In this first Assignment, you will choose a program you will develop for your
Final Project. Choosing a program to develop is a critical step in the
development of curriculum. There are many needs that must be considered:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The needs of the institution.
The needs of the students.
The needs of the community.
The needs of the economy.
The needs of location.
HE523 Unit 1 Assignment: Planning Your Program Template
Name of Institution:
Kind of Institution:
Approximate number of students:
Will the program be online or on
ground?
Location if on ground:
What is the mission of the institution?
Does the institution have any special
values?
(eg. Community-based; faith-based;
content-based)
Name of Proposed Program:
Level (grad or undergrad):
Total credits required for Program:
(Please consult these materials)
What regional accrediting body will
accredit your Institution?
Will there be a professional accrediting
body accrediting your program? (For
example, the State Board of Nursing)?
Does the economy of the area support
this program?
What evidence do you have that the
economy will support this program?
Will the number of available jobs
support your program, meaning will
students need to relocate on
completion? What evidence do you
have to support this?
Key:
Kind of institution:
2-year
4-year liberal arts
4-year Private
4-year Public
Master’s degree granting
Doctoral degree granting
USNEI
International Affairs Office, U.S. Department of Education
Feb 2008
http://www.ed.gov/international/usnei/edlite-index.html
Structure of the U.S. Education System:
Credit Systems
U.S. educators at the secondary, higher, and adult/continuing education levels use a variety of formulae to calculate, record,
and interpret the amount of earned academic or training credits that students accumulate en route to earning certificates,
diplomas, degrees, and other qualifications. In most cases, the term “credit hours” or “credit units” identify the earned credits.
Several important points need to be understood about credit:
●
Credit hours or units represent a mathematical summarization of all work completed, and are not the same as the actual
classroom contact or instructional hours.
●
U.S. institutions use credit formulae to record all types of academic work, not just taught courses. A U.S. doctoral
student’s academic record, for example, will contain credits earned for independent research, often expressed as if the
student had been enrolled in classes, even though the actual work was independent research.
●
Credits are a convenient numerical way to assess tuition and fee charges and determine student status. Even
unsupervised doctoral candidates must be registered as students and pay tuition charges.
●
Registered student status is usually defined as being enrolled in a given semester or quarter for a specified minimum
number of credit hours, which are assigned for any type of study recognized and required by the faculty, and tuition
charges are usually calculated by the instructional cost per credit hour.
SECONDARY LEVEL CREDIT UNITS
The most widely used credit systems in U.S. secondary education are based on the Carnegie Unit system. Carnegie Units were
proposed in 1906 as a basis for measuring schoolwork. A unit would represent a single subject taught for one classroom period
for five days a week. Fractional units would be awarded for subjects taught less frequently. The term “Carnegie Unit” is still
used to describe this system as are other terms such as “annual credit unit.” Historical information about the Carnegie Unit can
be found in the FAQ section of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching website under the title What is a
Carnegie Unit?.
Some secondary schools assign credits by semester. These semester credit units are based on the formula that a semester
credit unit equals a single subject taught for one classroom period for five days a week. Still other schools assign credit by the
classroom period, or “hour.” Since the standard secondary class load is five subjects, five hourly credits equal on semester
credit unit , which is doubled for annual credit units.
POSTSECONDARY CREDIT SYSTEMS
Semester Calendar Credit Hours. Most U.S. higher education institutions operate on an academic year divided into two equal
semesters of 15-16 weeks’ duration, with a winter break of 2-3 weeks and a summer session of 10-12 weeks, plus additional
shorter breaks. The actual amount of academic work that goes into a single semester credit hour is often calculated as follows:
●
One lecture (taught) or seminar (discussion) credit hour represents 1 hour per week of scheduled class/seminar time
and 2 hours of student preparation time. Most lecture and seminar courses are awarded 3 credit hours. Over an entire
semester, this formula represents at least 45 hours of class time and 90 hours of student preparation.
●
One laboratory credit hour represents 1 hour per week of lecture or discussion time plus 1-2 hours per week of
scheduled supervised or independent laboratory work, and 2 hours of student preparation time. Most laboratory courses
are awarded up to 4 credit hours. This calculation represents at least 45 hours of class time, between 45 and 90 hours
of laboratory time, and 90 hours of student preparation per semester.
●
One practice credit hour (supervised clinical rounds, visual or performing art studio, supervised student teaching, field
work, etc.) represents 3-4 hours per week of supervised and /or independent practice. This in turn represents between
45 and 60 hours of work per semester. Blocks of 3 practice credit hours, which equate to a studio or practice course,
represent between 135 and 180 total hours of academic work per semester.
●
One independent study (thesis or dissertation research) hour is calculated similarly to practice credit hours.
●
Internship or apprenticeship credit hours are determined by negotiation between the supervising faculty and the work
supervisor at the cooperating site, both of whom must judge and certify different aspects of the student’s work. The
credit formula is similar to that for practice credit.
A typical bachelor’s degree program of study on a semester calendar requires at least 120 credit hours to be earned by the
student. Normal full-time registration is usually 15 credit hours per semester or 30 per academic year (shortfalls can be made
up in summer sessions or independent study). This roughly translates into at least 30-40 courses (depending on the major
subject and thus the proportion of types of credit hours earned) and represents at least 5,400 – and probably more – actual
hours of dedicated academic work for a non-science or non-art concentration, and well over that total for graduates of
programs in the sciences, engineering, fine arts, or performing arts. A master’s degree program requiring at least 33 credit
hours and including a research thesis or project represents over 4,000 actual hours of supervised and unsupervised
(independent research) study, while a doctoral program can represent 8,000 or more actual hours of advanced study and
research beyond the master’s degree.
Quarter Calendar Credit Hours. Some U.S. institutions use a quarter calendar, in which the academic year is divided into
three terms, called quarters, of 10-11 weeks’ duration plus a summer session (considered the fourth quarter, but optional), a
short winter term, and other calendar breaks. Quarter credit hours represent proportionately less work than semester hours
due to the shorter terms, about two-thirds of a semester credit hour. Thus, a bachelor’s degree at an institution on the quarter
calendar may require a minimum of 180 quarter hours, which compares to 120 semester hours.
Other Postsecondary Credit Systems. The semester and quarter hour systems are only the most commonly used credit
systems in the United States. Several institutions employ their own special systems for recording credits, ranging from unit
systems similar to the Carnegie system (one course = one credit) to point systems based on various formulae.
See also:
U.S. Grading Systems
Assessment
Standardized Tests
Experiential Credit Conversion
U.S. Credit Systems
Comparing U.S. and Other Credit Systems
Return to Structure of U.S. Education
Return to USNEI Home Page
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