Re: [Phys-l] Federally mandated homework

["Spagna Jr., George" <gspagna@rmc.edu>]

Actually, there is a mandate from Department of Education to assure that the work assigned for 1 credit hour is actually equivalent to a credit hour ... however that's defined, but usually as 3 hours of work per credit hour.  The target of the rule is actually the on-line and for-profit institutions, which often promise "a bachelor's degree in 18 months" or such.  Our Curriculum Committee is reviewing courses here to make sure they comply, but that's more to be sure that 3-hour classes and 4-hour classes have properly assigned credit.

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 "Contraceptives no more cause sex than umbrellas cause rain. "
                                                             - Nicolas Kristof
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Dr. George Spagna
Physics Department
Randolph-Macon College
P.O. Box 5005
Ashland, VA 23005-5505

phone: (804) 752-7344
fax: (804) 752-4724
e-mail: gspagna@rmc.edu
http://faculty.rmc.edu/gspagna/public_html/index.html

-----Original Message-----
From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu [mailto:phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf Of Rauber, Joel
Sent: Thursday, November 03, 2011 2:09 PM
To: Forum for Physics Educators
Subject: Re: [Phys-l] Federally mandated homework

I may be wrong but I don't believe a word of it.

There exists a rule-of-thumb which I hear from many sources which suggests that 2-hours of work out-side of class (not necessarily assigned homework) is appropriate for every classroom hour.  Our student success office tells students this; but I wish they would just as loudly say that results will differ; some students in some classes need to spend 3 or 4 hours working on the material at home for every hour of class.  I know I did something closer to a 4:1 ratio for my introductory physics class.  (Of course, I wasn't going to settle for anything less than an A and I had an old-school professor; who was quite good I might add.)

If one looks in the archives, you'll a couple good posts from Mike Edminston on the subject.

Joel



_________________________

Joel Rauber, Ph.D
Professor and Head of Physics
Department of Physics
South Dakota State University
Brookings, SD 57007
Joel.Rauber@sdstate.edu
605.688.5428 (w)
605.688.5878 (fax) 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu [mailto:phys-l- 
> bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf Of LaMontagne, Bob
> Sent: Thursday, November 03, 2011 12:11 PM
> To: Forum for Physics Educators
> Subject: [Phys-l] Federally mandated homework
>
> During our faculty senate meeting yesterday, the Academic Vice 
> President announced that he would be forming a committee to monitor 
> homework in classes. There appears to be a Federal regulation that is 
> being imposed that demands of any public or private college that 
> receives Federal funds that every class taught have 2 hours of 
> assigned homework for each class hour.
>
> Many of you probably already work to that rule - but it was a shocker 
> for us. Our department will have no problem complying because we use 
> electronic homework and monitor the students homework effort. We also 
> get estimates from the publisher as to how long each assigned problem 
> will take. But it still smacks of "Big Brother".
>
> http://nasad.arts-
> accredit.org/index.jsp?page=Advisory_Repeated_Courses-Credit_Hours
>
> Bob at PC
> _______________________________________________
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