Bossier Parish Community College is in compliance with this comprehensive standard because the College employs sound and acceptable practices for determining the amount and level of credit awarded for courses, regardless of format or mode of delivery. New courses originate in the academic department. The academic division chair makes an initial determination regarding the appropriate number of credit hours and level of credit. These proposals are then forwarded to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and the Curriculum Committee. The course is submitted on the form Request for New Course Approval to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. The final approval is by the College Curriculum Committee.

Bossier Parish Community College complies with the definition of a credit hour as a unit of measure that represents the time and activity required for one hour of credit, as outlined in Louisiana Community & Technical College System Policy # 1.019. Three credit hours involve the equivalent of 150 minutes of instruction each week with a minimum of fifteen weeks for a semester for a three hour course, including final examinations. For semesters of less than fifteen weeks, such as summer sessions, the number of minutes per week is adjusted to ensure that not less than 2250 minutes of instruction is planned. This definition applies regardless of delivery format. Instruction occurs in both traditional and nontraditional modes of delivery and is coupled with appropriate learning objectives defined in each course syllabus. Course learning outcomes are the same for courses offered face-to-face and via the Internet.

For classes that meet on campus, the College provides the following guidelines, as recommended by the Louisiana Board of Regents:

1) Fall and spring semester classes meet for a minimum of fifteen weeks excluding registration, holidays, and fall/spring breaks, but including a week of final exams.

• 3-credit hour daytime classes that meet three times per week (i.e., MWF) meet for 45 class periods. Each class period consists of 50 minutes of instructional time.
• 3-credit hour daytime classes that meet twice per week (i.e., TTH) meet for 30 class periods. Each period consists of 75 minutes of instructional time.
• 3-credit hour nighttime classes that meet once per week (i.e., M) meet for 15 class periods. Each period consists of 150 minutes of instructional time.

3) Laboratory classes meet for 40 clock hours for each semester hour of credit and clinical classes meet 45 clock hours for each semester hour of credit awarded.

Bossier Parish Community College employs sound, acceptable practices in determining amount and level of credit awarded for courses, regardless of format or mode of delivery. Throughout the course development and approval process, the College remains concerned with establishing courses which meet those standards outlined within LCTCS policies. The College focuses upon maintaining course equity, regardless of mode of delivery, within all venues, both face-to-face as well as electronic.