Faculty recommend new syllabi section on course hours - Sera Royal, GW Hatchet

Students this semester have noticed a new section on their syllabi: the minimum number of hours they are expected to spend on coursework in and out of class. As the University begins its reaccreditation process, officials have been working on adhering to the requirements set by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the agency that accredits GW. One of the requirements is proving that a course adheres to the U.S. Department of Education’s definition of a course hour, which includes the specific number of hours students are expected to spend in and out of class. “They are also a reminder to faculty about how much work they should expect of their students.” Csellar said what constitutes a course hour has changed as new types of courses, like online courses, increase in popularity. Accrediting bodies are more likely to request documentation of the ways in which a university’s courses follow the course hour definition, she said. http://www.gwhatchet.com/2016/09/12/faculty-recommend-new-syllabi-section-on-course-hours/