Introduction
A clock hour denotes an actual hour of attendance and academic work, including a 10-minute break. An institution may not count more than one clock hour per 60-minute period.
A clock hour can be:
- A 50-to-60-minute class, lecture, or recitation in a maximum 60-minute period.
- A 50-to-60-minute faculty-supervised laboratory, shop training, or internship in 60 minutes.
- 60 minutes of preparation.
To validate that students complete an appropriate amount of learning activities, Wilmette Institute documents the expected time students should spend when completing a non-credit-bearing course.
The following example demonstrates Wilmette Institute’s methodology for calculating and documenting clock hours. This example provides the clock hour breakdown of 1 week of a 10-week course.
Course: Catalysts of Social Change: Knowledge, Action, Impact (10 weeks)
| Assignments | Estimated hours for the average student | |
| Week 1, outside of class | Assigned reading: For the Betterment of the World by the Baha’i International Development Organization (BIDO), 2023. Read only the Introduction and An Evolving Framework for Collective Learning sections on pages 2-3 and 8-13 (8 pages). | 2 |
| Assigned reading: Centering Blackness: The Path to Economic Liberation for All by The Insight Center, 2020. (Approximately 7 pages). | 2 | |
| Assignment: Essential questions. | 1 | |
| Assignment – Post an initial contribution and respond to a post in the weekly discussion forum | 1 | |
| Take Orientation Course | 3 | |
| Week 1, in class | Analyzing assigned articles, documents, and websites (plenary and small group work): 3.5 hours per week | 3.5 |
| Audio and video: 30 minutes per week | ½ hour | |
| Discussing and giving feedback on course projects: 30 minutes per week | ½ hour | |
| Week 1 total clock hours: | 13.5 |
In this example, the student must complete approximately 13.5 hours of work for week 1 of this course. A completed clock hour chart includes all activities for the remaining 9 weeks and a final total of clock hours for the entire course.
A complete breakdown of the unit hours for all Wilmette Institute courses can be found in this spreadsheet: Unit Load Chart
An overview of the assignments carried out both outside of and in class can be seen in the chart below. This chart is representative of all Wilmette Institute courses.
| Activity | Assignments | Estimated hours for the average student |
| Academic Engagement (in class) | Analyzing assigned articles, documents, and websites (plenary and small group work): 3.5 hours per week | 35 |
| Audio and video: 30 minutes per week | 5 | |
| Discussing and giving feedback on course projects: 30 minutes per week | 5 | |
| TOTAL: (Should be at least 45 hours per semester) | 45 | |
| Preparation and Projects (outside of class) | Participating in discussion forums: 1.5 hours per week | 15 |
| Required resources (reading, listening, watching, etc.): 3 hours per week | 30 | |
| Case studies and essential questions: 1/2 hour per week | 5 | |
| Research paper preparation: 1 hour per week | 10 | |
| Project presentation preparation: 1 hour per week | 10 | |
| Course project: planning, conversations, reflection: 2 hours per week | 20 | |
| TOTAL: (Should be at least 90 hours per semester) | 90 | |
| Overall Total | (Should be at least 135 hours for a three-credit course per semester) | 135 |
Total hours per week = 13.5 for ten weeks.
Definitions and Additional Information
Recommended time estimates for reading rate:
- The average adult reading rate is 250 words per minute with 70 percent comprehension. [Smith, Brenda D. “Breaking Through: College Reading” 7th Ed. Longman, 2004]
- Reading for learning (100-200 wpm), reading for comprehension (200-400 wpm); and skimming (400-700 wpm). With an average of 400 words per page, at 200 words per minute, a student should read around 30 pages per hour (200 words per minute x 60 = 12,000 words per hour divided by 400 = 30 pages per hour).
- Audiobooks are recommended to be 150-160 words per minute or 22 pages per hour.
- Reading on Monitor: 180-200 wpm or 27 pages per hour.
- Slide presentations are closer to 100 wpm or 15 pages per hour.