Legend of the Course Descriptions

The credit courses offered by the College are listed in alphabetical order by discipline/program area. A general description of the content of each course is included. Special Topics are courses that are numbered 075-077, 175-177 and 275-277 provide students with a vehicle to pursue in-depth exploration of special topics of interest. The credits and grade scheme will vary depending on course content. The description and outline is approved by the dean and filed with the registrar.

Instructional Course Type Guideline

Note: The CDHE (Colorado Department of Higher Education, formerly Colorado Commission on Higher Education) definition for a base contact hour is 750 minutes of section meeting time. CDHE has minimum guidelines expressing the minimum number of weekly contact hours expected to receive 1 credit. This varies depending upon the instruction type (e.g., lecture, lab). For example, a 3-credit-hour lecture course would need to meet the equivalent of three 50-minute blocks each week (for a total of 2,250 minutes per semester.)

The US Department of Education Higher Education Re-authorization Act requires institutions to define expectations for out-of-class student work for each credit hour. CCCS has defined the expectation as a minimum of two hours of out of class student work each week for one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction time.

Course Type	Banner Codes	Description	Notes	Minimum Guidelines for Weekly Contact Hours Expected to Receive 1 Credit	Minimum Guidelines For Out-of-Class Study Expectation Per 1 Credit
Clinical		Participation in client and client-related services that are an integral part of an academic program. Clinical instruction occurs in or outside an institutional setting and involves work with clients who receive professional services from students serving under direct supervision of a faculty member and/or approved member of the agency staff.	Course maximum enrollments may vary according to accreditation standards, pedagogical limitations, level of offering, availability of clinical sites, etc.	2.0 Hours = 1 credit (2:1) Contact Ratio	4 hours
Directed Study		Faculty and student negotiate an individualized plan of study.	A Directed Study is not to replace an existing course. If a course is offered on an individualized basis the faculty and student complete a Non-Scheduled course form.	0.75 Hour = 1 credit (.75:1) Contact Ratio	1.5 hours
Field Instruction		Instructional activities conducted by the faculty and designed to supplement and/or extend an individual course or classroom experience.		2.5 Hours = 1 credit (2.5:1) Contact Ratio	5 hours
Internship		Applied and supervised field-based learning experience where students gain practical experience following a negotiated and/or directed plan of study.	Student may or may not be paid for Internship.	3.0 Hours = 1 credit (3:1) Contact Ratio	N/A
Lab		Instructional activities conducted by the faculty which require student participation, experimentation, observation or practice.	Course maximum enrollments may vary according to accreditation standards, pedagogical limitations, level of offering, availability of laboratory stations, equipment, etc.	2.0 Hours = 1 credit (2:1) Contact Ratio	4 hours
Lecture		Faculty member responsible for delivery and discussion of learning material and related instructional activities.	Course maximum enrollments may vary by level, discipline, classroom availability, course delivery format (online), etc.	1.0 Hour = 1 credit (1:1) Contact Ratio	2 hours
Physical Educ./Recreation		Participation in or the performance of some form of physical activity. Knowledge associated with the proper performance of the activity is presented.	Course maximum enrollments may vary by level of instruction, type of activity, safety considerations, availability of facilities, etc.	2.0 Hours = 1 credit (2:1) Contact Ratio	4 hours
Practicum		Practical student work under the supervision of a faculty member or under supervision of a professional in the student’s field and regular consultation with faculty member.		2.0 Hours = 1 credit (2:1) Contact Ratio	4 hours
Private Music Instruction		Formal presentation in a one-to-one relationship between student and instructor.	NASM guidelines list .5 = 2 credits (.25 = 1 hour)	0.25 Hour = 1 credit (.25:1) Contact Ratio	0.5 hours
Seminar		A highly focused course that may include student presentations and discussions of reports based on literature, practice, problems, or research (e.g., a capstone course)	Typically at the upper division or graduate level.	1.0 = 1 credit (1:1) Contact Ratio	2 hours
Lab/CTE		Instructional activities involving training for employment with an active faculty teaching role		1.5 Hours=1 credit (1:5) Contact Ratio	3 hours
Student Classroom Observation		Teacher candidates observe, participate in, analyze and reflect on issues in education.		2.0 Hours = 1 credit (2:1) Contact Ratio	4 hours
Studio		Lab-type activities conducted by faculty (e.g., music ensembles, art studio, theatrical productions, etc.)		2.0 = 1 credit (2:1) Contact Ratio	4 hours
Online Delivery				Follows Same Guidelines as Traditional Delivery
Hybrid Delivery				Follows Same Guidelines as Traditional Delivery

Most courses in the following sections have prerequisites. Prerequisites are requirements that you must complete before enrolling in the course. You can satisfy prerequisites in one of two ways: 1) by completing prerequisite courses, or 2) by attaining assessment scores that place you ABOVE the listed prerequisite course’s skill level.

Restricted Courses

Restricted courses indicate specific course offerings that are limited offerings due to location restrictions. These courses will be indicated with two asterisks (**). Completion of a degree and/or certificate as listed on Degree and Certificate Programs is not impacted by restricted courses as the requirements do not include such courses.

GT Pathways Courses

In December 2005, the Colorado Commission on Higher Education established a statewide transfer policy for general education course credits. This policy is also known as GT Pathways which are listed in the table on CCCS Guaranteed Transfer (GT) - Pathways Courses under the Degree/Certificate programs section. Although Pueblo Community College does not offer all of the courses listed on CCCS Guaranteed Transfer (GT) - Pathways Courses if you are transferring any of these courses to Pueblo Community College from an accredited post-secondary institution, these courses will be accepted at Pueblo Community College.