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Re: [Phys-l] Federally mandated homework



Bob LaMontagne, apparently referring to one or more of my posts on this subject, said that my use of the 3:1 ratio of work hours to credit hours was my opinion. It's possible it could look that way in some of my posts, but most definitely this is not my opinion. I have stated (in some of my earlier posts to phys-l) that this is law in many states, and has been law for quite some time.

In my state (Ohio) this rule has been in the "Ohio Administrative Code" for as long as I can remember. I'll bet most of you can find nearly identical definitions in your own state codes, laws, rules, or whatever they're called in your state.

What seems new at this point is putting it into federal law. In Ohio it has never been clear whether the state law on this topic applies to private universities like Bluffton. Certainly the state has never done anything to enforce it at Bluffton as far as I know. I am sure the law has applied to state universities for a long time, although I cannot speak to whether it is enforced. I also know it is mentioned in the Bulletin of Ohio State University, which is the largest state-supported university in Ohio.

Some people on this list are viewing this as outrageous, but the fact is that we do need some sort of standard on what a "credit hour" means. Colleges and universities are partly to blame for getting us to this place because there have been schools (and/or some departments and/or some professors) who will charge for, and give three hours of credit to, students who merely show up for three lectures or discussions a week, and do nothing beyond that. Since most people on this list have already been subject to state laws like this for a long time, if you are outraged now, you should have been outraged a long time ago. This is nothing new.

For private universities like Bluffton, who participate in federal aid programs to students, this new federal law makes it more clear that the 3:1 ratio indeed applies to us, and that we had better be able to demonstrate we follow it. Actually, I have maintained that the state law does apply to us, because even though we are "private," we cannot offer baccalaureate or master's degrees in Ohio without being authorized by the Ohio Board of Regents (OBR). All our programs have to be approved by OBR. In fact, the OBR has recently expanded their oversight of our programs to require that all majors, and any changes to existing majors, must be approved by OBR. So it sure seems to me that the Ohio Administrative Code has always applied to private institutions in Ohio.

Therefore I don't really see this federal rule to be anything new, except our administration might actually take note of it now that the feds might actually threaten to deny aid to our students if we don't demonstrate that we follow this rule. Frankly, I welcome this because we have some programs (and too many professors) who don't require any out-of-class work. I'm not one of that group, and sometimes I take a beating from students because I demand so much work compared to other professors. If my students want a C or higher grade they have to write lab reports, work problem sets, read (or understand) the textbook, and come to class. There will be some students who can do all that by spending less time than two hours out of class for each hour in class (and that's fine with me)... and there will be students who need to spend a lot more time (and that's also fine with me). On average I would guess the group of students who pass my courses will come reasonably close to this law. I don't think I will have any problem if I am asked to demonstrate my compliance.

*** Here are quotations from Ohio Administrative Code section 3333-1-02 ***

(13) "Semester credit hour" means a minimum of seven hundred fifty minutes of formalized instruction that typically requires students to work at out-of-class assignments an average of twice the amount of time as the amount of formalized instruction (one thousand five hundred minutes). It is acknowledged that formalized instruction may take place in a variety of modes.

(15) "Formalized instruction" means instruction for which the instructor bears the primary responsibility for delivery, acknowledging that the delivery may take place in a variety of modes.

[Edmiston note: Elsewhere the code defines a "class hour" as a 60-minute block of time that includes a minimum of 50 minutes of formalized instruction. Therefore, "seven hundred fifty minutes of formalized instruction" amounts to 15 "hours" of formalized instruction, and "one thousand five hundred minutes" of "out-of-class assignments" amounts to 30 "hours" of out-of class assignments.]

(22) "Academic semester" means a period of time that shall consist of no fewer than fifteen calendar weeks and no more than seventeen calendar weeks of instructional time. The inclusion of breaks or holidays within any particular semester shall be at the discretion of the institution so long as the institution is in compliance with the criteria for awarding semester credit hours.

[Edmiston note: since most universities follow the "minimum" semester of 15 instructional weeks (plus a 16th week for exams), the 15 hours of formalized instruction and the 30 hours of out-of-class work amount to 1 class hour and 2 homework hours for each week of the term for each semester-hour of credit. It's interesting that Ohio breaks it down into minutes, but it's clear it's the same thing as 1 "hour" in class and 2 hours out-of-class each week for 15 weeks. I've picked definitions 13, 15, and 22. Some of the other numbers in this section of Ohio code define quarter-hours, what an "academic year" is, and also how to figure head count versus full-time equivalent count, etc. ]

*** End Ohio Code quotations ***

Also note that Ohio code requires a "minimum" of 15 "formalized instruction" hours, but only requires an "average" of 30 "out-of-class" hours. I do not quibble with either of these. I agree with John Denker that the federal mandate for a "minimum of two hours of out of class" is bad.


Michael D. Edmiston, PhD.
Professor of Chemistry and Physics
Chair, Division of Natural and Applied Sciences
Bluffton University
Bluffton, OH 45817
Office 419-358-3270
Cell 419-230-9657