Q. Is there any flexibility in meeting credit hour requirements?

50.1(o) of the Commissioner’s Regulations defines a credit (a.k.a. semester hour) as follows: a credit, point, or other unit granted for the satisfactory completion of a course which requires at least 15 hours (of 50 minutes each) of instruction and at least 30 hours of supplementary assignments.

52.2(c)4iii provides that a semester hour of credit may be granted by an institution for fewer hours of instruction and study than those specified in 50.1(o) due to temporary closure of an institution by the State or local government as a result of a disaster. Though SUNY campuses have suspended on-campus learning, SUNY campuses have not ceased academic operations and thus have not closed; therefore, this provision is not applicable. Instead, campuses are focused on providing academic continuity via remote learning opportunities consistent with established expectations.

For courses offered in a remote format, the total learning time remains the same (45 hours per credit hour), but the breakdown between instruction and supplementary assignments can vary. When calculating time, faculty should consider the time it would take for students to engage in the following: