Class Size & Teaching Load
CLASS SIZE
Certain classes have a limit as to how many student can be placed in the class. The Course Offerings/Teacher Requirements table lists concurrent enrollment classes that have enrollment caps that have been established by the SLCC academic department. High schools who exceed these classes will be asked to drop students from the course.
Combining multiple classes into a single CRN or spreading students from one class into multiple CRNs to manipulate the number of students appearing to be in the class, is not allowed. The number of students registered in a particular CRN must mirror the number of students seated in the class.
MIXED ENROLLMENT
Mixed classes with both CE students and non-CE students is acceptable for certain career/technical courses but are generally not allowed for general education and some disciplines. The Course Offerings/Teacher Requirements table lists which classes allow mixed CE and non-CE students.
When it comes to mixed enrollments the CE instructor will be expected to hold all students, both concurrent and non-concurrent, to the same SLCC college standard and maintain a college experience for all students. This means that all students will engage in the college coursework, complete the same assignment workload, meet assignment deadlines, and be expected to behave like college students.
Mixed classes, where there is a low percentage of concurrent enrollment students, will be closely monitored by the liaison to assure that the teacher is able to maintain a college experience for all student enrolled in the class.
TEACHING LOAD
Concurrent Enrollment Instructors are not allowed to teach more than 2 unique courses per semester. Instructors may teach as many sections of those courses as the high school deems necessary, except in cases where it is noted otherwise on the Course Offerings/Teacher Requirements table. Exceptions will be considered on a case by case basis through the Concurrent Enrollment Office.
CONTACT HOURS
In order to maintain the quality and comparability of CE courses, concurrent enrollment classes cannot be taught in fewer hours than an on-campus SLCC course. For example, a two-credit-hour lecture course is taught in a minimum of 30 contact hours, and a three-credit-hour lecture course is taught in a minimum of 45 contact hours. A three-credit-hour lecture/lab course that is composed of two lecture hours and one lab hour would be taught in a minimum of 75 contact hours. A four credit-hour lecture/lab course that is composed of three lecture hours and one lab hour would be taught in 90 contact hours. CE instructors will need to coordinate with their SLCC liaisons on required contact hours. Download the Contact Hour Spreadsheet to see a list of classes that require more than 3 contact hours and how that translates into high school periods.
Unlike high schools, colleges adjust the amount of time a class meets each week based on the required contact hours (number of hours spent with an instructor) for a given class. While about 75% of SLCC classes have one contact hour per credit, the remainder have up to three contact hours per credit. This is particularly true in courses with embedded labs or other hands-on components. Over a college semester, a 3 contact hour course will meet three hours each week for 15 weeks plus one additional week set aside for final exams, a 4 contact hour course will meet four hours each week, a 5 contact hour course for five hours each week, and so forth. Since a contact hour is defined as 50 minutes with an instructor, this equates to 750 minutes with an instructor for each contact hour.
A high school semester on a traditional A/B schedule with 85-minute class periods yields about 3,250 minutes per class under even the most ideal circumstances (45 days * 85 minutes = 3,895 minutes – 15% for shortened days, assemblies, sports events, etc. = 3,250 minutes). Given that a 5 contact hour course requires 3,750 minutes of instruction, high school students will have about 500 minutes less with an instructor than a student taking the same class on an SLCC campus. This has a negative impact on students taking 5 contact hour classes through concurrent enrollment, including MATH 1010 and many ART classes.
An instructor teaching a 4 or 5 contact hour class should consult with his or her SLCC faculty liaison and high school CE Coordinator to discuss an appropriate strategy for coving all of the course material. Some ideas may include:
- Combining two consecutive periods.
- Offer it as a yearlong class.
- Placing part of the content online for students to access outside of high school.
- Workshops after school or on the weekends or during the intervention period or before or after early out or late start days.
