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Academic Policies and Information
ACADEMIC PREPARATION
In an effort to assure that all students pursuing degrees or
certificates at NCCC are fully prepared to succeed in college credit
courses, the college administers placement tests, such as the COMPASS,
to evaluate student readiness to meet college-level mathematics,
reading, and writing requirements. Where placement tests suggest a
student cannot be successful in college-level courses, there will be
mandatory placement and the student will be required to successfully
demonstrate competencies at the pre-college level as a prerequisite for
registration in general education courses. In those cases where
pre-college courses are indicated in all three areas, NCCC may require
completion of minimum competencies in all three areas before a student
is allowed to begin general education courses.
Non-native speakers of English may elect to take developmental courses
in English (ENGL 015, ENGL 016). They should be advised of this option
as early as possible if there are indications they experience
difficulties with listening or speaking competencies. However, those
courses will not be mandated and are not part of the mandatory placement
requirements. [ Back to Top ]
COMPASS TESTING
All degree-seeking students or students enrolling in a math or English
course must provide placement test scores before enrolling in classes.
ACT, SAT, ASSET and COMPASS are all acceptable placement tests. Students
without placement scores on file will be given the COMPASS or ASSET
test. The placement scores will be used to place students in appropriate
math, reading, and writing courses.
COMPASS is a computerized test used to measure skills in math, reading
and writing. Although COMPASS is comprised of three (3) tests, the tests
can be taken all at one time or one at a time. COMPASS is administered
in the Center for Academic and Vocational Excellence (CAVE) from 8:00
a.m. to 3:00 p.m. any day that the CAVE is open to the public or by
appointment. A student wishing to take the exam should go to the NCCC
student services office to receive a testing voucher. The tests are not
timed, but students should allow two (2)-three (3) hours to take the
exam.
Practice tests can be found at:
www.act.org/compass/sample/index.html. This link also allows the student
to print sample questions to study.
Students enrolling in courses at NCCC may take the COMPASS exam one (1)
time free of charge. For each additional retake the students will be
charged $10. If a student is not planning to attend NCCC, a $10 fee will
be charge each time the test is taken. One (1) copy of the scores may be
transferred to another institution without an additional payment. If
students would like an official copy of their COMPASS scores, they must
request a copy from the student services office in writing and pay a $2
processing fee.
There will be a twenty-four (24) hour waiting period before a retest may
be taken. After the second time the COMPASS test is taken, a two (2)
week waiting period will be observed before a retest can be taken. The
test may be given a third (3rd) time after a three (3) month waiting
period is observed, and appropriate classes have been taken and
successfully completed. [ Back to Top ]
EARLY ACADEMIC WARNING SYSTEM
NCCC’s Early Academic Warning System was implemented to alert students,
advisors, and activity sponsors when a student is struggling in a
course. Instructors issue an “early warning notification” for all
students earning a D, F or NP at three designated reporting dates set
throughout the semester. When an early warning notice is received by the
student services office, a letter is sent to the student with a copy to
the advisor and activity sponsor. Students are encouraged to contact
their instructor and/or advisor when they receive an early warning
notification. [ Back to Top ]
GRADING SYSTEM
Grades are issued and recorded as “A” (Superior), “B” (Good), “C”
(Satisfactory), “D” (Poor), “I” (Incomplete), “F” (Failure), “P” (Pass),
or “NP” (No Pass). No grades are recorded with a plus or a minus. The
grade of “W” (Withdraw) is recorded on the academic transcript for
courses from which a student has withdrawn and an “AW” when the student
has been withdrawn from the course by the instructor due to excessive
absences.
The Pass/No Pass is not calculated in the student GPA, but the course(s)
will count as college credit and be counted toward hours for graduation.
Courses may utilize this type of grading when recommended and approved
by the chief academic officer and the curriculum committee.
Incomplete Grades
An incomplete (“I”) grade may be issued by an instructor for a course
when a student is making satisfactory progress, but the student is
unable to complete the work due to unavoidable circumstances. Every
grade of “I” must be removed within the first nine (9) weeks of the
semester following the receipt of this grade (excluding summer);
otherwise, the “I” automatically becomes the grade indicated by the
instructor on the incomplete contract. A contract must be completed
between the student and faculty member prior to the last day of semester
and signed by both in order to acquire a grade of incomplete. In
emergency cases, a petition for exceptions to this rule may be made to
the chief academic officer (Chanute) or the academic dean (Ottawa).
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GRADE POINTS
Students will have their grade point averages (GPA) computed on the
following basis: for each credit hour of “A,” four (4) points; “B,”
three (3) points; “C,” two (2) points; “D,” one (1) point; “F,” zero (0)
points. In order for students to have a “C” average and be eligible for
graduation, they must have a minimum of sixty-four (64) credit hours and
one hundred twenty-eight (128) grade points. The GPA is the quotient
obtained by dividing the number of grade points earned by the number of
credit hours for which grades “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” is recorded.
The grade of “W” (Withdraw) or “AW” (Administrative Withdraw) is not
reflected in the computation for the student’s GPA, but is a permanent
part of the student’s academic transcript.
Students must maintain a GPA of 2.0 or higher in order to graduate.
[ Back to Top ]
STUDENT GRADES
Student grades will be made available directly to the student. Grades
are not issued by phone. Student grades may not be released or discussed
with parents or others unless a release signed by the student is
presented or is in the student file.
[ Back to Top ]
ATTENDANCE
Attendance policies will be set by each instructor at the beginning of
the course. Federal financial assistance may be affected by attendance.
New federal regulations may dictate changes in this policy.
Make up of a test or coursework given while a student was absent shall
be at the discretion of the course instructor.
Unless students are participating in a school activity or excused by the
instructor, they are expected to attend class. If a student’s unexcused
absences exceed one hundred (100) minutes per credit hour designation
for the course, the instructor may, but is not required to, withdraw a
student from the course. Once the student has been dropped for excessive
absences, the registrar’s office will send a letter to the student,
stating that he or she has been administratively withdrawn and will
withdraw the student from the course indicating a grade code of AW
(Administrative Withdraw). An instructor may not administratively
withdraw a student after 75% of the class time has been completed.
A student may petition the chief academic officer (Chanute) or the
academic dean (Ottawa) for reinstatement by submitting a letter stating
valid reasons for the absences within one week of the registrar’s
notification. If the student is reinstated into the class, the
instructor will be notified. [ Back to Top ]
FINAL EXAMINATIONS
Final examinations are considered an important part of each course. All
courses are required to hold final examinations, and all students are
required to take them. All final examinations will be conducted at such
time and place as designated by college officials.
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ACADEMIC HONESTY
A standard of honesty, fairly applied to all students, is essential to a
learning environment. Students are responsible for learning the content
of any course of study outlined by their instructors, regardless of any
views or judgments privately held and for demonstrating their attainment
in an honest manner. Students violating such standards must accept the
consequences and penalties assessed by appropriate classroom instructors
or other designated persons. All cases may result in discipline at the
college level and may result in suspension or dismissal. Students
accused of abridging the policy of academic honesty may protect
themselves through established academic appeal procedures and are
assured due process and the right of appeal from accusations or
penalties felt to be unjust. The faculty, staff, and administration of
NCCC will neither condone nor tolerate violations of this policy.
A. Definitions
Violations of the academic honesty policy include academic dishonesty,
which is behavior in which a deliberate means is employed to gain
undeserved intellectual credit or advantage, either for oneself or
another, or which is disruptive of a course of study. Some examples of
academic dishonesty are:
1. Plagiarism, intentionally using the printed/published data,
distinctive ideas, or language of someone else without specifically
acknowledging the original source, for example, copying another
student’s paper, creative work, article, or computer work and submitting
it as one’s own original work. On the other hand, the use of “common
knowledge” or of ideas that are not distinctive to a single source does
not require acknowledgement. Subject to the foregoing, the particular
circumstances under which acknowledgment is required may vary among the
different disciplines, which make up the college; in addition, the
manner or style used to acknowledge a source will vary among
disciplines. In a particular course, students must follow the
acknowledgement/citation customs and standards of the discipline
offering the course and acknowledge sources in the manner expected by
that discipline. The instructor in each course is responsible for making
these standards clear.
2. Unauthorized collaboration on out-of-class projects. Students may not
present work as individual when, in fact, the work was done with other
students.
3. Cheating on exams, defined as the unauthorized or inappropriate use
of information about the exam (questions/answers) and /or the taking of
an exam with the assistance of unauthorized materials such as notes,
textbooks, crib sheets, etc. It is the responsibility of each instructor
to inform students which information aids, if any, may be used on exams.
4. Unauthorized access to exams in advance of the examination. Students
who in any unauthorized manner obtain exams in advance of the date and
hour of the examination are committing an act of academic dishonesty.
Unauthorized access to exams does not include obtaining copies of exams
given in previous semesters and returned to students, but it does
include a sharing of information about an unreturned exam between a
student in an earlier section of a class and a student in a later
section.
5. Aiding and/or abetting an academically dishonest undertaking. A
student is responsible for ensuring that other students do not misuse
his/her work. Students are required to protect the integrity of their
own work by, for example, not allowing, knowingly or through
carelessness, another student to plagiarize a term paper or copy answers
to an exam.
B. Responsibility for Academic Honesty
The fundamental responsibility for the maintenance of the standards of
honesty rests upon the student. It is each student’s responsibility to
be familiar with college policy on academic honesty and to uphold the
standards at all times in all situations.
Faculty members are responsible for clarification to their classes of
those standards of honesty for class assignments or projects where such
standards may be unclear or when such standards vary from the accepted
norm. Each faculty member shall also make clear to each class early in
the semester the faculty member’s own policy toward penalties he or she
gives for breaches in academic integrity.
C. Consequences of Academic Honesty Violations
Incidents of academic honesty violation in the classroom will be the
responsibility of the individual instructor. Upon discovery of such
violations, the instructor will have a private meeting with the student
to inform him/her of the situation. The consequences of violation of the
academic honesty policy can range from redoing the assignment for
partial credit to course dismissal, at the discretion of the instructor.
All actions taken by the instructor will be documented by the
instructor, reported to the division chair and the chief academic
officer and a copy of the documentation placed on file with the chief
student affairs officer. If the student does not agree with the actions
taken by the instructor, he/she may utilize the student grievance policy
listed in the NCCC Student Handbook.
Records of acts of misconduct will be kept on file by NCCC. In cases of
serious violations of the academic honesty or multiple violations of the
policy, the chief student affairs officer may require a meeting with the
student to determine what action needs to be taken. Actions may range
from a warning to dismissal from the College.
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ACADEMIC MINIMUM STANDARDS AND REINSTATEMENT PROCEDURES
A student whose GPA falls below a 2.0 will be placed on academic
probation for one (1) term (semester). Should the grade point or
percentage of course work not raise above the minimum standards during
the probation period, the student will be academically suspended.
Academic Probation and Suspension
Should the student’s GPA not be raised to the respective GPA during the
probation period, the student will be academically suspended. A student
placed on academic suspension may appeal to the chief academic officer
(Chanute) or the academic dean (Ottawa).
Academic Reinstatement Procedures
Students may be reinstated on academic probation after being
academically suspended by following these procedures:
1. The student will meet with his/her academic advisor and together they
will determine an appropriate class schedule. Consideration should be
given to the following:
a. Maximum hours of enrollment allowed to be academically successful,
b. Other college and/or family related obligations for the up-coming
semester, (i.e. athletics, scholarship related activities, and household
responsibilities),
c. Previously attempted courses which were not completed satisfactorily,
d. Degree intent or long term goals,
e. Intended graduation or transfer date,
f. Reasons student encountered academic difficulties in the past and how
to address these concerns in the future, and
g. How the student’s advisor can assist in this process and who else
they will call upon for support, including enrollment in additional
course work designed to assist the student in achieving academic
success.
2. The student, after giving consideration to the above, will develop an
action plan for his/her own future academic success and have it reviewed
and signed by his/her advisor.
3. The student will present the completed action plan and the proposed
class schedule to the chief academic officer (Chanute) or the academic
dean (Ottawa) for consideration of approval for reinstatement.
4. If approved, the student will sign an agreement wherein he/she agrees
to acquire a semester GPA of at least a 2.0, meet with his/her advisor
monthly, and follow a personal academic success action plan throughout
the reinstated semester.
5. The chief academic officer (Chanute) or the academic dean (Ottawa)
and academic advisor will also sign this agreement and a copy is to
accompany the enrollment form and be incorporated into the student’s
record in registrar’s office.
6. The registrar will remove the academic suspension “AS” Hold and
replace it with a “RE” reinstated code.
7. Any early warning and/or mid-term grades for students on reinstated
“RE” status will prompt follow-up meetings to be scheduled with their
academic advisor.
8. The student will remain on reinstated status as long as he/she
maintains a 2.0 term GPA until such time as his/her cumulative GPA
reaches 2.0 or higher.
Should a student fail to maintain a term GPA of 2.0 while on
reinstatement, the student will revert back to academic suspension, and
the student will meet with the chief academic officer (Chanute) or the
academic dean (Ottawa) to determine if re-enrollment will be permitted.
[ Back to Top ]
ACADEMIC CLEMENCY
Students may eliminate poor academic records within the restrictions of
the following policy:
Requirements and Limitations
1. To be eligible, the student must be currently enrolled at NCCC and
must have completed at least twelve (12) consecutive credit hours at
this institution with a 2.5 GPA. In addition, the student must meet one
of the following criteria:
a. Make a complete curriculum change OR
b. Wait an interim of two (2) years from the date of the grades before
filing for academic clemency.
2. Up to fifteen (15) semester hours of specific “F” and/or “D” grades
may be petitioned for exclusion from the computation of the student’s
GPA.
3. When a course has been excluded from the computation of the GPA, it
shall not be counted for graduation but will remain on the student’s
transcript.
4. Academic clemency will be granted only once while at NCCC.
5. This policy refers to NCCC only. A student transferring to another
institution will have to follow the other institution’s policy.
6. Grades which have been excluded from the computation of the GPA will
be identified on the student’s transcript by an appropriate means.
7. Granting of academic clemency does not affect or alter a student’s
record for athletic eligibility.
8. Students receiving academic clemency will be reviewed on a
case-by-case basis regarding satisfactory academic progress for
financial assistance purposes.
9. Students granted academic clemency may not receive honors at
graduation.
10. While credits removed from the computation of the GPA as a result of
academic clemency will not be used to meet course or program
requirements, they will be used to determine eligibility for financial
aid awards.
Procedure
1. Students wishing to petition for academic clemency must file an
application with the registrar that has been signed by their academic
advisor.
2. Petitions may be filed upon enrollment at NCCC, but academic clemency
will not be granted until a student has completed twelve (12) hours and
met the requirements as stated in #1 above.
3. Upon receipt of the petition, the registrar will attach a copy of the
student’s transcript and current enrollment, along with a
recommendation, and forward the application to the academic clemency
committee.
4. The academic clemency committee will review and make recommendations
on clemency.
5. If academic clemency is granted, all previous course work will
continue to appear on the transcript, but the grades in those courses
which have been granted academic clemency will not be included in the
student’s NCCC cumulative GPA.
[ Back to Top ]
ACADEMIC FRESH START
Academic fresh start is a policy which provides students with poor or
marginal academic college records the opportunity to resume work toward
their degree without the burden of a poor GPA due to past academic
performance. This policy refers to NCCC only. A student transferring to
another institution will follow the other institution’s policy.
Students must meet the following requirements before being granted this
option:
1. Separation from all institutions of higher education for at least
four years,
2. Formal application to the chief academic officer (Chanute) or the
academic dean (Ottawa). (This application should describe the reasons
for the request and outline an academic plan, which includes the
declaration of an area of academic interest.)
3. Agree that the calculation of the GPA and credit hour totals will be
based solely on work completed after this point and enrollment at NCCC
and the student will forfeit use of all credit hours toward a degree
earned prior to being granted.
If academic fresh start is granted, the student may resume his/her
studies with the understanding that:
1. Academic fresh start at NCCC may be granted ONLY ONCE.
2. The student’s permanent record will remain a record of all work,
regardless of the institution at which that work was completed; however,
the returning student will forfeit the use of all credit hours toward a
degree earned prior to the four-year separation period.
3. The student’s record will carry a notation designating when the
academic fresh start was granted and noting that the calculation of GPA
and credit totals for degree purposes begins with that date.
4. Students applying for admission under academic fresh start must meet
admission requirements established by NCCC.
5. This policy refers to NCCC only. A student transferring to another
institution will have to follow the other institution’s policy.
[ Back to Top ]
CHANGE OF SCHEDULE
Adding or Dropping Courses
Students may add/drop courses during the first two (2) weeks of classes.
(Contact the student services office for add/drop dates for courses
lasting less than a full semester.) The chief academic officer (Chanute)
or the academic dean (Ottawa) must approve all exceptions.
Students are expected to complete the courses for which they register.
Failure to properly withdraw from classes may result in the assignment
of “F” grades for their classes. Students who wish to withdraw from
courses should review the withdraw procedure later in this section.
Students who wish to add or drop selected courses should follow these
procedures:
1. Obtain an Add/Drop Form from the student services office,
2. Obtain the instructor’s signature,
3. Obtain the advisor’s approval, and
4. Return the form to the student services office to complete the
process.
If the term has begun and additional fees are due, they must be paid
immediately. Students should use the drop procedure judiciously as
numerous occurrences may be construed by some to indicate an inability
of the individual to persist when challenged.
All tuition, class fees, and book charges are due and payable on the day
of final registration. Students may defer payment as indicated in the
“prepayment, deferment and installment payment plan.” All students who
have not finalized enrollment (made payment in full, obtained a
deferment, or signed an Installment Payment Plan agreement and paid the
first installment) may be dropped. Students enrolled in mini-courses
(courses that do not have regular semester start/stop dates) must make
payment by the first day of class, or may be dropped.
Withdraw
The student who only informs the instructor that he/she intends to
withdraw or who simply ceases to attend is not officially withdrawn from
class. Unless the procedure described below is followed, the student’s
name will remain on the class roster, and the instructor will be
required to submit a grade other than “W.” In addition, the student will
be charged all appropriate tuition and fees.
If a student wishes to withdraw from one or more courses, he/she should
seek the counsel of his/her advisor and obtain the proper forms from the
student services office. The completed withdraw form must be on file in
the student services office before the withdraw is official.
If a student elects to withdraw from one or more classes after the
twentieth (20th) day from the start of a semester or after the
completion of 25% of a short course and before 75% of the class time has
been completed, the grade of “W” (withdraw) will be recorded on the
transcript. After 75% of the class time has been completed, the student
may not withdraw nor may the instructor assign the grade “W” or “AW”
(Administrative Withdraw). Under extenuating circumstances, the student
may appeal to the chief academic officer (Chanute) or the academic dean
(Ottawa) to withdraw with the grade of “W” after 75% of the class time
has been completed.
Students who find it necessary to withdraw from their entire enrollment
at NCCC are asked to meet with the registrar. Completing this process
helps to avoid any future holds on student records that may make it
difficult to return to NCCC or transfer to another college. Students
receiving any type of federal financial assistance must also complete an
exit interview and should contact a staff member in the financial aid
office. [ Back to Top ]
GRADE APPEALS
Grades are based only on academic standards and the instructor’s
evaluation of how well a student achieved those standards. Final grades
shall be based upon written grading criteria given to the student at the
beginning of each course. Each instructor is required to issue a
syllabus for the course during the first class session each semester
outlining the requirements for the course and the grading criteria to be
used in the course.
Grounds for grade appeals include:
1. Failure of the instructor to follow the written criteria given to the
student at the beginning of the course (or failure of the instructor to
provide written criteria as required).
2. Alleged errors in the mathematical calculation of grades.
3. Alleged errors in recording the grade on the student’s transcript.
4. Non-academic issues such as attendance (i.e. if a student completed
the work and would otherwise have been entitled to a grade acceptable to
the student, but did not receive the grade due to poor attendance, poor
class participation, discrimination, etc.).
If a student questions the calculation or recording of a grade, the
student shall first confer with the appropriate course instructor. If
the problem cannot be resolved, the student may initiate the grade
appeal process by making an appointment with the chief academic officer.
It rests within the chief academic officer’s discretion to investigate
and determine the basis for the appeal and then either resolve it or
refer it to an ad hoc committee for review and resolution. Investigation
of the grade appeal would relate to determining whether a student’s
grade was affected adversely by calculation, recording, or non-academic
issues as outlined above. No further appeal by the student is allowed.
A grade appeal must be filed no later than ninety (90) days from the
last day of the spring, summer, or fall term in which the class was
attended. Each grade being questioned must be appealed separately.
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GRADE REPLACEMENT
Students receiving unsatisfactory grades will be allowed to repeat the
course for credit. For a course repeat, the student need not obtain
approval to re-enroll from the chief academic officer. However, students
may not enroll in a particular course more than two (2) times, unless
the course has been designated for repeat credit. The most recent grade
will replace the prior grade received for the repeated course to count
toward graduation requirements and the GPA. However, the original grade
will remain on the student’s transcript to be considered by any
receiving institution to which the student may transfer. Any exceptions
to this policy must be petitioned by the student to the chief academic
officer [ Back to Top ]
KANSAS TRANSFER AND ARTICULATION AGREEMENT
A student who completes an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science
degree at Neosho County Community College and who’s program of study has
met the Kansas Transfer Articulation Agreement will be accepted with
junior standing and will have satisfied the general education
requirements of all Regent universities. Students transferring to Regent
universities who have not completed an Associate of Arts or Associate of
Science degree will be given general education credit for any
articulated general education course completed at the community college.
Additional information regarding the transfer and articulation agreement
is available in the student services office.
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