Comprehensive Standard 3.4.6
The institution employs sound and acceptable practices for determining the amount and level of credit awarded for courses, regardless of format or mode of delivery. (Practices for awarding credit)
aCompliance___Partial Compliance___Non-Compliance
Narrative:
Lawson State
Community College has sound and acceptable practices for determining the amount
and level of credit awarded for all courses, regardless of the method of
delivery or the format (including on-campus, distance education, advanced
placement, credit by evaluation and/or credit by examination). Lawson State, in compliance with the Alabama
Community College System, adheres to policy, and determines all levels of
credit. The Alabama Community College
System and the Alabama State Department of Education, dictates the amount and
level of approved credit for all courses in each program of study. The Alabama
Community College System’s Course Directory is
the guide for regulations and awarding of credit as mandated by State Board
Policy 717.01.
(Policy 717.01) The Directory is the academic course inventory
for all colleges in the Alabama Community College System institutions. This ensures a uniform course numbering and
course credit system. The Directory
contains a listing of common course prefixes and numbers, the content
descriptor and information about the number of credit hours awarded for the
course. Colleges must be approved to add
courses to the directory. To ensure the
quality of instruction, all courses comply with the same requirements and
standards (Policy 703.01). The Catalog and Student Handbook
contains the list of courses and course descriptions (Pages
194-212).
Alabama State Board of Education Policy (Policy 705.01) dictates that credit is counted in semester hours and a one credit semester hour is based on the average number of hours of weekly instruction during a 15-week period. An hour of instruction is defined as not less than 50 minutes of instruction and student contact. The ratio of weekly contact hours to credit hours varies with the type of instruction being used. Six categories of instruction are defined including theory, experimental laboratory, manipulative laboratory, skills/laboratory/clinical practice, preceptorship, and internship.
Alabama State Board of Education Policy (Policy 706.01) and
information in the Catalog and Student Handbook (Pages
20-23) states
that credit can be awarded through non-traditional means. Credit awarded through non-traditional means for academic transfer
courses may only be awarded by examination or nationally recognized guidelines
such as Advanced Placement, CLEP ACT/PEP, etc.)
Documentation:
|
Documentation |
Location |
|
Alabama State Board Policy 717.01. Course Directory |
|
|
Alabama State Board Policy 703.01 Instructional Quality |
|
|
LSCC Catalog pages 194-212 |
|
|
Alabama State Board Policy 705.01 Converting Contact Hours to Credit Hours |
|
|
Alabama State Board of Education Policy 706.01 Credit Awarded through Non-Traditional Means |
|
|
LSCC Catalog pages 20-23 |
|
|
Course Directory |