One of the main required components of course syllabi for group instruction courses is course credit information: the number of credits and how the course meets the UW–Madison’s Credit Hour Policy standard.
Number of credits
The number of credits associated with each course can be found at guide.wisc.edu/courses.
How a Course Meets the Credit Hour Policy Standard
Depending on the number of credits associated with the given course, faculty and instructors should select one of the options provided below to describe how the course meets the credit hour policy standard. Choose the option that best fits the course, and modify if needed.
1-Credit Course
Choose option “A” or “B,” whichever best fits the course.
Option A: This class meets for one, 50-minute class period each week over the fall/spring semester and carries the expectation that students will work on course learning activities (reading, writing, problem sets, studying, etc) for about 2 hours out of the classroom for every class period. The syllabus includes additional information about meeting times and expectations for student work.
Option B: The credit standard for this course is met by an expectation of a total of 45 hours of student engagement with the course learning activities, which include regularly scheduled instructor:student meeting times [insert meeting time expectations], reading, writing, problem sets, studio time, labs, field trips, and other student work as described in the syllabus.
2-Credit Course
Choose option “A,” “B” or “C,” whichever best fits the course.
Option A: This class meets for two, 50-minute class periods each week over the fall/spring semester and carries the expectation that students will work on course learning activities (reading, writing, problem sets, studying, etc) for about 2 hours out of the classroom for every class period. The syllabus includes additional information about meeting times and expectations for student work.
Option B: The credit standard for this course is met by an expectation of a total of 90 hours of student engagement with the course learning activities (at least 45 hours per credit), which include regularly scheduled instructor:student meeting times [insert meeting time expectations], reading, writing, problem sets, studio time, labs, field trips, and other student work as described in the syllabus.
Option C: This is a [studio] [lab] course. Students will meet the 2 credits of the course by spending a total of 90 hours (at least 45 hours per credit) on learning activities and working with the instructor. This includes scheduled [studio] [lab] time [insert times], and open [insert hours] [studio] [lab] time, and any additional time outside [studio] [lab].
3-Credit Course
Choose option “A,” “B,” “C” or “D,” whichever best fits the course.
Option A: This class meets for three, 50-minute class periods each week over the fall/spring semester and carries the expectation that students will work on course learning activities (reading, writing, problem sets, studying, etc) for about 2 hours out of the classroom for every class period. The syllabus includes additional information about meeting times and expectations for student work.
Option B: This class meets for two, 75-minute class periods each week over the fall/spring semester and carries the expectation that students will work on course learning activities (reading, writing, problem sets, studying, etc) for about 3 hours out of the classroom for every class period. The syllabus includes more information about meeting times and expectations for student work.
Option C: The credit standard for this course is met by an expectation of a total of 135 hours of student engagement with the course learning activities (at least 45 hours per credit), which include regularly scheduled instructor:student meeting times [insert meeting time expectations], reading, writing, problem sets, studio time, labs, field trips, and other student work as described in the syllabus.
Option D: This is a [studio] [lab] course. Students will meet the 3 credits of the course by spending a total of 135 hours (at least 45 hours per credit) on learning activities and working with the instructor. This includes scheduled [studio] [lab] time [insert times], and open [insert hours] [studio] [lab] time, and any additional time outside [studio] [lab].
4-Credit Course
Choose option “A,” “B,” “C” or “D,” whichever best fits the course.
Option A: This class meets for a total of four class periods [insert meeting pattern] each week over the fall/spring semester and carries the expectation that students will work on course learning activities (reading, writing, problem sets, studying, etc) for about 2 hours out of the classroom for every class period. The syllabus includes additional information about meeting times and expectations for student work.
Option B: This class meets for three, 75-minute class periods each week over the fall/spring semester and carries the expectation that students will work on course learning activities (reading, writing, problem sets, studying, etc) for about 3 hours for every class period. The syllabus includes more information about meeting times and expectations for student work.
Option C: The credit standard for this course is met by an expectation of a total of 180 hours of student engagement with the course learning activities (at least 45 hours per credit), which include regularly scheduled instructor:student meeting times [insert meeting time expectations], reading, writing, problem sets, studio time, labs, field trips, and other student work as described in the syllabus.
Option D: This is a [studio] [lab] course. Students will meet the 4 credits of the course by spending a total of 180 hours (at least 45 hours per credit) on learning activities and working with the instructor. This includes scheduled [studio] [lab] time [insert times], and open [insert hours] [studio] [lab] time, and any additional time outside [studio] [lab].
5-Credit Course
Choose option “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “E,” whichever best fits the course.
Option A: This class meets every weekday for a 50-minute class [insert meeting pattern] each week over the fall/spring semester and carries the expectation that students will work on course learning activities (reading, writing, problem sets, studying, etc) for about 2 hours out of the classroom for every class period. The syllabus includes additional information about meeting times and expectations for student work.
Option B: This class meets for three, 75-minute class periods each week over the fall/spring semester and carries the expectation that students will work on course learning activities (reading, writing, problem sets, studying, etc) for about 4 hours for every class period. The syllabus includes more information about meeting times and expectations for student work.
Option C: The credit standard for this course is met by an expectation of a total of 225 hours of student engagement with the course learning activities (at least 45 hours per credit), which include regularly scheduled instructor:student meeting times [insert meeting time expectations], reading, writing, problem sets, studio time, labs, field trips, and other student work as described in the syllabus.
Option D: This is a [studio] [lab] course. Students will meet the 5 credits of the course by spending a total of 225 hours (at least 45 hours per credit) on learning activities and working with the instructor. This includes scheduled [studio] [lab] time [insert times], and open [insert hours] [studio] [lab] time, and any additional time outside [studio] [lab].
Option E: This is a 5-credit class that meets three times weekly for 50-minutes, plus students participate in a lab section (3 hours per week) for this class. Over the course of the fall/spring semester, students are expected to do a total of about 225 hours learning activities which includes class attendance, lab attendance, reading, studying, preparation, problem sets, lab reports and other learning activities.
Variable Credit
Students may take this course for 3 or 4 credits. Students enrolled for 3 credits [use a 3-credit example above]: This class meets for three, 50-minute class period each week over the fall/spring semester and carries the expectation that students will work on course learning activities (reading, writing, problem sets, studying, etc) for about 2 hours out of the classroom for every class period. The syllabus includes additional information about meeting times and expectations for student work. Students enrolled for 4 credits are expected to [insert description of additional learning activities].