BUS Contact Hours Calculator

Undergraduate Course Planning Tool - UWI St. Augustine

BUS Credit Standards

BUS (Undergraduate) Credit Standards:
Lectures: 1 credit = 12 contact hours
Labs/Seminars/Tutorials: 1 credit = 24 contact hours
Project/Research: 1 credit = 48 contact hours
📚 Policy Reference: BUS.P.16 2018/2019 - Proposal for New/Revised Undergraduate Course
Standard semester duration: 12-15 weeks of instruction

BUS Contact Hours Calculator

Quick Add BUS Instruction Types:

Type of Instruction Duration (Weeks) Hours per Week Contact Hours Credits Notional Hours per Week Action
24 2.0
6.0
12 1.0
3.0
TOTAL - - 36 3.0
9.0
 -
BUS Calculation Formulas:
Lectures/Tutorials: Credits = Contact Hours ÷ 12
Labs/Seminars/Workshops: Credits = Contact Hours ÷ 24
Notional Hours: Credits × 3

BUS Course Examples

Example 1: 3-Credit BUS Course (Traditional)

Type Duration (Weeks) Contact Hours Credits Notional Hours/Week
Lecture 12 24 (2 hrs/week) 2.0 6.0
Tutorial 12 12 (1 hr/week) 1.0 3.0
TOTAL - 36 3.0 9.0

Example 2: 4-Credit BUS Course with Lab

Type Duration (Weeks) Contact Hours Credits Notional Hours/Week
Lecture 12 24 (2 hrs/week) 2.0 6.0
Tutorial 12 12 (1 hr/week) 1.0 3.0
Laboratory 12 24 (2 hrs/week) 1.0 3.0
TOTAL - 60 4.0 12.0

Example 3: 3-Credit BUS Blended Course

Type Duration (Weeks) Contact Hours Credits Delivery Method Notional Hours/Week
Face-to-Face Lecture 12 12 (1 hr/week) 1.0 Traditional classroom 3.0
Online Lecture 12 12 (1 hr/week) 1.0 Pre-recorded content 3.0
Face-to-Face Tutorial 12 12 (1 hr/week) 1.0 In-person discussion 3.0
TOTAL - 36 3.0 - 9.0

Example 4: 3-Credit BUS Online Course

Type Duration (Weeks) Contact Hours Credits Delivery Method Notional Hours/Week
Synchronous Lecture 12 12 (1 hr/week) 1.0 Live video lectures (max 1 credit) 3.0
Asynchronous Content 12 12 (1 hr/week) 1.0 Pre-recorded lectures + modules 3.0
Online Seminar 12 24 (2 hrs/week) 1.0 Discussion forums + virtual seminars 3.0
TOTAL - 48 3.0 - 9.0
✅ BUS Planning Tip: Most BUS courses are 3-4 credits. Ensure your contact hours align with UWI undergraduate standards and provide appropriate student workload balance.

📞 Contact Information

LeRoy Hill

Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning
The University of the West Indies
St. Augustine Campus
Trinidad and Tobago

Email: leroy.hill@sta.uwi.edu
Phone: +1 (868) 662-2002 Ext. 83745

📄 Creative Commons License

This BUS Contact Hours Calculator is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

You are free to share and adapt this work for non-commercial purposes only, as long as you provide appropriate attribution.

Attribution: "BUS Contact Hours Calculator by LeRoy Hill, CETL, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine"

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

© 2025 Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL)
The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus
Calculator developed by LeRoy Hill, CETL