Classroom Policies

Directed Study Courses

Students may be permitted to complete coursework through Directed Study, monitored by a faculty member. No more than 6 students can be registered for a Directed Study course at a physical campus as it will then constitute a regular class. No more than 4 students can be registered for a Directed Study course through the Virtual Campus. For physical campus courses: such permission will be granted only when there is no possibility for completing the regular coursework within a reasonable period of time under the regular class schedule. Special course completion arrangements require pre-approval by the academic program administrator and must be documented in writing. For the Virtual Campus courses: these will be converted to a Directed Study for courses that have 4 students or fewer registered. All pre-requisites for the regular course must be met. Tuition for a course completed in this manner is charged at the current rate for regular courses. Grades are earned in the same manner as traditional courses. The standard course codes are used; timing, assignments, and all course materials and syllabi are consistent. There is no notation of the special arrangement on the student’s transcript. Directed study cannot be used in lieu of a Leave of Absence.

Student Religious Observance Accommodation

In support of the University mission to serve a diverse population, any student who, as a result of religious holidays or observances, is unable to attend class or submit assignments on a particular day(s) may be granted an accommodation to submit assignments at an alternate time.

Students must notify the faculty member a minimum of at least one week before the religious holiday or observance allowing the faculty member sufficient time to arrange for an appropriate reasonable accommodation. Students are responsible for completing assignments (without penalty) given during their absence, but faculty should grant the opportunity to make up work missed because of religious observance

Accommodations involving extensions beyond the last day of class must adhere to the Incomplete Grade policy.

Add/ Drop Policy

The add/drop scheduling period is held during the first week of a student's session. Students desiring to drop or add a course within this period need to contact their Academic Advisor/Prior Learning Assessment Team for guidance in making this schedule change. Any schedule changes may extend the length of a program of study.

Attendance Policy

The University recognizes that regular attendance has a positive impact on a student’s success in his or her degree program of study. Students are expected to be in class for all regularly scheduled class periods and to report to class on time. The University posts attendance for each course every week to support academic success and properly administer financial aid.  Specific attendance requirements vary by the course delivery mode, as described in the chart below.

 

If the class is delivered:	"Present" means
Online	Student posting to a graded Discussion Board, submitting an assignment via the Virtual Classroom, or attempting or completing an Intellipath node.
On Campus	Student participating in the scheduled face-to-face class meeting.  If a student arrives late or leaves class early, then he or she will be reported as "present" only for the time physically in the classroom.
Blended	Student participating in the scheduled face-to-face class meeting, posting to a Discussion Board, submitting an assignment via the MyCampus portal, or attempting or completing an Intellipath node.

 

For more information regarding attendance at the doctoral symposium event, refer to the Doctoral Symposium and Attendance area of the catalog.

Academic Honesty and Integrity

All students are expected to conform to the accepted standards of academic honesty. Any work submitted by a student must represent original work produced by that student, and any source used by a student must be documented through normal scholarly references and citations. Any clear violations of these standards, such as cheating, violating copyright laws, falsification of data, plagiarism, or submitting the same work in more than one course without obtaining advance approval will not be tolerated by the University and may be grounds for dismissal. Such violations are to be processed promptly, firmly, privately, and fairly by the instructor and may result in sanctions up to and including dismissal from the University. The instructor will promptly notify the University of the discovery of the incident. All instances are cumulative, permanently recorded, and tracked across a student’s tenure at all CTU campuses. The final determination of academic dishonesty will be decided by the appropriate academic official for the particular program or campus.
Academic Honesty violations are documented in the student’s file. The student will be notified by the appropriate University official and required to review the Academic Honesty Policy and Honor Code and affirm the CTU Honor Statement. Multiple violations of the Academic Honesty Policy may result in repercussions up to and including dismissal from the University.
The student may appeal any decision to the appropriate Appeals Board. The Appeals Board will render a final decision after appropriate investigation, which may include factors such as prior academic honesty violations, previous correspondence and warnings, and academic history. Decisions from the Appeals Board may have stipulations attached to outcomes.

Cheating: 

Cheating shall be defined as:

• copying to any extent the work of another;
• intentionally assisting another student during an examination;
• having unauthorized access to material related to an examination during the examination;
• possessing or having access to unauthorized copies of an examination;
• departing from any stated examination conditions.

Plagiarism: 

The New International Dictionary of the English Language (Funk & Wagnalls, 2000) defines plagiarize as “to appropriate and pass off as one’s own (the writings, ideas, etc., of another)” (p. 965).

Plagiarism involves:

• Submitting another person’s work as one’s own;
• Submitting work from any source that is not properly acknowledged by footnote, bibliography, or reference within a paper;
• Submitting work pieced together from phrases and/or sentences from various sources without acknowledgment;
• Submitting work that uses any phrase(s), sentence, or stylistic mannerism rearranged or otherwise without acknowledgment;
• Omitting quotation marks from any directly quoted material;
• Failure to use ellipsis (…) to indicate omission of one or more words;
• Submitting an assignment that is an exact copy of work completed for a course at another University;
• Submitting an assignment(s), or any part of an assignment, for more than one class without enhancing and refining the assignment, and without first receiving instructor permission. In cases where revision of previous assignments is permitted by the instructor, the student should be prepared to submit the original assignment for comparison purposes;
• Any other actions deemed to be plagiarism by the faculty.

Resubmission:

At Colorado Technical University, students are given the opportunity to resubmit work that was previously submitted to past courses if the instructor has given his/her approval to the student to do so and if the submission complies with the Academic Honesty & Integrity guidelines outlined above. The resubmission policy applies to all assignment types except intellipath and the introductory discussion board assignment.

Student Responsibilities

• It is a student’s responsibility prior to assignment submission to submit a written request to the instructor that details for which course and term the work was originally submitted along with justification for the resubmission request. 
• It is a student’s responsibility to wait to submit resubmitted work until after receiving written approval from the instructor.
• If a student is resubmitting an individual project:
  • Once the request to resubmit has been approved by the instructor, it is the student's responsibility to document that the work is his/her own by including the following verbiage at the beginning of the document: "This assignment was originally submitted during the [previous session] in [previous course & section] with [previous instructor name].  Approval to resubmit this assignment was obtained from [current instructor name] on [MM/DD/YY]."
• If a student is resubmitting a non-introductory discussion board assignment:
  • Once the request to resubmit has been approved by the instructor, the student can submit the assignment.  The student does not need to include a statement in the assignment that it is resubmitted work.
• It is a student’s responsibility to ensure alignment with expectations of the current course assignment, and so the student should update his/her assignments to meet new or modified assignment requirements within the new course or updated version of a course. 
• It is a student’s responsibility to review his/her work, making necessary changes to enhance the quality based on the resources provided in the current course, current instructor feedback and guidelines, and previous instructor feedback. 
• It is a student’s responsibility to keep pace with assignment due dates and to participate fully in every course; therefore, if there are multiple assignments being resubmitted, students should submit tasks during the unit in which it is due. 

Instructor Guidelines

• Instructors will make determinations of approvals or denials of the use of resubmitted work in consultation with their lead faculty member (as deemed necessary) and will provide a written approval or denial of the resubmission request to the student. 
  • If the request is denied, the instructor will provide justification for that denial.
• If an instructor is not made aware of work being resubmitted, the instructor will treat the assignment as plagiarized and reserves the right to post an F (0) grade and submit it for review until proof of originality is provided, at which point the instructor will make a grade change determination. 
• If resubmitted work is accepted, the instructor will include the following statement within the gradebook acknowledging that the work was accepted under the Academic Honesty Policy Resubmission Clause:
  • Resubmitted work has been accepted for this assignment in accordance with the Academic Honesty Policy Resubmission Clause.
• An instructor is under no obligation to allow students to resubmit work in order to make corrections if the work does not meet the requirements of the new session. 
• An instructor is under no obligation to consider the grade that was originally received in a previous course on resubmitted work. Therefore, there is no guarantee the same grade will be awarded.
  • If a student is awarded a lower grade for resubmitted work, this is not considered grounds for a grade appeal.

Policy Exception: The resubmission policy does not apply to posts made in introductory discussion boards, those students who are building a body of work (example: a capstone portfolio), or to those who are revising work as a compilation for a final project (example: a dissertation). Please discuss any questions or concerns with the Student Success Coach and the instructor.

Originality Policy

We at Colorado Technical University (CTU) value integrity, honesty, and originality. In order to uphold these values in the classroom, CTU utilizes the TurnitIn® Originality Verification Tool. This tool assists faculty, students, & staff by ensuring that all student work adheres to the University’s Academic Integrity policy.

Students are encouraged to utilize this tool prior to their official submission to ensure that the work they are producing is in fact their own. While the TurnitIn® Originality Verification Tool does not detect plagiarism, it does assist in the investigation and verification of overall integrity of the material provided by the student.

The University places emphasis on the following originality guidelines:

1. Students are expected to produce work that displays proper use of the most up-to-date version of APA. This includes, but is not limited to, the use of in-text citations, quotation marks, and references to ensure proper acknowledgment is given to any external source(s) used in the creation of academic material.
2. Since academic integrity concerns come in many forms (i.e. plagiarism, cheating, purchasing of work, lack of original content, etc.), a specific similarity percentage (%) rendered by the TurnitIn® tool does not necessarily result in the same outcomes for all content. Each student assignment should be thoroughly reviewed no matter the score provided by TurnitIn® in order for the faculty to determine the most appropriate action (see Academic Integrity Policy).

Note: Exclusive use of the similarity score % as criteria for identifying possible violations of academic integrity is prohibited. All students are to be assessed based on the content and contextual use of sources.

Student Conduct

Colorado Technical University fosters an academic community that is committed to the educational and personal growth of each and every student.  A student whose conduct is regarded as being in conflict with the best interests of the University or in violation of its policies is subject to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal.  CTU reserves the right to prohibit a student’s future enrollment, or to limit a student’s enrollment to a specific campus or Online program.  Dismissal from CTU may be warranted for any of the following reasons: failure to maintain satisfactory academic progress, failure to pay school fees and/or tuition by applicable deadlines, posing a danger to the health or welfare of students or other members of the CTU community, or engaging in fraudulent financial activities. or failure to comply with the policies and procedures of CTU.  Any unpaid balance for tuition, fees and supplies becomes due and payable immediately upon a student’s dismissal from the school. The institution will also determine if any Title IV funds need to be returned (see Financial Policies Section of this catalog).

Student organizations, including their members and officers, may be held collectively and/or individually responsible for violations of the Student Conduct Policy and/or other University policies. 

Prospective students and University visitors and guests are also expected to comply with the Student Conduct Policy and all University policies and are subject to corrective action for violations of these policies.  Prospective students may be prohibited from enrolling at CTU or limited to enrollment at a specific campus or Online program.  

All reported violations of this Policy will be investigated as necessary. Interim measures may be imposed during the investigation to ensure the safety and well-being of the University community, including students, staff, and faculty.  The University reserves the right to suspend any member of the University community or to take any other interim measures the University deems appropriate pending the outcome of the investigation.  Such interim measures can include, but are not limited to, removing an individual from campus or campus-related events, issuing a “no contact” order and/or modifying course schedules.

All students, prospective students, and University visitors and guests are expected to respect the rights of others and are held responsible for complying with all federal, state and local laws, and for conducting themselves in a manner consistent with the best interests of the University.  Conduct that is not consistent with the best interests of the University includes, but is not limited to, the following:

1. Academic or administrative dishonesty, such as cheating, plagiarizing, or knowingly furnishing false information to the University;
2. Forgery, alteration, misuse, or mutilation of University documents, records, identifications, educational material, and/or University property;
3. Obstruction or disruption of teaching, research, administration, disciplinary procedures, or any other authorized activities on University premises;
4. Physical or verbal abuse of any University official as well as conduct which threatens or endangers the health or safety of any such person;
5. Theft of or damage to property of the University or using, or attempting to use, University property in a manner inconsistent with its designed purpose;
6. Unauthorized entry to, use of, or occupation of University facilities and resources;
7. Intentional and unauthorized interference with right of access to University facilities, freedom of movement or speech of any person on campus;
8. Disorderly, lewd, unwelcome sexual advances, unwanted requests for favors of a sexual nature, physical or verbal conduct of a sexual nature, and indecent or obscene conduct or expression;
9. Possession, use, or distribution of any drug made illegal as a matter of federal, state, or local law or alcohol on campus or during any student activities regardless of the location;
10. The possession, use, or being under the influence of alcohol or drugs made illegal as a matter of federal, state, or local law, or the misuse or being impaired by prescribed drugs, while on duty in any healthcare facility, school, institution or other work location as a representative of the nursing program is prohibited.
11. Violation of a federal, state, or local ordinance including, but not limited to, those covering alcoholic beverages, narcotics, dangerous drugs, gambling, weapons, sex offenses, or arson;
12. Rioting or aiding, abetting, encouraging, or participating in a riot or inciting a riot;
13. Failure to comply with the verbal or written directions of any University officials acting in the performance of their duties and in the scope of their employment;
14. Aiding, abetting, or inciting others in committing any act of misconduct set forth in any of these behavior patterns;
15. Conviction of a crime of a nature which adversely affects or is detrimental to the University community and/or the pursuit of its educational objectives or creates a risk to the safety and security of the University community.  Upon filing of charges in criminal court involving such a crime, the student may be temporarily suspended or withdrawn pending disposition of the charges in criminal court;
16. Proven plagiarism or falsification of authenticity is a serious matter of significant ethical and legal concern; (Students are informed that if it is ever proven that there was significant misrepresentation or misattribution of material presented, any degrees or credit awarded by the University based on the material will be revoked.)
17. Lack of academic achievement and/or suspension;
18. Unauthorized solicitation of students, faculty or staff on campus or online for any product or service;
19. Other behavior or actions that might constitute a threat to the University Community (i.e., weapons possession, alcohol or drug abuse, etc.) as determined by appropriate university authorities.
20. Breach of information security policies (including but not limited to using another’s password or sharing his/her password) at an internship/externship will cause the student to fail the internship/externship and may be dismissed from their program.
21. All information (including but not limited to patient or other proprietary information) gained from clinical sites or other internship sites is deemed to be confidential. Sharing of this information in any form (repeating to another individual, posting on social media sites, etc.) is a breach of confidentiality and unprofessional conduct and will result in immediate dismissal from the University.

Conduct Committee

Inappropriate conduct, based on the requirements noted above, will not be tolerated and may be a cause for dismissal from the University. Students violating the Student Code of Conduct may be brought to the institution's Conduct Committee for possible recommendation of dismissal from the institution. The Conduct Committee is made up of the Provost/Chief Academic Officer (or his/her designee) and a minimum of four designated university officials representing various institutional verticals.

Any charge, accusation, or allegation which is presented against a student, may subject a student to disciplinary action. The charge, accusation, or allegation must be submitted in writing via staff or faculty (excepting emergency situations mentioned in the bullets below) with pertinent details to the Conduct Committee through the Provost/Chief Academic Officer or designee promptly by the individual or individuals. Note that the Conduct Committee does not supersede the role of other CTU officials.  For example:

1. Faculty has the right to remove a student from a class when the faculty member determines the student's actions are interfering with the classroom learning environment.
2. The University President has full power and authority to enforce rules and regulations to govern student conduct and to take emergency measures to protect the health and safety of students and employees.
3. Every student is subject to federal, state, and local law. The conviction of a student for any criminal offense involving conduct which is inconsistent with the University's mission or presents a risk to the safety or security of the campus community shall be subject to disciplinary action, including dismissal. The sanction and duration said sanction will be determined via recommendation to the Provost Office by the Conduct Committee and based on the degree of severity of the offense.

Sanctions

Sanctions can be enforced by the University Provost/Chief Academic Officer or designee, and the Conduct Committee, via oversight of the Provost Office. Sanctions can take several forms, including the following:

1. Official Reprimand - an oral statement and warning by an appropriate official to cease the inappropriate behavior or act. This oral statement will articulate the consequences if the infraction is repeated. A copy of the reprimand will reside in the student's file.
2. Official Written Notice - a written censure citing that the tudent has violated a specific tenet of the Code, the nature of the violation, and the determination that a repeat occurrence during the remaining time of the student's degree studies may/will lead to immediate suspension or dismissal. A copy of the official written notice will reside in the student's file.
3. Suspension - the student is not allowed to participate in any aspect of the institution and is banned from the institution for the length of time of the suspension. During this time, the student is barred from the University, campus and/or online community, respectively. A copy of the official letter of suspension will reside in the student's file.
4. Dismissal - the student or prospective studet is permanently removed from all connections and associations with the institution with the inability to return to the University in a future enrollment. A copy of the official letter of dismissal will reside in the student's file. The University President and/or Provost/Chief Academic Officer have the authority to dismiss a student from the institution based on investigation, findings, and recommendations from officials or the Conduct Committee.

Dismissal

CTU reserves the right to dismiss a student for any of the following: Failure to maintain satisfactory academic progress, failure to pay school fees and/or tuition by applicable deadlines, engaging in fraudulent financial activities, disruptive behavior, posing a danger to the health or welfare of students or other members of the community, or failture to comply with the policies and procedures of the institution. Any unpaid balance for tuition, fees and supplies becomes due and payable immediately upon a student's dismissal. CTU will determine any Title IV funds to be returned in accordance with federal guidelines.

Appeals

Students have the right to appeal conduct dismissals when imposed by the President, Provost/Chief Academic Officer (or his/her designee).

CTU is committed to, and will maintain necessary avenues for students to file a formal appeal should they meet the necessary requirements as outlined in these proceedings.

1. A student may appeal a University decision in writing to the Office of the Ombudsman within five (5) business days of receiving notice of the Committee's decision. Within three (3) business days the Ombudsman's Office will confirm receipt of the appeal and begin a thorough review of the claim and supporting evidence to be reinstated. The role of the Ombudsman's Office is to ensure compliant and consistent treatment occurred during the committee sanctioning process.
2. Within five (5) business days of initiating the appeal investigation, the Office of the Ombudsman will provide a response to the student. The official determination will follow in writing which includes findings, reasoning and conclusions of the appeal. The decision of the Ombudsman's Office is final.
3. All University determinations of appeals will be kept as a permanent record in the student's file.

Reinstatement

Students approved to return to the University upon completion of the appeals process may be reinstated under the following conditions:

1. The student is required to return by re-applying via Re-entry Admissions. Upon doing so, requirement documentation including but not limited to financial aid and Academic (SAP) documentation must be completed.
2. A re-entering student must also adhere to the program plan determined at the time of re-entry.
3. Returning students must also follow any and all specified conditions as recommended by the Conduct Committee and Provost Office such as but not limited to the ability to attend a specific campus and/or ceasing contact with specific individuals.

Grading

Grading System

Grade reports are available to students via the Virtual Campus, Mycampus portal, or the Registrar’s Office at the completion of each term/session. Grades are based on the quality of work as indicated on the course syllabus. Earned quality points are calculated for each course by multiplying the grade point value for the grade received for the course multiplied by the credit hour value of the course. For example, a 4.0 credit course with a grade of B would earn 12.0 quality points (credit value of course (4) times grade point value of B (3)). The Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) is calculated by dividing the total earned quality points by the total attempted credits. The following pages provide an illustration of letter grades, description, percentage points, meaning and quality points.

Undergraduate Grade Scale

Letter Grade	Description	Percentage	Included in Credits Earned	Included in Credits Attempted	Included in CGPA	Grade Points
A	Excellent	94 – 100	Yes	Yes	Yes	4.0
A-		90-93				3.7
B+	Good	86 – 89	Yes	Yes	Yes	3.3
B		83 – 85				3.0
B-		80 - 82				2.7
C+	Fair	76 – 79	Yes	Yes	Yes	2.3
C		73-75				2.0
C-		70-72				1.7
D+	Poor	65 – 69	Yes	Yes	Yes	1.3
D		60 – 64				1.0
F	Unsatisfactory	0 – 59	No	Yes	Yes	0.0
P	Passing	A/R	Yes	Yes	No	NA
WP	LOA	-	No	Yes	No	NA
PD	Pass Developmental	60-100	No	No	No	NA
FD	Fail Developmental	0-59	No	No	No	NA
I	Incomplete	-	No	Yes	No	NA
INC*	Incomplete	-	No	Yes	No	N/A
W	Withdraw	-	No	Yes	No	NA
PR	Proficiency	-	Yes	Yes	No	NA
TC	Transfer	-	Yes	Yes	No	NA
AU	Audit	-	No	No	No	NA
IP	In Progress	-	No	No	No	NA
**	Repeat	-	No	Yes	No	NA

INC* - administrative use only

Graduate Grade Scale

Letter Grade	Description	Percentage	Included in Credits Earned	Included in Credits Attempted	Included in CGPA	Grade Points
A	Excellent	94 - 100	Yes	Yes	Yes	4.0
A-		90 - 93				3.7
B+	Good	86 - 89	Yes	Yes	Yes	3.3
B		83 - 85				3.0
B-		80 - 82				2.7
C+	Fair	76 - 79	Yes	Yes	Yes	2.3
C		73 - 75				2.0
F	Unsatisfactory	0 - 72	No	Yes	Yes	0.0
WP	LOA	-	No	Yes	No	NA
I	Incomplete	-	No	Yes	No	NA
INC*	Incomplete	-	No	Yes	No	NA
W	Withdraw	-	No	Yes	No	NA
TC	Transfer	-	Yes	Yes	No	NA
AU	Audit	-	No	No	No	NA
IP	In Progress	-	No	No	No	NA
**	Repeat	-	No	Yes	No	NA

INC* - administrative use only

Doctorate Grade Scale

Letter Grade	Description	Percentage	Included in Credits Earned	Included in Credits Attempted	Included in CGPA	Grade Points
A	Excellent	94 - 100	Yes	Yes	Yes	4.0
A-		90 - 93				3.7
B+	Good	86 - 89	Yes	Yes	Yes	3.3
B		83 - 85				3.0
B-		80 - 82				2.7
F	Failing	0 - 79	No	Yes	Yes	0.0
WP	LOA	-	No	Yes	No	NA
I	Incomplete	-	No	Yes	No	NA
INC*	Incomplete	-	No	Yes	No	NA
P	Passing	-	Yes	Yes	No	NA
NP	Non-Passing	-	No	Yes	No	NA
W	Withdraw	-	No	Yes	No	NA
AU	Audit	-	No	No	No	NA
TC	Transfer	-	Yes	Yes	No	NA
IP	In Progress	-	Yes	Yes	No	NA

INC* - administrative use only

Re-taking a Failed Course

A student who receives a failing grade (W/F/NP) in a required course must repeat the course and receive a passing grade or receive transfer credit for the course in order to graduate. Students are allowed to re-take any course a maximum numbers of times before being withdrawn from their program. At CTU the maximum number for courses receiving a W/F/NP grade is 4 repeats for a total of 5 attempts at the undergraduate level, and 3 repeats for a total of 4 attempts at the graduate level. A course for which an “F” is awarded is included in the term GPA and CGPA. When the student repeats the course with a passing grade or receives transfer credit, the CGPA will be adjusted accordingly using the highest grade. The failure will remain on the transcript. Students should note that Healthcare programs may have more rigorous academic requirements. Students should contact their Academic Advisor or Program Chair for specific program requirements regarding retakes and failed courses. The total number of attempts for a student receiving a grade of W/F/NP is five at the undergraduate level and four at the graduate level.

Application of Grades and Credits

The charts above describe the impact of each grade on a student’s academic progress. For calculating rate of academic progress, grades of F (unsatisfactory), W (withdraw), and I (incomplete) are counted as hours attempted but are not counted as hours successfully completed.

The student must repeat any required course in which the student receives a grade of F or W. A grade of W is not replaced when a student repeats the course, but remains part of the student's permanent record. If the course is no longer offered a substitute course may be used subject to approval from a Program Chair. In the case of a repeated course, the better of the two grades is calculated into the CGPA. The lower grade will be replaced by a double asterisk (**) indicating that a higher grade has been earned for a separate attempt at the course. If the same grade is obtained when a course is repeated, only the first attempt and corresponding grade will be calculated into the CGPA. Both original and repeated credits will be counted as attempted credits in rate of progress calculations.

Students who repeat courses are encouraged to consult their Academic Advisor/Student Advising Team on how repeated courses may adversely affect their Satisfactory Academic Progress. Students should also contact the Financial Aid Department regarding repeated courses that have extended the length of a degree program and may have resulted in additional charges. Students are financially responsible for attempted courses.

Undergraduate students will be allowed to repeat courses in which they received a grade of D or below and master’s students will be allowed to repeat courses in which they received a grade of C or below.

 

Application of Withdrawal Grade

A "W" grade indicates that a student has been withdrawn from a course.  Students who withdraw from a course during the add/drop period will be unregistered from the course.  Students who withdraw from a course after the add/drop period but before the last calendar week of the class, and have a date of attendance (LDA) for the class during the last calendar week of the scheduled course, will receive the grade earned calculated as a final grade.  A Course Withdrawal Form or Withdrawal Routing Spreadsheet is completed by campus officials when awarding "W"grades.

Re-taking a Passed Course

A student receiving a passing grade who wishes to repeat a course to receive a higher grade is allowed to re-take the course one time.  Students will be ineligible for Title IV funding for additional attempts beyond the first re-take.

 

Grade Point Average (GPA)

The grade point average is computed for each academic level using course grade points. The quality points earned for each course are computed by multiplying the course's credit hours by the grade point of the final grade received. The quarterly GPA is computed by dividing the sum of the quality points earned in all courses taken during the quarter by the total number of credit hours attempted during the quarter. The Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) is calculated by dividing the total earned quality points by the total credits attempted.

Incomplete Policy

To receive an Incomplete (I) grade, the student must petition the course Faculty member in writing.  The period to request an Incomplete grade begins on the first day of the final week and must be submitted three days before the course end date. 

 

At the time of the petition, the Faculty member must determine:

•       If the student’s completed work equates to a passing grade according to the course level grading scale;

•       If requested incomplete assignments, with the inclusion of any other missing assignments, would allow student to earn a passing grade;

 

Late assignment penalties will still apply during the incomplete period for any late work turned in past the previously agreed due date between the student and Faculty member. 

 

The Faculty member must approve or deny the petition within three business days of receiving the student’s request, but no later than the last day of class. 

 

Should a student fail to submit the unfulfilled coursework requirements within seven (7) calendar days from the end of the course, the Incomplete grade will convert to the final grade the student earned in the class, inclusive of “0” points for the incomplete work.

 

In the case of natural disasters or other situations, the Vice Provost, Vice President of Academic Operations, or Provost can approve an (INC) incomplete.  An (INC) designation is an administrative use only indicator to notate an incomplete course grade outside of the institution’s (I) incomplete policy.

Grade Appeal Procedure

A student who disagrees with a grade he or she has received should contact the course Faculty member immediately to discuss the concern. If the dispute is unresolved, the student must submit a written appeal within the subsequent term after posting of final grades. The student’s appeal must include the reason for appealing the grade and must also provide documentation supporting the appeal (if applicable) with the written request. A decision regarding the appeal will be made within 30 calendar days of appeal submission. Students will be notified in writing of the decision.  Students who wish to submit a grade appeal should contact their Student Success Coach for more information regarding the procedure.