Hours of Instructional Activity Equivalent

Instructional Activity Equivalent (IAE) is a general term to describe learning activities, assessments, and assignments that are required “student work” in an academic course. Online courses are required to follow the guidance for hours of instructional activity outlined in the Provost Memo: Definition of Credit Hour.

The information below provides definitions of applicable terms, examples of Instructional Activity Equivalents, and estimates of the time commitment for student work for each IAE are provided.


Definitions

Fully Online Course

A fully online course is defined by the Florida Board of Governors as having 100 percent of the direct instruction of the course delivered using a form of technology when the student and instructor are separated by time, space, or both. All special course components (exam, internship practice, clinicals, labs, etc.) that cannot be completed online can be completed off-campus.

Credit Hour

A credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement, for the various modes of instruction offered at Florida Atlantic University, in accordance with the following guidelines:

  1. For traditionally delivered courses, not less than one (1) hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction each week for fifteen (15) weeks per Fall or Spring semester, and a minimum of two (2) hours of out-of-class student work for each credit hour. Equivalent time and effort is required for which may be offered over a shortened time frame. ELearning, hybrid, and other non-traditional modes of delivery will demonstrate equivalent time and effort.[BH1]

Procedures:

Faculty develop the syllabi for each of their courses, following the Provost’s Guidelines for Course Syllabi and any additional guidelines provided by the department/school and college, and the credit hour guidelines in this memorandum.

  1. The course syllabus must document not less than one hour (50 Minutes) of direct instruction each week for fifteen weeks per semester for each credit hour. Courses meeting during shorter enrollment periods must document the equivalent direct instruction time. ELearning, hybrid, and other non-traditional modes of delivery must document weekly equivalent instructional activities to demonstrate the effort needed to achieve the course learning outcomes.
Definition Section in Provost Memo: Definition of Credit Hour

Relevant State And National Policies/Guidelines For FAU Online

Florida Board of Governors

2025 SUS Strategic Plan for Online Education
[pages 9-16]

Florida Virtual Campus (FLVC)

Quality Course Standards

U.S. Department of Education

Distance Education Definitions


Example Time Equivalencies for Instructional Activities

(This is not an exhaustive list. References are provided for additional IAE resources)

Instructional Activity - Hover items for Notes   Instructional Activity Time Equivalent
Reading course content 1 hour per 35 - 40 pages. Use a reading time calculator. Textbook chapters, articles, white papers, web content.
Discussion board post 30 - 45 minutes per post with at least 2 supporting details Read directions for understanding, review rubric, research and provide evidence, write post
Discussion board reply ½ hour per reply Directions, read for understanding, find a post to reply to
Peer reviews 15 minutes per page Review classmate assignment, give suggestion/feedback, could potentially be done in a discussion board, (grammar or content)
Interactive learning objects 30 - 45 minutes Familiarize with tool, directions, engage
Self-check quiz ½ hour per 5 questions Multiple Choice, True/False, sometimes open notes?
Instructor created videos 20 minutes Video lectures, ppt lectures
External video content ½ hour Youtube videos, Documentary
Case studies 1.5 - 2 hours per case study. Read, analyze, post. Medical and Legal cases, psychology, business management, healthcare case study
Group project 1 - 3 hours per week Research, writing, presentation
Presentation creation ½ hour per slide Research, writing, multimedia development
Presentation and feedback review 30 - 45 minutes Prep, present, review feedback
Lab activities 1 - 2 hours Notes, analysis, report
Interviews 1 hour per interview External experts, employers, peers, community members
Interview Debrief 30 minutes Summary notes, analyze information for the assignment
Field trips 45 minutes - 1 hour Virtual, in-person
Blog posts ½ hour per page Weekly/Bi-weekly post expanding upon or summarizing material covered.
Synchronous research/project group meetings 1 hour per meeting. 1 - 2 hours prep for meeting Round table discussions, zoom meetings, assignment of roles, check-in meetings

Additional resources

Penn State Online Faculty Engagement Subcommittee. (2021). Hours of instructional activity equivalents (HIA) for undergraduate courses. The Pennsylvania State University.

https://weblearning.psu.edu/resources/penn-state-online-resources/HIA/

University of Florida Information Technology. (n.d.). Considering student workload. Center for Instructional Technology and Training.

https://citt.ufl.edu/resources/course-design-basics/develop-and-implement/considering-student-workload/

University of Nevada Reno Instructional Design & Educational Technology. (n.d.). Online learning resources for faculty: Online course contact hours. Office of Digital Learning.

https://www.unr.edu/digital-learning/online-learning/resources-for-faculty/online-course-contact-hours

University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. (2021). Calculating contact hours in online and hybrid classes. Faculty and staff resources.

https://annenberg.usc.edu/faculty-and-staff-resources/calculating-contact-hours-online-and-hybrid-classes