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What Every Instructor Should Know
Required Student Contact Hours
50 minutes = I hour.
A "contact hour" is measured by the amount of instructional time (direct contact) you spend with students during a semester. Contact time may be spent on (for example) lecturing, supervising group activities, administering tests, or managing online discussions.
You must spend a minimum of one contact hour (50 minutes) a week in instruction for every semester credit hour you teach, or 15 contact hours (750 minutes) per semester. You must spend 3 contact hours (150 minutes) per week for a three hour course, or 45 hours (15 weeks x 3 contact hours) per semester.
What do you think?
If you spend an hour supervising a chemistry lab or an art studio, that would equal one contact hour. (Use this table to determine your contact hour requirements for a given instructional activity.)
True
False
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Contact to Credit Hour Conversion Table
Instructional Activity |
Definition |
Minimum contact hours for one credit hour |
|---|---|---|
Lecture |
Formal presentation or communication by faculty. |
1.0 |
Recitation: Discussion or Seminar |
Two-way student-to-faculty communication of course materials. |
1.0 |
Laboratory |
Instructional activities conducted by faculty requiring student participation, experimentation, observation, or practice. |
2.0 |
Art Studio |
Painting, sculpture, and other lab-type activities conducted by faculty. |
2.0 |
Music: Private Instruction |
Formal presentation in a one-to-one relationship between student and instructor. |
.5 |
Music: Studio |
Band, ensembles, music labs and the like conducted by faculty. |
2.5 |