3.4.6: The institution employs sound and acceptable practices for determining the amount and level of credit awarded for courses, regardless of format or delivery.  Narrative:   The University of Texas (UT) at Arlington uses sound and acceptable practices for determining the amount and level of credit awarded for courses, regardless of format or delivery.   Course Identification System:  Each UT Arlington course is classified according to a course identification system and is given a four-digit numeric code. The first digit of this code indicates the course level (1 and 2 indicate freshman and sophomore courses, 3 and 4 indicate advanced undergraduate courses, and 5 and 6 indicate graduate courses). The second digit indicates the amount of credit carried by the course and the last two digits identify the course within the department listings. The Course Identification System is outlined in the Undergraduate [1] and Graduate [2] Catalogs. Institutional grading policies are also outlined in the Undergraduate [3] and Graduate [4] Catalogs.  Course Credit Hours:  The guidelines for determining the amount of credit for courses is based on the number of student contact hours during a 15-week semester. This standard system is used throughout the United States by institutions on the semester system and is recognized by Chapter 4 of Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) Rules and Regulations. [5] According to this system, a one-credit hour course requires 15 hours of lecture contact during the semester. Therefore, a three-credit hour course requires a minimum of 45 hours of lecture contact during the semester. Laboratory contact is valued at half of lecture contact and thus two laboratory hours per week during a 15-week semester receives one hour of credit. All other courses not falling under the lecture/laboratory format must offer contact hours or student commitment equal to the 15 contact hours, equaling one standard credit.   Section 4.107 of the THECB Rules and Regulations provides credit standards for distance education courses by stating that distance education courses must meet the same quality standards as brick-and-mortar courses. [6] UT Arlington also follows Section 4.6 of the THECB Rules and Regulations, Minimum Length of Courses and Limitation on the Amount of Credit that a Student May Earn in a Given Time Period. [7] Section 4.6 outlines: (a) classroom contact hours, (b) semester credit and (c) guidelines for nontraditional course contact hours. New Courses: As outlined in UT Arlington’s Reponse to SACS Comprehensive Standard 3.4.1, [8] new courses must be approved through rigorous faculty-driven curriculum approval processes at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The course review process ensures that new courses meet the requirements for the level at which they are taught, and that they meet the semester credit hour standards. A complete syllabus must also accompany any new course proposal, indicating the level and number of credit hours requested. UT Arlington Undergraduate [9] and Graduate [10] Assembly Minutes document when courses are added or dropped from programs.