Credit is granted only upon course completion. Credits awarded are associated with the traditional Carnegie Unit System. While “seat time” cannot be determined in an online course, the design of the course, including readings, assignments, exams, activities, study time to master the materials, etc., are summed and then equated to the amount of time it will take to complete the course successfully. That overall figure is then compared with the amount of time a traditional Carnegie unit represents. It is this equated time, when compared with the more traditional “seat time” Carnegie unit, that determines the credit(s) to be awarded for a course.
High School Credit
To earn one high school credit (one Carnegie unit), a student should expect to devote approximately 120 hours of time to a course over a 32- to 36-week period. A one-half Carnegie unit of credit may be earned for completing a course of study that equates to 60 hours of instruction, and a one-quarter Carnegie unit of credit may be awarded for a completed course of 30 hours duration. Because BYU Independent Study courses are asynchronous and many are self-guided, there is no demand for students to be in their seats “learning” during specific times. Accordingly, BYU Independent Study works closely with certified and highly qualified high school teachers in the design and authoring of its courses. By doing so, and relying on the professional judgment of experienced teachers and designers, BYU Independent Study courses are comparable to the same amount of content that would be covered during an equivalent face-to-face high school semester-based course.
