Comprehensive Standard 3.4.6: The institution publishes academic policies that adhere to principles of good educational practice. These are disseminated to students, faculty, and other interested parties through publications that accurately represent the programs and services of the institution.
Off-site review question:
“All courses and curricula offered by William and Mary College are reviewed and approved by faculty curriculum committees in the schools. The assignment of credit hours to courses is based upon faculty-student contact hours. Using three-credit courses as the standard, courses are expected to meet for 50-minute sessions for a minimum of 41 times during a semester. In 1994 the College of Arts and Science faculty adopted a policy that allows de-linking of credit hours and contact hours with appropriate faculty review.
However, no justification was provided relative to the case of the Executive MBA program, which uses a 5-semester, 15 class-day per semester format to deliver 48 credit hours. Additional information on the credit awarded in this program is needed to verify institutional compliance with this standard.”
Response:
There are two sections of the Executive MBA program, one conducted in Williamsburg and the other offered in Reston, Virginia. The program operates over five semesters, including two summers. There are 48 credit hours in the program. Required classes include 42 credit hours in the "lock step" programmatic format. Students select the elective classes during the final semester of the program. Each two credit hour course has 13 to 15 sessions of 90 minutes each, including those held during the residency weeks. In comparison, the standard two-credit course involves 100 minutes of instruction each week for 13.5 weeks. Between the fourth and fifth semester there is a 12-day international study residency that usually includes two countries. Incorporated in this international experience are academic presentations, meetings with government officials, and several visits with corporate executives. This is a three credit-hour course. The total hours of instruction, approximately six hours each day for 12 days, far exceed the standard for the traditional three-credit course (two and half hours of instruction each week for 13.5 weeks.)