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Edition: 25 November 2000

 

(J)       HOW TO DETERMINE CREDIT VALUES FOR COURSES IN UNIVERSITIES

 

 

1.            FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STUDENTS

 

A full-time equivalent (FTE) student total for a course is determined by this formula:

 

              FTE student enrolments = credit value for course   x   head count enrolment for course

 

The head count enrolment  for a course is the total of students enrolled for that course on the census day determined by the institution.  The credit value of a course is the fraction it constitutes of a standard full-time curriculum.

 

This appendix describes the ways in which credit values are to be determined.

 

2.            MINIMUM STUDY TIMES

 

A notion which is fundamental to the calculation of credit values is that of the minimum study times allocated to a qualification.  In the case of approved qualifications, these study times are determined by the Minister of Education.  Study times are divided into three subsets:

 

              minimum total time, which is the minimum total of years (to the nearest tenth of a year) of full-time study required for the completion of the qualification;

 

              minimum experiential time, which is the minimum number of years (to the nearest tenth of a year) of full-time study needed to complete the experiential learning components of the qualification;

 

              minimum formal time, which is minimum total time less minimum experiential time.

 

Some examples of the approved minimum study times of qualifications:

 

Degree

Minimum total time  (years)

Minimum experiential time (years)

Minimum formal time (years)

BA

3

0

3

BA (Ed.)

4

0

4

MBChB

6

1.1

4.9

BArch

6

1

5

MA (Clinical Psychology)

2

1

1

 

 

3.            STEPS IN DETERMINING CREDIT VALUES FOR NON-RESEARCH COURSES

 

The basic steps which have to be taken in calculating the credit values for non-research courses (undergraduate or postgraduate which have formal classes and formal examinations as requirements) are these:

 

(i)           The total credit value for all the courses taken by a full-time student must be assumed to be equal to 1 per study year.

 

(ii)           The approved minimum total time and the approved minimum experiential time for the qualification must be used to determine its total of approved credits.  These will be:

 

              total credits                     = minimum total time   x   1

              experiential credits          = minimum experiential time   x   1

              formal credits                  = total credits – experiential credits

 

(iii)          These credits must now be distributed over the minimum years of full-time study for the qualification, to generate a credit value pattern of the kind set out in this example:

 

Year of study

Total credits

Experiential credits

Formal credits

First

1

0

1.0

Second

1

0

1

Third

1

0.5

0.5

Fourth

1

0.5

0.5

Total

4

1

3

 

(iv)          The formal credit total for a year of study must now be distributed between the courses which make up a standard full-time curriculum for that year in a qualification.  This distribution must be undertaken in such a way that the fraction assigned represents the share or proportion which the course has of a standard curriculum for that year of study.

 

(v)          Courses must be assigned distinct credit values for each qualification in which they occur.

 

(vi)          A test of the formal credit values determined in the ways described above has to be made each year by the institution’s external auditors.  The total of credits which graduates “earned” towards a particular qualification must be calculated, and then divided by the number of students who satisfied the requirements for that qualification.  If the average obtained differs by more than 2% from the formal credit total of that qualification, then its formal credit values must be recalculated.

 

4.            EXAMPLES OF CALCULATION OF CREDIT VALUES FOR NON-RESEARCH COURSES

 

4.1          Undergraduate degree with no experiential time and a fixed curriculum

 

Suppose that the BPharm degree of a particular university has the following details approved by the Minister of Education:

 

          Minimum total time          =        4 years

          Minimum experiential time         =        0 years

          Minimum formal time                =        4 years

 

The total of formal credits available for this degree is 4.  Since the minimum total time also equals 4 years, it follows further that the total of formal credits available for each year of study for this BPharm degree is simply 1.

 

This formal credit value of 1 must now be distributed between the courses which appear in each year of the curriculum for this degree.  This step would be a relatively simple one if this degree has a fixed curriculum of the following kind and if the following curriculum points are quoted for each course:

 

Year One

Points

Chemistry 1

5

Physics 1

5

Mathematics 1

5

Biological Science 1

5

Total points

20

             


Year Two

Points

Pharmaceutical Chemistry 2

6

Pharmaceutics 2

5

Pharmacology 2

6

Anatomy and Physiology

3

Total points

20

             

Year Three

Points

Pharmaceutical Chemistry 3

6

Pharmaceutics 3

5

Pharmacology 3

5

Pharmacy management

4

Total points

20

 

Year Four

Points

Pharmaceutical Chemistry 4

7

Pharmacology 4

7

Pharmaceutics 4

6

Total points

20

 

Since the formal credit value for all courses for a particular year equals 1, the value for each separate course in this curriculum is easy to calculate:

 

Year

Course

Calculation

Result

1

Chemistry 1

5/20 x 1

0.25

1

Physics 1

5/20 x 1

0.25

1

Mathematics 1

5/20 x 1

0.25

1

Biological Sciences 1

5/20 x 1

0.25

1

Total Year 1

1.00

2

Pharmaceutical Chemistry 2

6/20 x 1

0.3

2

Pharmacology 2

6/20 x1

0.3

2

Pharmaceutics 2

5/20 x 1

0.25

2

Anatomy & Physiology

3/20 x 1

0.15

2

Total Year 2

1.00

3

Pharmaceutical Chemistry 3

6/20 x 1

0.3

3

Pharmaceutics 3

5/20 x 1

0.25

3

Pharmacology 3

5/20 x 1

0.25

3

Pharmacy Management

4/20 x 1

0.2

3

Total Year 3

1.00

4

Pharmaceutical Chemistry 4

7/20 x 1

0.35

4

Pharmacology 4

7/20 x 1

0.35

4

Pharmaceutics 4

6/20 x 1

0.3

4

Total Year 4

1.00

 

The credit values for these courses are in fact preliminary credit values determined by the supposition that the curriculum set out above is a fixed one and that students do not take more or less than the 15 courses set out in the standard curriculum.  It will, however, be found that students often do not follow the standard curriculum and that these preliminary credit values will, as a result, have to be adjusted to satisfy the 2% test described earlier.  For practical reasons, the 2% test will be applied to the courses in each year of study.  For example, suppose that the number of BPharm graduates who fulfilled all the requirements of their degree by the end of a specific year is N, and that the number of these graduating students who passed a particular first-year instructional offering i with preliminary credit value ki, is ni. 

 

If the final credit value in that year for instructional offering i is aki, where a is an adjustment factor for first-year courses, then the 2% test requires that the total formal credits for first-year courses “earned” by these graduating students should be equal to:


          N x 1 = N,

             

              that is:

 

          ak1n1 + ak2n2 + ak3n3 +   =        N

 

              The formula can be rewritten as:

 

a        =                      N                   

                   k1n1  +  k2n2  +  k3n3 +

 

This equation determines the adjustment factor a for first-year courses, and the final credit value in the given year for any first-year course is determined by simply multiplying its preliminary value by a.  Similar formulae may be derived for the adjustment factors for the preliminary credit values for second-, third- and fourth-year courses.

 

To be more specific, suppose that there were 10 BPharm graduates who completed their degree by the end of a specific year.  Suppose further that an analysis of their career records reveals that these graduates passed the following lists of courses, which include some which do not form part of the standard curriculum:

 

Course

Preliminary credit value ki

Number ni of successful students

ki x ni

Chemistry 1

0.25

10

2.50

Physics 1

0.25

10

2.50

Mathematics 1

0.25

10

2.50

Biological Science 1

0.25

10

2.50

Zoology 1

0.25

5

1.25

TOTAL

45

11.25

 

Course

Preliminary credit value ki

Number ni of successful students

ki x ni

Pharmaceutical Chemistry 2

0.30

10

3.00

Pharmaceutics 2

0.25

10

2.50

Pharmacology 2

0.30

10

3.00

Anatomy & Physiology

0.15

10

1.50

Mathematics 2

0.25

4

1.00

TOTAL

44

11.00

 

Course

Preliminary credit value ki

Number ni of successful students

ki x ni

Pharmaceutical. Chemistry 3

0.30

10

3.00

Pharmaceutics 3

0.25

10

2.50

Pharmacology 3

0.25

10

2.50

Pharmaceutical. Management

0.20

10

2.00

TOTAL

40

10.00

 

Course

Preliminary credit value kI

Number ni of successful students

ki x ni

Pharmaceutical. Chemistry 4

0.35

10

3.50

Pharmacology 4

0.35

10

3.50

Pharmaceutics 4

0.30

10

3.00

TOTAL

30

10.00

 

The adjustment factor for first-year courses, according to the above formula, is determined by:

 

          a =                     10                            =          10    =        0.889

                   2.5 + 2.5 + 2.5 + 2.5 + 1.25                 11.25

 

Thus, the final credit values for this year for all first-year courses can be determined by the calculation 0.25  x  0.889 = 0.222.  The adjustment factor for second-year courses is determined by:

 

          a =                     10                            =        10      =        0.909

                   3.0 + 2.5 + 3.0 + 1.5 + 1.0                  11

 

The final credit values for second-year courses will, therefore be:

 

Pharmaceutical Chemistry 2

0.273

Pharmaceutics 2

0.227

Pharmacology 2

0.273

Anatomy and Physiology

0.136

Mathematics 2

0.227

 

 

The adjustment factors for third- and fourth-year courses are both equal to 1, consequently their final credit values are equal to their preliminary credit values.

 

It is important that all courses taken by these graduating students which count towards this particular degree, must be included in the calculations.  Even those courses taken by graduating students which by faculty regulation changes are no longer offered, should be included.  In such cases the original preliminary credit values for such courses should be used.

 

4.2          Undergraduate degree with no experiential time and with a curriculum which is not fixed

 

Suppose that a BA degree at a university has the following approved minimum study times:

 

          Minimum total time          =        3 years

          Minimum experiential time         =        0 years

          Minimum formal time                =        3 years

 

These details show that the total of formal credits for the degree must be equal to 3, and show further that the total formal credit for each year of study must be equal to 1.  Suppose that the faculty regulations at this university specify that each student is expected to follow this broad curriculum:

 

          Year 1:         5 courses of equal weight at first-year level

          Year 2:         3 courses of equal weight at second-year level

          Year 3:         2 courses of equal weight at third-year level

 

The formal credit of 1 for each year of study can now be divided up in the following preliminary way:

 

          Each first course taken for the BA       =        1/5     =        0.2

          Each second course taken for the BA =        1/3     =        0.333

          Each third course taken for the BA      =        1/2     =        0.5

 

It must be stressed that the formal credit values above are in fact preliminary ones derived from the as yet untested hypothesis or assumption that BA students at this university follow no more and no less than the standard curriculum specified by the degree regulations.  So before these preliminary credit values can be accepted as definitive ones, the hypothesis must be tested or checked against the curricula students actually construct or follow.  To determine what the actual curricula are that BA students at this university follow, an analysis must be made of the career records of all its BA graduates of the previous year.  Suppose that the courses listed below, together with their preliminary credit values, are the only ones that appear in a BA degree at this university, and that 100 BA students completed their degrees in the previous year.  The number of successful students for each course listed can be derived from an analysis of the career records of these graduating students.

 

Course

Preliminary credit value kI

Number ni of successful students

ki x ni

Anthropology 1

0.2

50

10

Afrikaans 1

0.2

100

20

English 1

0.2

100

20

History 1

0.2

70

14

Sociology 1

0.2

100

20

Psychology 1

0.2

60

12

Geography 1

0.2

30

6

Politics 1

0.2

40

8

Philosophy1

0.2

50

10

TOTAL

600

120

Anthropology 2

0.333

30

10

Afrikaans 2

0.333

60

20

English 2

0.333

60

20

History 2

0.333

60

20

Sociology 2

0.333

60

20

Psychology 2

0.333

60

20

Geography 2

0.333

30

10

Politics 2

0.333

30

10

Philosophy 2

0.333

30

10

TOTAL

420

140

Anthropology 3

0.5

20

10

Afrikaans 3

0.5

40

20

English 3

0.5

40

20

History 3

0.5

20

10

Sociology 3

0.5

40

20

Psychology 3

0.5

20

10

Geography 3

0.5

10

5

Politics 3

0.5

10

5

Philosophy 3

0.5

10

5

TOTAL

210

105

 

The formula used in the BPharm example permits adjustment factors and final credit values for these BA courses to be calculated in the following way:

 

For first-year courses, the adjustment factor is determined by:

 

          a =            N                            =        100    =        0.833

                 k1n1 + k2n2 + k3n3 +                    120

 

and the final credit values for all first-year courses can be determined by the calculation:

 

                   0.2 x 0.833 = 0.167.

 

For second-year courses, the adjustment factor is determined by:

 

          a =                N                        =        100    =        0.714

                   k1n1 + k2n2 + k3n3 +                  140

 

Thus the final credit values for all second-year courses are calculated to be:

 

                                 0.333 x 0.714 = 0.238.

 

For third-year courses, the adjustment factor is determined by:

 

          a =               N                         =        100    =        0.952

                   k1n1 + k2n2 + k3n3 +                  105

 

and the final credit value for all third-year courses can be determined by the calculation:

 

                                 0.5 x 0.952 = 0.476.

 

4.3          B.Com. Degree

 

Suppose that the Commerce Faculty regulations at a university specify that each B.Com. student must satisfy the following requirements:

 

Year 1:         5 courses at first-year level

 

Year 2:         2 courses at second-year level and

                   2 courses at first-year level

                             or

                   3 courses at second-year level and

                   1 course at first-year level

 

Year 3:         1 course at third-year level and

                   1 course at second-year level and

                   1 course at first-year level

                             or

                   2 course at third-year level and

                   1 course at first-year level

 

In such cases as these, the hypothetical curriculum must be constructed according to faculty regulations and in such a way that this hypothetical curriculum contains the maximum number of third-year courses, and once this condition has been met, the maximum number of second-year courses.

 

The hypothetical curriculum for the B.Com. degree used for the calculation would be:

 

B Com. Students would take 5 first-year courses in year 1, 3 second-year courses and 1 first-year course in year 2, and 2 third-year courses and 1 first-year course in year 3.

 

This hypothesis would lead to the following preliminary credit values being set up for the B.Com. degree:

 

          Each first course taken for the B.Com.         =        1/5               = 0.200

          Each second course taken for the B.Com.    =        1/3 x (1-0.2)  = 0.267

          Each third course taken for the B.Com          =        1/2 x (1-0.2)  = 0.400

 

The formal credit values above must be measured against the curricula students actually construct or follow, and in particular against the curricula actually constructed by B.Com. graduates of the previous year.  Suppose that the courses listed below, together with their preliminary credit values, are the only ones that appear in a B.Com degree at this university, and that 100 B.Com. students completed their degrees in the previous year.  The number of successful students for each course listed can be derived from an analysis of the career records of these graduating students.

 

Course

Preliminary credit value ki

Number ni of successful students

ki x ni

Business Administration 1

0.2

100

20

Accounting 1

0.2

100

20

Mercantile Law 1

0.2

70

14

Economics 1

0.2

100

20

Mathematics 1

0.2

50

10

Afrikaans 1

0.2

80

16

English 1

0.2

80

16

Latin 1

0.2

50

10

Psychology 1

0.2

90

18

TOTAL

720

144

Business Administration 2

0.267

80

21.36

Accounting 2

0.267

80

21.36

Mercantile Law 2

0.267

40

10.68

Economics 2

0.267

80

21.36

Mathematics 2

0.267

30

8.01

Psychology 2

0.267

40

10.68

TOTAL

350

93.45

Business Administration 3

0.4

50

20

Accounting 3

0.4

50

20

Economics 3

0.4

50

20

TOTAL

150

60

 

The formula for the adjustment factor for the preliminary credit values for these B.Com. courses are to be calculated in the following way:

 

              For first-year courses, the adjustment factor is determined by:

 

          a =               1.4 x N                 =        1.4 x 100      =        0.972

                   k1n1 + k2n2 + k3n3 +                      144

 

              and the final credit values for all first-year courses can be determined by the calculation:

 

          0.2 x 0.972 = 0.194

 

              For second-year courses, the adjustment factor is determined by:

 

              a =            0.801 x N                 =        0.801 x 100            =        0.857

                        k1n1 + k2n2 + k3n3 +                       93.45

 

              Thus the final credit values for all second-year courses are calculated to be:

 

          0.267 x 0.857 = 0.229

 

              For third-year courses, the adjustment factor is determined by:

 

          a =               0.8 x N                 =        0.8 x 100      =        1.333

                   k1n1 + k2n2 + k3n3 +                       60

 

              and the final credit value for all third-year courses can be determined by the calculation:

 

          0.4 x 1.333 = 0.533

 

4.4          Postgraduate non-research degree

 

Suppose that a masters degree at a university has the following approved study times:

 

          Minimum total time          =        2 years

          Minimum experiential time         =        1 year

          Minimum formal time                =        1 year

 

Suppose that faculty regulations specify that this degree requires 3 years of study, and that the experiential time has to be served in equal proportions in years 2 and 3.  Since the formal credit total for the degree is 1 (the formal credit total = formal time), the distribution of credits will be:

 

          Year 1:         0.5   formal credits

          Year 2:         0.25 formal credits

          Year 3:         0.25 formal credits

          Total:           1 formal credit

 

Suppose that the regulations specify that the curriculum for the degree is made up in this way:

 

          Year 1:         A 500

                             B 500

                             C 500

                             D 500

          Year 2:         E 500

                             F 500

          Year 3:         G 500

 

If the courses in each year carry equal weightings, the preliminary credit values will be:

 

          A500, B500, C500, D500           =        0.5     =        0.125

                                                                    4

          E500, F500                               =        0.25   =        0.125

                                                                    2

          G500                                        =        0.25   =        0.25

                                                                    1

 

Before this list of preliminary formal credit values can finally be accepted, it will have to be subjected to the 2% test used in earlier examples.

 

4.5          Postgraduate research degrees

             

The formal credit total for a research degree must be determined in the normal way.  This formal credit total will be the approved minimum formal time (the approved minimum total time less the approved minimum experiential time) x 1.  Some points which must be noted are these:

 

*             The approved minimum total time for an ordinary doctorate is 2 years.  Since it would not normally involve experiential time, the formal credit total for an ordinary doctorate would be 2.

 

*             The approved minimum total and formal time for a senior doctorate is 1 year.

 

              The approved minimum total time for most masters degrees is 1 year.  This minimum total time can, however, be increased to a maximum of 2 years, if the faculty regulations of the university require more than one year of full-time study for the completion of the degree.  The maximum formal credit total for such a masters degree will thus be 2 if it involves no approved experiential training.

 

*             If a masters degree has a formal credit total of more than 1, then this total must be divided between at least two course levels.  The courses on the highest course level can be awarded a maximum of 1 formal credit.  The difference between the formal credit total and 1 must be distributed to the lower course levels.  Suppose that a masters degree has a formal credit total of 2 and that its maximum course level classification is intermediate postgraduate (research).  In such a case, 1 formal credit would be assigned to intermediate postgraduate (research) and 1 formal credit to lower postgraduate.  If a masters degree has a formal credit total of 1.5 and if its maximum course level is lower postgraduate (eg as with an MBA), then 1 formal credit must be assigned to lower postgraduate and 0.5 to preparatory postgraduate.

 

An important calculation for research degrees must now be made.  The records of all successful graduates over a 3-year period must be analysed.  The credit value for the degree will be determined by the following formula:

 

          credit value            =       k        x        (x1 + x2 +x3)

                                                                  (y1 + y2 + y3)

 

              where k = the approved formal time for the degree, x1 – x3 the number of graduates in the 3 year period and y1 – y3 the number of years for which they registered.

 

Two examples should make clear what is involved in the calculation of the credit value for a particular year for a research degree.

 

(a)      Masters degrees

 

          Suppose that the formal credit value for year n for the degree of MSc at a particular university has to be calculated, and:

 

*        Minimum total time          =  1 year

 

*        Minimum experiential time         =  0 year

 

*        By the end of year n-1, a total of 21 students registered in that year had satisfied the requirements of the MSc.  The total number of years for which they were registered is equal to 46.

 

*        By the end of n-2, a total of 27 students registered in that year had satisfied the requirements of the MSc and were registered for a total of 51 years.

 

*        By the end of n-3, a total of 13 students registered in that year had satisfied the requirements of the MSc and were registered for a total of 29 years.

 

          This information, together with the formula above, permits the following calculation to be made of a credit value for this masters degree:

 

          formal credit value          =        k        x        (x1 + x2 +x3)

                                                                            (y1 + y2 + y3)

 

                                               =        1        x        (21 + 27 + 13)

                                                                            (46 + 51+ 29)

 

                                               =        0.484

 

(b)      Doctoral degrees

 

          Suppose that the formal credit value for year n for the PhD degree at a particular university has to be calculated.  To make this calculation, the following information about the PhD degree is needed:

 

*        Formal credit total = formal time x 1 = 2

 

*        The 22 year n-1 PhD graduates were registered for a total of 105 years; the 31 n-2 PhD graduates were registered for a total of 147 years; and the 16 n-3 PhD graduates were registered for a total of 67 years.

 

          The year n formal credit value for the PhD is simply given by:

 

                   formal credit value          =        k        x        (x1 + x2 +x3) 

                                                                                     (y1 + y2 + y3)

 

                                                         =        2        x        (22 + 31 + 16)

                                                                                     (105 + 147+ 67)

 

                                                         =        0.433