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Unit Time Allocation Training

Thursday, August 29, 2024, 12 pm CST

Presenters:

Ryan Eikmeier

Amanda Rahn

Natalie Rodriguez

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Agenda

Introduction, Objectives, Purpose
Course Time Allocation

Demonstration

Credit Hour Database

Demonstration

Q&A
Conclusion

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Timeline for Implementation

Changes discussed today will be effective 9/30/24

2501A, Drop 1

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Objectives

Access and use the Credit Hour Database
Discuss the guidelines for course time allocation
Explain the new out-of-class category
Discuss updated descriptions for both in- and out-of-class categories
Complete a sample credit hour audit in the Course Design Guide
Complete a sample credit hour entry in the Credit Hour Database

After completing this training you will be able to . . .

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Purpose

Course time allocation aims to ensure that each course:

meets the specific credit hour requirements by properly distributing and recording in-class and out-of-class activities.
maintains academic integrity, compliance with accreditation standards, and a consistent educational experience for students.

The Credit Hour Database aims to ensure that:

all eligible courses at PG comply with the required credit hour standards.
it manages and records time allocations for in-class and out-of-class activities, providing a standardized measure of instructional and study time per credit hour.
we maintain consistency and compliance with academic regulations, ensuring that each course meets specific credit hour requirements.

Why do we have a Unit Time Allocation & Credit Hour Database?

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Credit Hour Database

Ensuring Compliance: It helps verify that courses adhere to established credit hour standards essential for accreditation and academic integrity.
Standardization: Provides a consistent framework for measuring and allocating instructional and study time across different courses and programs.
Audit and Reporting: Facilitates the auditing process by allowing for accurate tracking and reporting of credit hours, ensuring courses meet required standards.

NOTE: ADoCs do receive a report of non-compliant courses.

Guidance for Course Development: Offers clear guidelines for developing and revising courses, helping curriculum specialists and faculty accurately allocate in-class and out-of-class activities.
Support for Quality Education: Ensures that students receive the appropriate amount of instructional and study time per credit hour, contributing to the overall quality of education.

Purpose and Importance of the CHD

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Course Time Allocation

Purdue Global Credit Hour Requirements

Credit Hour	In-Class Hours/wk.	Out-of-Class Hours/wk.	Total in-class hrs. for course	Total Out-of-Class hrs. for course	Total Hrs. Expected
1 credit	1	2	10	20	30
2 credits	2	4	20	40	60
3 credits	3	6	30	60	90
4 credits	4	8	40	80	120
5 credits	5	10	50	100	150
6 credits	6	12	60	120	180
7 credits	7	14	70	140	210
8 credits	8	16	80	160	240
9 credits	9	18	90	180	270
11 credits	11	22	110	220	330
12 credits	12	24	120	240	360

All credit hour audits should align with the specified hours above, but the actual hours may vary slightly depending on the course content. A course will still be considered compliant if it is no more than three hours short of the required total in-class and total hours combined across all units.

NATALIE: This table shows the breakdown of the credit hour requirements for the different credit levels in Purdue Global’s standard courses. As you can see on the first row of this table, each credit hour corresponds to 1 hour of in-class activities per week, and 2 hours of out-of-class activities per week. The 30 total hours per credit encompasses all in-class and out-of-class hours across the entire course duration. The breakdown is then, 10 in-class hours for the course, and 20 out-of-class hours for the course.

If we move on to the 2 credits row, you will see 60 total hours. The breakdown is then, 20 in-class hours for the course, and 40 out-of-class hours for the course.

This continues up to 12 credits. Please note, there are no 10-credit courses. This table, and the following two tables on the next two slides are available on the Credit Hour Database’s homepage as well.

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Course Time Allocation

All credit hour audits should align with the specified hours, but the actual hours may vary slightly depending on the course content.

Courses are out of compliance if they are:

more than three hours short in the total required in-class course hours
more than three hours short of the total required (in-class plus out-of-class) course hours

Example: 6-credit course:

Expected total hours: 180
Actual total hours: 176
Status: non-compliant (4 hours short of total required course hours)

Example: 4-credit course:

Expected in-class hours: 40
Actual in-class hours: 37
Status: compliant (3 hours short of the total required in-class course hours)

Purdue Global Credit Hour Requirements

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Course Time Allocation

Purdue Global Law School Credit Hour Requirements

Credit Hour	In-Class Hours/wk.	Out-of-Class Hours/wk.	Total in-class hrs. for course	Total Out-of-Class hrs. for course	Total Hrs. Expected
1 credit	1	2	15	30	45
2 credits	2	4	30	60	90
3 credits	3	6	45	90	135
4 credits	4	8	60	120	180

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Course Time Allocation

Purdue Global Module (ExcelTrack) Credit Hour Requirements

Credit Hour by Module	In-Class Hours/mod	Out-of-Class Hours/mod	Total in-class hrs. for course	Total Out-of-Class hrs. for course	Total Hrs. Expected
Module	10	20	10	20	30

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Course Time Allocation

CS

Works in collaboration with the Subject Matter Expert (SME) and/or the Course Lead (CL) to complete the Credit Hour Audit in the Course Design Guide (CDG).
Modify the hours throughout the entire development process.

You will discuss necessary updates during the Planning meeting, then, update the hours as content is provided, and after all content has been provided.

Transferring the data from the CDG to the Credit Hour Database.

CL/SME: Collaborates with the CS to provide the necessary information.

CL/SME and/or Department Chair (varies by school): Reviews and approves the completed audit before submitting it to the CHD.

Roles and Responsibilities

NATALIE: Let's talk about who does what in the process.

Curriculum Specialist works closely with the Subject Matter Expert and/or the Course Lead to complete the Credit Hour Audit in the Course Design Guide (CDG).

The CS is responsible for modifying the hours throughout the development process. This is to ensure the course continues to meet the credit hour requirements.

Necessary updates should be discussed during the Planning meeting, then, update the hours as content is provided, and after all content has been provided.

So basically, throughout the entire revision process.

The CS is also responsible for transferring this data to the Credit Hour Database.

The CL and/or SME should collaborate with you on the hours.

The CL and/or SME and/or the Department Chair, this varies by school, must review and approve the completed audit before it is submitted to the Credit Hour Database to ensure accuracy and compliance.

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Course Time Allocation

Integral to course time allocation, ensuring students receive the appropriate instructional and study time per credit hour.

Ensure all activities are meaningful and contribute to the learning objectives of the course.

NO categories should be used as “filler” time. If you are “short” hours, speak to the schools ADoC for guidance.

In-Class vs. Out-of-Class Hours

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Course Time Allocation

In-Class Activities: Occur within the formal instructional environment. Generally, activities accessed within the Brightspace LMS are considered in-class.

Purpose: Facilitate active learning and enhance understanding through direct engagement with course material.

These activities facilitate active learning and direct engagement with the course materials.

Examples include (but are not limited to):

Discussion Board posts
Journals
Quizzes/exams
Lab Work
Seminars
Learning Activities

In-Class Activities

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Course Time Allocation

Discussion Boards

Participation in the weekly discussion board and/or review of others’ discussion posts. Includes time for writing, and/or creating audio or video postings, and Team Discussions.

Exam

Participation in exams or other aptitude measurements offered to students within the Brightspace LMS to gauge comprehension of subject matter.

Learning Activities

Participation or completion of interactive simulations, exercises, activities linked within the Brightspace LMS.

Quiz

Participation in quizzes or other aptitude measurements within the Brightspace LMS offered to students to gauge comprehension of subject matter.

Viewing Video and/or Listening to Audio

Assigned viewing or listening to a recorded video or audio file.

In-Class Activities- Definitions

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Course Time Allocation

Out-of-Class Activities: Are those that students complete independently or in groups outside of the formal instructional environment. Generally, activities accessed outside of the Brightspace LMS are considered out-of-class.

Purpose: Reinforce learning through self-directed study, provide deeper engagement with course material, and allow application of knowledge in real-world contexts.

These activities reinforce and extend learning through self-directed study and practice.

Examples include (but are not limited to):

Reading
Homework and Problem Sets
Research projects
Study and Review
Fieldwork/internships/practicum
Journal
Learning Activities

Out-of-Class Activities

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Course Time Allocation

Interactive Tutorials and Simulations/Exercises

Participation in online interactive simulations/exercises outside of the course (external website). Including 3rd party tools (e.g., labs).

Reading

Reading assigned (required and/or supplemental) chapters, articles, legal cases/briefs, etc., case studies, and reading material resulting from research; note taking and/or annotating reading materials. Reading that takes place in the lab environment is distinct from the assigned lab activities in the same environment.

NEW Activity:

Non-written assessment

Any portion of the assessment not tied to writing. Any non-paper assignment or project (including team assignments) (e.g., illustrations, recorded narrations, recorded videos.).
Time Estimate:

Estimate 30 minutes for 5-10 minute video, plus estimated time for drafting and editing.
A speaker with an average speaking speed will need 700 words for a 5 minutes speech. A fast speaker will need 850 words for the same speech length. A slow speaker will only need 550 words.

Out-of-Class Activities - Definitions

NATALIE: Updates to these out-of-class activities were made to further explain and clarify the expectations of the activity.

The Interactive Tutorials and Simulations/Exercises and the Reading activities are current activities with additional clarifications to their descriptions highlighted in blue font.

Interactive Tutorials and Simulations/Exercises include 3rd party tools such as labs.

Reading includes any reading taking place in the lab environment which is distinct from assigned lab activities in the same environment.

We now have a New Activity called Non-written assessment.

This activity will include any portion of the assessment not tied to writing. So any non-paper assignment or project, and this includes team assignments. Some examples include illustrations, recorded narrations, and recorded videos.

The time estimate is 30 minutes for a 5-10 minute video, plus additional time can be added for drafting and editing.

The time estimate is determined considering an average speakers speed with 700 words for a 5 minute speech, a fast speaker is about 850 words, and a slower speaker is about 550 words.

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Course Time Allocation

The “Non-written assessment” activity has 1 hour in Unit 2 and 1 hour in Unit 8. This is the additional time for the recording, drafting, and editing.
The “Writing” activity has 2 hours in Unit 2 and 2 hours in Unit 8.

This is for the written deliverable portion of the assignment that the student writes; for example, the slides for a PPT presentation including drafting, editing and revising, and finalizing.

Out-of-Class Activities - New Activity

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Course Time Allocation

Always review an activity for the possibility of a school specific definition. The school specific definitions will be automatically pulled into a column to the right of the activity on the Credit Hour Tab of the CDG.

School Specific Activity Definitions include:

Discussion Boards
Learning Activities
Lab/Clinical Skill Evaluation
Lab/Online
Viewing Video and/or Listening to Audio (in- and out-of-class)
Conducting Research
DNP Practice
Interactive Tutorials and Simulations/Exercises
Non-written Assessment
Reading
Study Time

New: School Specific Definitions

NATALIE: Moving on to a new item on the credit hour audit tab.

We have included an additional column to help define and clarify activities that are school specific.

School specific definitions will automatically populate to the right of the activity on the Credit Hour Audit tab, if there are any applicable school specific definitions.

You must check the definitions to ensure you are following the schools guidelines.

The school specific activity definitions include guidelines for: Discussion Boards; Learning Activities; Lab/Clinical Skill Evaluation; Lab/Online; Viewing Video and/or Listening to Audio (this activity is in both the in- and out-of-class) activities; Conducting Research; DNP Practice; Interactive Tutorials and Simulations/Exercises; Non-written Assessment; Reading; and Study Time.

(Show PS502 CDG- school specific items) https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BbMctuSiKI_VVcXiqu1BJdp_NxmPQJO2-rH24IB1aHQ/edit?gid=0#gid=0

This course is an A&S course.
The Activities and Definitions are below the Updated Record hour tables.
Scroll to the right to see the school specific items. Remember, the school specific information will automatically populate to the schools information on your CDG depending on the school the course is in.
If there is no information in the cell, you will need to refer to the standard definitions.

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Course Time Allocation

Important:

The school specific guidelines were provided by the school.

If you receive questions from the SME/CL, share those with the school ADoC. The ADoC will share this with the school and dean.

New: School Specific Definitions

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Course Time Allocation

In-class

Wikis and/or Blogs

Out-of-class

Activity Work (Nursing)

In- and Out-of-class

Other
Custom

Deleted Activities

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Course Time Allocation

The following course types are exempt from UTA and do not require an entry:

Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (ASK)
Peregrine Course Version
Single Pilot Courses
Comprehensive Exam Courses
Open Courses
Orientation Courses
Non-Credit Courses
Special Ops Projects
Short Course Series Micro-Credential

Note: The master course list in CIMS and the MPS will indicate this exemption.

No UTA Required

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Course Time Allocation

The following course types are exempt from the in-class/out-of-class distribution, but must meet the total credit hour requirement:

Capstones
Independent study
Practicums
Externships
Internships

UTA required BUT Exempt from in-class and out-of-class breakdown

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Course Time Allocation

CS must update the Credit Hour Audit tab of CDG

Ensure SME/CL and/or Department Chair approves; document in meeting minutes or in the Credit Hour Tab in the CDG.

CS must enter data into CHD

Full Revision: submit by the end of Week 11 (after you drop to production)
Compressed Revision: submit by the end of Week 5 (after you drop to production)

Completing the Credit Hour Audit

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Demonstration

New nomenclature starting with 2501A.

Review the Prior Record as some activities may need to be moved to other activities or removed based on the course updates.

Discuss necessary updates during the Planning meeting.

Update the hours as content is provided during the development.

Update after all the content has been provided.

Completion of Credit Hour Audit Tab of Course Design Guide

NATALIE: Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Every new form will include the new nomenclature starting with 2501A.
CSs will need to review the Prior Record as some activities may need to move to other activities or be removed based on the course updates.
CSs will need to discuss necessary updates during the Planning meeting.
You will need to modify the hours throughout the entire development process. This is to ensure the course continues to meet the credit hour requirements.
Then, you will need to update the hours after all the content has been provided.

Now, I will show you an example of a credit hour audit tab in the course design guide, and make updates to it.

Show completed form for PS502: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BbMctuSiKI_VVcXiqu1BJdp_NxmPQJO2-rH24IB1aHQ/edit?gid=0#gid=0

Show time in out-of-class moving from “other- Do Not Use” to the new activity, Non-written assessment.

The first thing you should do, is review the Prior Record table. Determine if there are any activities that need to be addressed based on school specific guidelines and the scope of the project.
In this example, “Other DO NOT USE” has hours in Unit 2 and Unit 8. In this course in particular, the assignments did not change, so this time needs to be moved. This would be an item to discuss with the SME/CL at the beginning of the revision, and as content is changed during the revision, you will need to update the Current Records.
Current Record: In this example, this course underwent a minor revision to change the textbook. We will go over allocating time to Unit 2. (Discussion 4, LA .5, Seminar 1).
We meet the minimum hours for in class.

Out-of-class: Add hours for Unit 2 and Unit 8 for the new category.
U2: Conducting research 2.5, reading 3, study time 4, writing 2, non-written 1 because this course kept the video or audio recording.
As well, 1 hour needs to be added to non-written for U8 as the course kept the video or audio recording. Now it is showing in the new activity.

Now, I will pass the remainder of the training to my colleague, Amanda.

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Credit Hour Database

Obtain access
VPN
Open database

Accessing the CHD

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Credit Hour Database

The majority of the courses should use the New Time Allocation tab as this will reduce errors.

Select “Enter New Time Allocation”
Select Course
Choose launch term
Verify units
Enter hours

Entering a New Time Allocation

At the top of the database, you’ll see a few tabs you can interact with, but the one you’ll be using the most is “Enter New Time Allocation.” This is where you will go to entering in the information that your team finalized within the CDG of your project. You should use this tab and functionality for the majority of your projects as it will reduce errors and ensure that old categories do not appear.

To enter the information, select "Enter New Time Allocation" and search for the course you’re working on. Choose the correct course and a page will open up that will allow you to enter information.

If you are working on a new course, please note that it will not appear in the database until Week 11, the week you’re scheduled to enter the information.

Once the information is entered, make sure to review all entries for accuracy before submitting.

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Credit Hour Database

Review: Reference of a complete credit hour audit in the system
Edit: to make corrections to an existing record

Keystroke errors
Launch term changes

New: to add a new time allocation to the system
Copy:

Revision projects with minor changes that don’t impact hours dramatically
Be careful using copy as the categories have changed and could need to be updated

Reviewing, Editing, and Copying Time Allocation Forms

Another tab you can access is the “Review/Edit Time Allocation” tab. This area of the database provides you with multiple options to interact with previously submitted information.

Click on Review/Edit Time Allocation and search for the course you want to look at. Click on the PGID of the course and term and the form will appear in the “review” view. This allows you to review the information for a previously submitted form for reference or to confirm that the information is correct. This page is not editable.

From there, you can click on either edit, new, or copy.

If you click edit, you can make edits to the launch term and/or the unit category information. The course number and the unit information cannot be edited.

If you click new, the system will open a new, blank posting with the course already listed. From here, you can complete a credit hour posting as normal.

If you choose copy, you can make a copy of already existing information and create a new post. It will copy the unit category information only–you must choose the course and the launch term and confirm the units. NOTE: You must keep a close eye on the data when copying a from to make sure that it is accurate for the course you’re working on.

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Demonstration

Searching for and entering data into the UTA database
Tips on Entry

Use Tabs
Options for completion
10 minute time out
Screen white out
Brand-new courses won’t show up in the database until Week 11.

Review and confirm the data

Step-by-step Demonstration of Entering a New Time Allocation

From here, I will go to the database itself and show you what’s it’s like to interact with the system itself. You see some tips listed here that may be helpful that I will share as well as I enter in information.

Use the PS502 CDG created by Natalie for demo entry.

Access the UTA Database

Click on “Enter New Time Allocation”

Search for the course you’d like to enter.

Click on the PGID for the course (hyperlink)

Choose Term

Confirm Units

Enter information from the CDG Tab you’ve already completed.

Tips:

You can tab through the cells to make it easier to get to the categories you want to use.
You can skip back and forth between units (example: complete all in-class first, then out of class)
There is a 10 minute time out for the system so complete the posting in one sitting
Once you hit save, the screen may go white–just wait about 10-15 seconds and the final screen should appear
NOTE: for brand-new courses, the course won’t show up in the database until Week 11.

Confirming Data:

Once you’ve saved the post, review the totals for each unit to make sure they match up and ensure you didn’t miss anything

The individual data will show as red. blue, or black but these are just tools to help you identify potential issues–it’s ok if certain hours are highlighted

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Demonstration

Copying a form

This copies all of the data from a previous post but requires you to enter a new term
Ideally used when hours didn’t change much during revision
You cannot copy a form to a term that already exists for a course
BE CAREFUL

Editing a form

Correct an error in a form (e.g. a typo in hours)
Update a launch term to match the MPS

Deleting a form

CSs cannot delete a form
Contact the COC (CandICOPCs@purdueglobal.edu) for assistance and copy the Senior Manager of Operations

Copying and Editing Forms

So, to reiterate, let’s discuss when you use copy and edit, and how to delete a form:

Copying a Form: Example of CJ102_1602A

Why? To streamline the entry of course information. Should be used only in instances where course data is very similar or only minor changes are necessary. The potential for error is high as there could older categories that are no longer in use or something could be missed during edit. One limitation is that you cannot copy a form to the same term.

This will bring up an editable form showing the unit-specific data for that course/term. You MUST choose a course from the dropdown list as well as a term. You CANNOT create a new entry for a course/term that already exists.

Make edits to the hours to reflect the course/term you’re entering information for.

Click save and confirm the data as discussed earlier.

Important item to consider: if you’re copying a post to a new term, be sure to review the content to make sure everything is accurate. Keep in mind that categories have been removed and added so if you have a category listed as DO NOT USE, you must reallocate those hours to their appropriate category. This should have occurred while you were reviewing the template in the CDG, but it’s another place to double-check your work.

Editing a Form

Why? To correct a typo or entry issue. Most often used to update the term of the posting as the launch term should always be tied to the credit hour information in the database.

This will pull up the form where you can edit the term as well as the unit-specific hour information. Once updated, click save and confirm the data as discussed earlier.

Deleting a Form

If a form needs to be delete, please contact the Curriculum Operations Coordinator (COC) email (CandICOPCs@purdueglobal.edu) and copy the Senior Manager of Operations.

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Q&A Session

What Questions Do You Have?

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Conclusion

Accessed and used the Credit Hour Database
Discussed the guidelines for course time allocation
Explained the new out-of-class category: Non-Written Assessment
Discussed updated descriptions for both in- and out-of-class categories
Completed a sample credit hour audit in the Course Design Guide
Completed a sample credit hour entry in the Credit Hour Database

Here’s What We’ve Covered Today

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Additional Resources

Course Time Allocation (UTA) SOP:

New. Outlines the guidelines, roles and responsibilities, and the process of completing an audit in the CDG. (This document replaces the Credit Hours Database FAQs document.)

Credit Hour Database SOP:

Outlines access and entry into the database.

Course Time Allocation Rubric Template:

Included as a tab in the Course Design Guide
Updates to the descriptions and new out-of-class category for non-written assessments.

SOPs and Templates on the C&I Google Site

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Next Steps

Quiz

Review the recording/documentation if necessary
Complete the quiz before 9/9/24

RYAN: After this training, you will receive an email with a link to a 14-question quiz via Google Forms. The quiz should take no more than 10 minutes to complete. To pass, you must score at least 80%, which means correctly answering 12 out of 14 questions. You can retake the quiz as many times as needed until you achieve a passing score.

Please take the time to review the feedback after each attempt so you can improve before retaking the quiz. We recommend revisiting this training recording and the documentation on the C&I Google Site if you need additional help.

You’ll need to achieve a passing score by Monday, September 9th.

We emphasize the importance of this training and quiz because it ensures that we uphold our commitment to providing students with the exact contact hours per credit hour that we promise. Your diligence in following this process this matters greatly.

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THANK YOU

Questions? Contact your ADoC