F2F Seat Time vs Online Engagement Hour
F2F Seat Time vs Online Engagement Hour - Suggested Equivalencies Chart / Carnegie Units
Whether they are traditional, blended, or fully online courses, many courses now include online components and other types of activities as part of instructional time. Any course that does not meet face-to-face for all instructional credit hours must consider Instructional Equivalency while designing its online component.
| In Class F2F (Seat Time) Activity | Equivalent Online (Engagement Hour) Activity | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Communication & Class Participation | ||
| In class discussion or small group discussion | Using journals, discussion forums, wikis to facilitate discussion | Opportunity for students to apply learned concepts or reflect on learning experiences; shared with instructor and/or in a public forum for analysis, feedback and assessment. Can be used for class or group projects or feedback after instruction. |
| Office hours, in person questions | Using video conferencing such as Zoom to answer questions | Instructor or student led opportunities. Can be used for class or group projects or feedback after instruction. Provides for collaborative, synchronous learning with specific expectations for participation & feedback as well as possible asynchronous learning where post-review and discussion posts can assist in reflection. Where possible, chats or videos of meetings should be posted for archive review. |
| Learning Activities | ||
| In class collaborations among students and instructor or hands on lab | Discussion board using case studies, online scenarios, and/or simulations activities (such as GoReact) | Examination and exploration requiring utilization of critical thinking skills which relate to course objectives. Analysis is shared with instructor and/or class with posts. |
| Collaboration & Peer Review | ||
| In class discussion about project either small group or with whole class |
Guided online Group project where instructor reviews students project (Adobe Spark, Google docs) periodically by providing feedback to student or small group. |
Activity with specific learning objectives that is instructor mediated; students collaborate using electronic methods and/or face-to-face contact to research, analyze, synthesize, and prepare projects with instructors receiving periodic updates and providing guidance to the group. |
| Individual student projects/ presentations |
Asynchronous Student projects/presentations using GoReact, |
Many apps and other online tools engage students in online collaboration and peer critiques via programs like GoReact, Adobe Spark, and other website creation tools, student-created posted videos, etc. This is an electronic substitute for in-class presentation time. |
| In class presentations |
Synchronous Student Presentations Zoom |
Presentations done via web conferencing such as Zoom, Gives the class opportunity for participation and direct feedback. Should be archived when possible for review. |
| Direct Instruction | ||
| In class lectures/discussions or guest speaker |
Synchronous lecture, lecture capture (EBR), or Zoom |
Instructor led instruction using web conferencing for synchronous learning using web conferencing like Zoom. Gives students opportunity for participation and feedback. Should be archived when possible for review. |
| Showing teaching materials via PowerPoint or such in class | Watching
Watching Camtasia Video, Panopto, or PowerPoint files |
Asynchronous instruction using instructor created resources such as narrated PowerPoints, written notes and screencasting. Gives students opportunity for comment and discussion through posts or chat room discussions. See Post or Chat equivalency above if this option is given. |
| Playing video or multimedia in class | Watching instructional videos via | Instructor mediated to expand upon and clarify course concepts and objectives. |
| Assessment Related Examples | ||
| In class writing practice or reflection writing | Writing assignment that requires submission of a draft for instructor comment and suggestions for improvement. or, informal assessment tool to assess knowledge and provide feedback on progress. A guided activity for students to apply learned concepts or apply higher order analytic skills to assess scholarly articles. | |
| Internship/field experience during class time |
Share service-learning experience via discussion boards, GoReact and/or video conference call such as Zoom. |
Instructor led service project with specific learning objectives that integrates community service with academic study; faculty provides guidance, support, and feedback to students and students share experiences and reflection with fellow classmates. |
Credit Units Information
A credit unit is measuring educational credit, usually based on the number of classroom hours per week throughout a term. For the purpose of considering Instructional Equivalency in this suggested documentation, the Carnegie unit will be used to count credit hours. The Carnegie Unit generally refers to one semester unit of credit as equal to a minimum of 50 minutes of seat time per week for a semester (every 60 minutes instruction with 10 minutes break).. This means that one unit of credit equates to 150 minutes of student work per week (1 hour in class seat time activity such as lecture with 10 minutes break plus 2 hours of homework/independent work (50 minutes X 2) or 3 hours of lab) for 15 weeks(not including final). For more information, please visit CSUEB’s credit unit policy.
For the typical three-unit semester class, a student spends three hours(50 minutes x3) per week in class. For a 4 unit class, a student spends four hours (50 minutes x4) session per week in class. The total semester hours are calculated by multiplying the weekly hours by 15 + finals week.
| 4 Units Course | 4 units x 15 weeks x 50 minutes | 3,000 minutes or 50 Seat Time hours | |
| 3 Units Course | 3 units x 15 weeks x 50 minutes | 2,250 minutes or 37.5 Seat Time hours | 37.5x2 = 75 hours of homework or independent work |
Consider Technology Infused Activities
- Discussion Board structured to provide guided or instructor-mediated threaded discussion with specified timeframes and expectations for participation
- Chat rooms for class or group projects that provide opportunities for collaborative learning and that have specific expectations for participation and feedback
- Case studies and problem solving scenarios relative to course goals and objectives and utilizing higher order analytical skills with instructor and class designed feedback
- Web Quest activities in which students find Internet sites that address specific course objectives and are shared with class and instructor mediated
- Library research in which instructor directs students to locate certain information or resources and relate them to course objectives and present them to class in a designated manner
- Lecture materials—Video, audio recordings --from which students are expected to develop questions, comments, or observations shared with class and instructor through discussion board postings or participation in chat rooms
- Instructional CDs to be utilized in one way or another;
- Field trips or tours in which students may participate as an individual or group in analyzing an activity (concert, museum, art exhibit, religious service, political debate, etc.) and prepare a paper or presentation to share with instructor and class
- Final group projects which represent a culmination of learning objectives and by which students collaborate via email, chat rooms, discussion boards, and ‘face-to-face” contact to research, analyze, synthesize, and prepare projects with instructors receiving periodic updates and providing guidance to the group.