When planning a course, the amount of work you give students should fall within a specific range (for example, a certain number of hours a week) determined by Boise State University. |
Clock hours: “the total number of actual hours per week a student spends attending class or other instructional activities” (DHS). This is the total for all of the activities for the course.
Credit hours: “the number of credits a student receives for enrolling in (and successfully completing) a given course” (DHS).
Per 1 credit hour, Boise State requires at least “15 Clock Hours of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of 30 Clock Hours of out-of-class student work” or its equivalent (Policy 4080). That makes 45 hours total per credit.
Boise State’s clock hours are 50-60 minutes (Policy 4080). This creates a range from 37.5 to 45 clock hours per credit hour:
50 min. x 45 = 2250 min. = 37.5 clock hours per credit hour
60 min. x 45 = 2700 min. = 45 clock hours per credit hour
1 credit course: 37.5 - 45 clock hours
2 credit course: 75 - 90 clock hours
3 credit course: 112.5 - 135 clock hours
The shorter the course, the more clock hours per week, and vice versa. See the table below for examples of clock hours per week (rounded to the half hour) for courses with different credit hours:
Credits | 15 Weeks | 10 Weeks | 7 Weeks | 5 Weeks | 3 Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2.5 - 3 | 4 - 4.5 | 5.5 - 6.5 | 7.5 - 9 | 12.5 - 15 |
2 | 5 - 6 | 7.5 - 9 | 11 - 13 | 15 - 18 | 25 - 30 |
3 | 7.5 - 9 | 11.5 - 13.5 | 16 - 19.5 | 22.5 - 27 | 37.5 - 45 |
4 | 10 - 12 | 15 - 18 | 21.5 - 26 | 30 - 36 | 50 - 60 |
5 | 12.5 - 15 | 19 - 22.5 | 27 - 33 | 37.5 - 45 | 62.5 - 75 |
Boise State Credit Hours Policy (4080) by Boise State University
The Difference Between Clock Hours and Credit Hours by Department of Homeland Security
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) Credit Hour Policy by NWCCU (pdf)
Time Management by Boise State University