UMES RECOMMENDATIONS WITH REGARD TO USM CONTACT HOUR CONVERSIONS POLICIES

 

 

Line 4:  Standard annual course units load

 

a.     Standard workload expectation is  ( 21?) --24 credit hours per year or the equivalent of 8 courses of three (3) credit hours each or 6 courses of 4 credit hours each.

b.     Variations, which depart from the UMES expected workload, occur as a result of, but not limited to:

o      Accreditation policies and agencies

o      Concomitant administrative positions/ responsibilities

o      Grants and contracts allowing release time

o      Other considerations

 

Line 5:  Number of course units computed through course credit hour conversion

 

a.      TEAM-TAUGHT COURSES are prorated.  Each faculty member in a team-taught course within the Department will receive an equal credit or a fraction of the credits decided among the team members.  For example, if a 3-credit course is taught by 2 faculty, each will receive 1.5 semester credit hours or the leader can get 0.67 course unit credits and the other faculty member can earn 0.333 course units, depending on course responsibility and provided that all team members are not required to attend all class sessions.

 

If all members of the faculty team that are teaching the course are required by the Dean to attend all class meetings, each team member will receive full credit for the course.   

 

Line 6.  Number of course units computed through student credit hour conversion

 

 

 

 

USM and UMES

 

Course Level                                          N. of Credits = 1 course unit

          800-899 (DISSERTATION & Doc. Level

                        Individual studies)                                 9 credits = 1 course unit

            799 (Masters thesis)                                     12 credits = 1 course unit

            500-798 (other graduate level studies)                 18 credits = 1 course unit

            100-499 (graduate/UG level individual studies  21 credits = 1 course unit                                                                               

 

 

Line 7.  Number of course units computed through contact hour conversion

 

         

            LABORATORIES:

 

UMES

2 hour lab, supervised = 1 credit hour = 0.333 course units

3 hour lab, supervised  = 1.5 credit hours = 0.5 course units

4 hour lab, supervised = 2 credit hours = 0.67 course units

 

 

a.     When a graduate student is assigned the full responsibility for teaching a lab (i.e., setup, supervision, grade work, etc.) the graduate student gets the credit not the faculty member.

 

b.      When a new graduate student has to be taught by a faculty member how to handle the lab, the faculty member should receive the credit for that semester if the faculty member is also attending the lab session(s) and supervising the student’s training. 

PHYSICAL THERAPY AND PHYSICAN ASSISTANT PROGRAMS

(Subject to Further Review)

 

Type of Instruction and Annual Load Conversion	Equating to 1.0 Annual Load
Lecture Courses (LEC, SEM) 45 Contact Hours =0.125 (Standard 3-credit course) 15 Contact Hours = 0.0417 (Standard 1-credit course)	1/8 of annual load   1/24 of annual load
Laboratory Instruction (LAB)	Same as other UMES laboratories
Physician Assistant Clinical Affiliation Full-time Affiliation 1 Student Supervised = .0104 Clinical	1/96 of annual load

 

 

Other course units (i.e., Individual Studies or Thesis) are the same as other UMES Individual or Thesis credit hours.

 

 

 

            LABORATORIES:

         

 

Line 8.  Number of course units computed for advising activities

 

          The University System of Maryland recognizes that faculty advising of undergraduate majors is a critical form of non-course-based instruction.  Therefore, assignments of a core (tenured/tenure track) faculty member as advisor of record for fifty (50) or more undergraduate students during an academic year may be converted into a course unit at the discretion of the institution.  Advising fewer than 50 undergraduate students should not be converted to course units.  NO FRACTIONS ALLOWED.

Advisors must have documentation that at least 50 undergraduate students are assigned to, and seen by, them to have the advising duties converted to one (1) course unit.

 

USM POLICIES REGARDING ADVISING    

 

          For 1999-2000, institutions may convert academic advising into course units in accordance with the following guidelines:

 

·       Advising of 50 undergraduate students = 1 course unit

·       Advising of 25 master’s students – 1 course unit

·       Advising of 10 doctoral students = 1 course unit

 

 

Note:  A faculty member who is credited with course units based on an advisee who registered for thesis/dissertation/etc. credit hours should not be credited for serving on the committee and/or advising the same student.  Assignment to advising and thesis/dissertation committees for fewer than 10 doctoral students or 24 master’s students should not be converted to course units.

 

 

 

 

Line 19:  Departmental Administration 

 

         The Chairmanship of a department converts to two (2) course units each semester.  Group leaders earn one (1) course unit each semester.

 

Line 20:  Externally funded research and services activities

 

          Assignment of additional time for research or service activities supported by external funds – either research or training grants – will comply with the terms and conditions of the research or training grants.