Credit Hour Policy

When allocating credit hours to courses and programs, Coffeyville Community College adheres to the following federal definition and the Kansas Board of Regents: Policy and Procedures Manual. Federal Definition of Credit Hour (34 CFR 600.2) and Kansas Board of Regents Policy (88-26-4)

Credit Hour:

1. A credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably approximates not less than:
2. One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or
3. At least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for other academic activities as established by the institution including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.
4. The number of semester hours of credit allowed for each distance or blended hybrid course shall be assigned by the College based on the amount of time needed to achieve the same course outcomes in a purely face-to-face format.

Standards for Determining Credit Hours for Courses

Credit is the basic unit of collegiate level instruction that is assigned to a course or courses equivalent learning. One semester hour of credit may be awarded according to the following standards.

Time-based Standard

• A regular college semester is defined as 15 weeks of instruction and one week allocated for final exams
• Lecture courses must meet for at least 750 minutes of class instruction per credit hour, plus time allocated for a final exam
• Laboratory courses, including those in vocational-technical programs, class must consist of at least 1,125 minutes per credit hour. (Laboratory courses are ones in which students predominantly are involved in experimentation or application learning activities)
• Internship, practicum, on-the-job training, or clinical experiences in health occupation courses must meet for a minimum of 2700 minutes per credit hour.
• Physical education activity courses must meet for a minimum of 1,500 minutes per credit hour.
• Clinical courses and apprenticeship courses will meet the minimum required by the respective professional accrediting or regulatory agency, but may not be less than the minimum required for laboratory courses as defined above.

Kansas Board of Regents Policy

K.S.A. 71-601 et seq., K.S.A. 71-1801 et seq., K.S.A. 72-4480 and K.S.A. 72-4482 requires that the Kansas Board of Regents approve courses for which credit hours are awarded in community colleges. Procedures for receiving and acting on credit courses submitted by community colleges shall be the responsibility of the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Kansas Board of Regents. Procedures will ensure that quality of instruction is properly addressed by the colleges’ boards of trustees, and the approval of credit courses are acted on in a timely and effective manner.

Statuses Regarding Definition of Credit Hour

1. K.S.A. 2011 Supp. 71-601.
   1. “Credit hour” means the basic unit of collegiate level instruction, as determined by the state board, in a subject or course offered at a level not higher than those subjects or courses normally offered to freshmen and sophomores in four-year institutions of postsecondary education which subject or course is approved by the state board.
   2. The term “credit hour” does not include instruction in a subject or course taken by a student enrolled for audit or in any subject or course not approved by the state board.
   3. The state board shall determine whether the subjects and courses offered in the community colleges are at the level of freshmen and sophomore subjects and courses offered in the state educational institutions and shall not approve for funding any subject or course offered at a higher level.
2. K.S.A. 2011 Supp. 71-1802.
   1. “Credit hour” means the basic unit of collegiate level instruction, as determined by the state board, in a subject or course offered by any community college, technical college or the institute of technology at a postsecondary level not higher than those programs or courses normally offered to freshmen and sophomores in four-year public institutions of postsecondary education, in a program that has been approved by the state board.
   2. The term “credit hour” does not include instruction in a program or course taken by a student enrolled for audit or not for postsecondary credit, or in any program or course not approved by the state board.
   3. The state board shall determine whether the programs and courses offered are at the level of freshmen and sophomore programs and courses offered in the state educational institutions and shall not approve for funding any program or course offered at a higher level.

Qualitative Process for Course Approval

Quality of instruction is the responsibility of the community college governing Board of Trustees and by the chief executive officer. Each institution will utilize a process whereby credit courses are subjected to a qualitative process review prior to application for course approval. The review by each institution will minimally comply with the following expectations:

• courses meet the intent of K.S.A. 71-601 and 71- 1802(c) in respect to level of instruction the amount of credit assigned, regardless of delivery to ensure each course is appropriate for the skills, knowledge and competencies included therein
• faculty in the discipline or technical field have either initiated the course proposal or have been meaningfully involved in its review and recommendation for approval
• learning outcomes and appropriate assessment methods are clearly defined in the course outline, syllabus, and/or competencies identified
• facilities, equipment, and other learning resources are adequate to support the expected learning outcomes of the course
• a college “curriculum committee” or equivalent group composed of faculty and administration has reviewed the course proposals

Annually, the President and Chief Executive Officer or designee will request the chief executive officer of each institution to provide a verification that the institution complies with the above criteria relating to a qualitative process review.

Fire Science Prior Learning Credit (PLC) Policy

The intent of this policy is to provide college credit for courses in the Fire Science Program at Coffeyville Community College (CCC) for eligible fire personnel with prior learning credentials. Eligibility for credit is primarily determined by the Coffeyville Community College Fire Science Program Director and the respective Administrator, who will review the student’s record and notify the Registrar’s Office of acceptable credit to be awarded.

Students seeking award of college credit through this policy must meet the following criteria:

• The student must have completed approved Fire Science training courses through an IFSTA approved training program (i.e. Kansas Fire & Rescue Training Institute at the University of Kansas).
• The student must be enrolled in the Fire Science program at Coffeyville Community College to request prior learning credits.
• The courses for which students receive credit will be added to their transcript once the student has completed a minimum of 9 credits at Coffeyville Community College with a minimum 2.0 GPA (C) average or better. Credit for CCC courses will not be awarded without proof of the Fire Service certifications and/or official transcripts from an IFSTA approved training program.
• All earned prior learning credits will receive a grade of “CR” for credit on the CCC transcript.
• Credit obtained through the PLC Policy may not transfer to another college or university.
• Credit cannot be used to repeat classroom credit in which a student has received a grade.
• Credit cannot be used to meet the enrollment requirements for government-funded financial aid programs or to meet resident credit requirements for graduation.
• Students who meet the Fire Science PLC Policy requirements will be eligible for up to 32 college credits.

Advanced Placement Policy

Coffeyville Community College will accept Advanced Placement scores for college credit. A student may receive credit for the course(s) with an AP score of 3, 4, or 5. No credit will be awarded for scores below a 3.

Courses will be assigned a grade of “CR” for credit only and will not be used to calculate a student’s grade point average. Students must provide official documentation of AP scores to the Registrar’s Office and request that the course(s) be placed on the student’s official transcript. Students must complete one semester as a full-time student before the AP courses are placed on the transcript.

Transfer policies at other post-secondary institutions may differ regarding credit acceptance. Students may be required to validate AP scores upon transfer to a four-year institution. Students may also be required to take lower division courses upon transfer to satisfy graduation requirements.

Governed universities by the Kansas Board of Regents have established the following acceptable AP Exam Scores. Coffeyville Community College will accept the following three exams with scores of 3 or above to be awarded:

Advanced Standing

Coffeyville Community College may award a limited number of semester hours of credit based on satisfactory scores through the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). Governed universities by the Kansas Board of Regents have established standards for awarding credit for all CLEP exam scores at or above the American Council of Education’s (ACE) credit-granting recommended score of 50 for the equivalent course or courses at the institution.

Military Credit

Coffeyville Community College may award up to 10 credit hours by the American Council on Education Guide Book. The student must first submit a copy of the appropriate military records to the Registrar for evaluation.