preserve the role of faculty in defining high quality and time efficient courses and programs  Ensure institutional integrity consistent with Title IV expectations February 18, 2012Florida Association of Institutional Research21

Student success is the first priority February 18, 2012 Florida Association of Institutional Research 22 Questions/Next Steps