Siena College follows the U.S. Department of Education definition of a credit hour. Siena College applies this definition to traditional face to face and distance education courses. Specifically, the College defines a credit hour as:
“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:
- One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester credit or
- At least an equivalent amount of work as required in (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.”
See Middle States Commission on Higher Education, “Credit Hour Policy”, October 2012.