credit system in American higher education尹.pdf

Higher Education Policy 14 (2001) 37–44 /locate/highedpol Measuring academic progress: the course–credit system in American higher education Philip G. Altbach∗ Center for International Higher Education, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467-3813, USA Accepted 20 November 2000 Abstract The course–credit system in the United States is the standard means of measuring academic work. Typically, an academic degree is the sum of required and other courses measured by the course credit system. Generally, each course consists of 3 credits (the meaning of each credit is one hour of in-class or laboratory work over a 16 week semester). The system is a means of measuring the time spent on study and not the quality of the work. Since the 19th century, c the course–credit system has been the major “currency” in American higher education. 2001 International Association of Universities. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The course–credit system of measuring academic work is so deeply ingrained in the American higher education system that it seems an immutable law. It is not a subject of debate or controversy — it is simply part of the academic landscape and has been so for a century. The course–credit system is simply a way of accounting for time spent on academic work. It is the central currency of student academic work — students at all levels of the postsecondary education sys