Two Hour Rule
This week's post is not a SoTL article, although it aligns with research on teaching and may provide another perspective on student activities outside of class. In the 2015 article, "Questioning the Two-Hour Rule for Studying," Paff shares history and rationale, as well as suggestions for updating what we expect students to be doing between classes to be successful.
"In 1909, the Carnegie Unit was accepted as the standard measure of class time (Shedd, 2003) and the U.S. DoE defined a credit hour as “One hour of class instruction and a minimum of two hours out of class work each week for fifteen weeks." There is debate on the exact number, what students should be doing, and even if we should be updating the amount with the increase use of technology. Regardless, the author suggests activities to help students be most productive outside of class, most of which aligns with SoTL. These include:
Practice Problems
Rewrite Notes in Your Own Words
Concept Maps (Berry & Chew, 2008)
Respond to Learning Reflection Prompts
Formative Assessment
Crib Sheets
Berry, J.W. & Chew, S.L. (2008). Improving Learning Through Interventions of Student-Generated Questions and Concept Maps. Teaching of Psychology, 35: 305-312.
Binghamton University Syllabus Policy. https://www.binghamton.edu/academics/provost/faculty-staff-handbook/handbook-vii.html#A8 Accessed: July 26, 2017.
Heffernan, J.M. (1973). The Credibility of the Credit Hour: The History, Use and Shortcomings of the Credit System. The Journal of Higher Education, 44(1): 61-72.
Shedd, J.M. (2003). The History of the Student Credit Hour, New Directions for Higher Education, 122 (Summer): 3-12.
US Department of Education Credit Hour Definition. https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?rgn=div8&node=34:3.1.3.1.1.1.23.2 Accessed: July 26, 2017
