Academics · Adult Learning · Program planning

Every class,
in hours.

List the classes with their minutes, sessions and weeks. The calculator totals the contact hours, shows what a typical learner attends and when they reach the 12-hour mark.

Count the hoursWhat you get

The instructional contact hours calculator

The worked example is a spring term with ESL, high school equivalency math and a digital literacy lab. Nothing you type leaves this browser.

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What you get

Academics · Adult LearningFree

What you finish with
Scheduled contact hours for each class and the term, a typical learner’s hours at the attendance you expect, and the week a learner passes 12 hours. It prints as a summary for a schedule or a grant report draft.
Who it is for
Adult education instructors and program coordinators planning a term, and adult learners checking how many hours a schedule offers.
Format
Browser calculator for a phone, tablet or computer, by touch or keyboard. Prints a summary; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); export and import a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Adult Learning space in Caveat Academics.
Support
Questions, a correction or a request: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Add each class.
  2. Type minutes, sessions and weeks.
  3. Subtract canceled sessions.
  4. Choose the hour your funder counts.
  5. Set a realistic attendance.

Count the hours

How contact hours are counted

Scheduled minutes, the hour your program counts, and attendance.

The worked example: ESL Level 2, eveningsSessions232 a week × 12 − 1Minutes3,450× 150 a sessionContact hours57.5÷ 60A learner43.1 hat 75% attendanceThe worked example: ESL Level 2, eveningsSessions232 a week × 12 − 1Minutes3,450× 150 a sessionContact hours57.5÷ 60A learner43.1 hat 75% attendance
Scheduled sessions times their length give minutes; minutes over the hour you count give contact hours; attendance gives a typical learner’s share.

Clock hours and class hours

A contact hour is time in instruction. Most adult education programs count a 60-minute clock hour; some colleges count a 50-minute class period as one hour. Use the definition your funder, state office or accreditor sets, and keep it the same across the term.

The 12-hour mark

Programs funded under Title II of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act report through the National Reporting System, which counts a learner as a participant after 12 contact hours. A class that meets for short sessions can lose learners before they reach it, which is why the page shows the week.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education. National Reporting System for Adult Education: Technical Assistance Guide for Performance Accountability (nrsweb.org).
  2. U.S. Department of Education. Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, Title II of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (ed.gov).
  3. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 34 CFR Part 463, Adult Education and Family Literacy Act program (ecfr.gov).
  4. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 34 CFR 600.2, definitions of credit hour and clock hour (ecfr.gov).

Scheduled hours are a plan; reported hours come from attendance records under your state’s rules. Your entries stay in this browser. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.