Students should be aware that course repeats, for any reason, may not be looked upon favorably by some employers, by professional schools, and by honor societies. This policy applies only to courses taken and repeated at the University of North Alabama. Each student should read the policy carefully and seek help from his or her departmental academic advisor, or from the appropriate dean’s office and the Office of the Registrar to determine if the following policies are appropriate to his/her degree program. All hours duplicated will be deducted from the hours passed on the academic record and may result in a change in student classification. In the College of Nursing and Allied Health, no student will be permitted to repeat a nursing course more than once.
Repetition of Courses. A student may repeat any course in which a grade of C, D or F was received. For each course repeated, the highest grade will be used in determining progress, but the previous grade(s) will remain on the transcript record and all grades will be counted as work attempted in determining the grade point average (GPA). Credit in a repeated course may be used only one time toward meeting the 128 semester hour graduation requirements. Also, all courses attempted at
UNA will be counted in determining a student’s eligibility for Federal Student Aid. (See Student Financial Services for more details.)
Repeat/Recompute Policy. A student who has repeated courses in which a grade of C, D or F was received may identify three of those courses (up to 11 hours) for the purpose of recomputing the GPA. For each course identified, only the most recent grade will be used in determining progress and in recomputing the GPA; however, the previous grade will remain on the transcript. Credit in each course may be used only one time toward meeting the 128-semester hour graduation requirement. A student will request the recomputing by completing a form which lists the courses with the Office of the Registrar at any time prior to or on the last day of drop/add of the semester of anticipated graduation. This policy applies only to courses taken and repeated at UNA. Each student should seek help from his or her departmental academic advisor, or from the appropriate dean’s office and the Office of the Registrar, to determine if this policy is appropriate to his/her degree program. In the College of Nursing and Allied Health, no student will be permitted to use the Repeat/ Recompute Policy or Second Chance Provision for any nursing course (NU designation). Students should be aware that utilizing the Repeat/ Recompute Policy may not be looked upon favorably by some employers, by professional schools and by honor societies. The Repeat/Recompute Policy may not be applied after the degree has been conferred. Also, all courses attempted at UNA
will be counted in determining a student’s eligibility for Federal Student Aid. (See Student Financial Services for more details.)
Academic Procedures and Requirements 67 GENERAL REGULATIONS
Academic Honesty. Students of the university academic community are expected to adhere to commonly accepted standards of academic honesty. Allegations of academic dishonesty can reflect poorly on the scholarly reputation of the University including students, faculty and grad- uates. Individuals who elect to commit acts of academic dishonesty such as cheating, plagiarism, or misrepresentation will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action in accordance with university policy.
Incidents of possible student academic dishonesty will be addressed in accordance with the following guidelines:
1. The instructor is responsible for investigating and documenting any inci- dent of alleged academic dishonesty that occurs under the instructor's purview.
2. If the instructor finds the allegation of academic dishonesty to have merit, then the instructor, after a documented conference with the student, will develop a plan for disciplinary action. If the student agrees to this plan, then both instructor and student will sign the agreement. The faculty member will forward a copy of the signed agreement to the Office of Student Conduct for record-keeping purposes.
3. If the student disagrees with the instructor's proposed plan for discipli- nary action and wishes to take further action, he/she is responsible for scheduling a meeting with the chair of the department where the course is housed to appeal the proposed disciplinary plan. The department chair shall mediate the matter and seek a satisfactory judgment acceptable to the faculty member based on meetings with all parties. If a resolution is reached, the disposition of the case will be forwarded to the Office of Student Conduct. If a resolution at the departmental level is not reached and the student wishes to take further action, he/she is responsible for scheduling a meeting with the dean of the college where the course is housed to appeal the proposed disciplinary plan. The college dean shall mediate the matter and seek a satisfactory judgment acceptable to the faculty member based on meetings with all parties. If a resolution is reached, the disposition of the case will be forwarded to the Office of Student Conduct. If a resolution at the college level is not reached and the student wishes to take further action, he/she is responsible for sched- uling a meeting with the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost (VPAA/P) to appeal the proposed disciplinary plan. The VP AAIP shall mediate the matter and seek a satisfactory judgment acceptable to the faculty member based on meetings with all parties. After reviewing all documentation, the VPAA/P may, at his/her discretion, choose either to affirm the proposed action, to refer the case to the Office of Student Conduct for further review, or to dismiss the matter depending on the merits of the case. The final disposition of the case will be disseminated to appropriate parties, including the Office of Student Conduct.
4. If a student is allowed academic progression but demonstrates a repeated pattern of academic dishonesty, the VPAA/P may, after consul- tation with the Office of Student Conduct, assign additional penalties to the student, including removal from the University.
68 Academic Procedures and Requirements
Class Attendance. Regular and punctual attendance at all scheduled classes and activities is expected of all students and is regarded as inte- gral to course credit.
Each student is directly responsible to the individual professor for absences and for making up work missed. Particular policies and proce- dures on absences and makeup work are established in writing for each class, are announced by the professor at the beginning of the term, and for excessive absences, may provide for appropriate penalties including reduc- tion in grades or professor-initiated withdrawal from class. Official written excuses for absences are issued only for absences incurred in connection with university-sponsored activities. For all other types of group or individ- ual absences, including illness, authorization or excuse is the province of the individual professor.
Withdrawal from a Course. A student may withdraw from a course with a grade of W up to and including the Friday that falls one week after the designated midterm date by bringing a completed withdrawal slip (signed by the instructor) to the Registrar’s Office or sending an email to [email protected]. This email must be sent from the student’s UNA Portal account. After that deadline and up to the Wednesday that falls two weeks prior to the last day of class, a student may withdraw from a course with a grade of WP (withdraw passing) or WF (withdraw failing) assigned by the instructor. During the final two weeks of class, withdrawal is not permitted except in extraordinary circumstances. Permission of both the instructor and department chair is required, and the grade of WP or WF will be assigned by the instructor.
Any student wishing to drop a class during the automatic grade of W period may logon to his/her secure UNA Portal email account and send an email to the Registrar’s Office ([email protected]). This policy is valid for online courses as well as regular courses. The email MUST come from the UNA Portal email account. Upon receipt of the email the Registrar’s Office will drop the class as requested and send a notification to the student and instructor. The instructor may contact the Registrar’s Office up to ten working days after the date of the email notification if they have an objec- tion or concern or want to request a change in the withdrawal grade. The Registrar’s Office will notify the Office of International Student Services for any international student wishing to drop a class.
Any student wishing to drop a class during the WP (withdraw passing) or WF (withdraw failing) period may logon to his/her secure UNA Portal email account and send an email to the instructor of record and copy the Registrar’s Office ([email protected]). This policy is valid for online courses as well as regular courses. The email MUST come from the UNA Portal email account. The Registrar’s Office will drop the class as requested upon receipt of an email notification from the instructor approving the drop request with a grade of WP or WF. The Registrar’s Office will send a notifi- cation to the student and instructor. The Office of International Student Services will also be notified for any international student wishing to drop a class during the WP/WF grade period. (See notes and exceptions below)
Academic Procedures and Requirements 69 Withdrawal during Summer Sessions. During any summer session, a student may withdraw from individual courses with a grade of W through the Friday preceding the last class day. After that deadline, withdrawal requires permission of the instructor and department chair attached to any course from which withdrawal is contemplated, and a grade of WP or WF will be assigned by the instructor(s). (See notes and exceptions below)
Withdrawal from the University. Students who wish to withdraw from the University up to and including the Friday that falls one week after the desig- nated midterm date must first notify the Office of the Registrar and follow offi-
cial procedures. The grade of W will be recorded for each registered course.
Withdrawal from the University after the Friday that falls one week after the designated midterm date requires consultation with the Office of the Registrar. In cases where withdrawal from the University is unavoidable, such as a medical emergency, the grade of W will be uniformly recorded. In cases where withdrawal from the University is optional, the student will receive grades of WP (withdraw passing) or WF (withdraw failing) assigned by the instructor(s).
Retroactive Withdrawals. In special and unusual circumstances beyond the student’s control, a student may, with documented evidence, petition the University for retroactive withdrawal from the University. The request must be submitted to the Registrar normally within one year of the end of the semester of most recent enrollment. The instructor(s) of record and the dean(s) of the college where the courses are housed must be noti- fied of the request. If the instructor(s) of record and/or the college dean(s) have an objection to the retroactive withdrawal, they must contact the Registrar’s Office up to 30 calendar days after notification of the withdrawal request. If the recommendations of the instructor(s) and college dean(s) are in conflict, the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost will review all relevant documentation and make a final decision. If approved, all grades awarded during the withdrawal semester must be changed to a grade of W. If the instructor(s) are no longer employed with the University, the department chair where each course is housed submits the recom- mendation.
Note: Failure to comply with these requirements seriously prejudices the student’s academic standing as well as future readmission. (See notes and
exceptions below)
Notes and Exceptions:
1. In determining the scholastic standing of a student who has officially withdrawn from the University or from one or more courses, grades of W, WP, or WF are not charged as work attempted and are not awarded quality point credit. Incomplete work must be made up in the following semester (fall, spring). An I which has not been removed within the period prescribed automatically becomes an F.
2. Students should be aware that withdrawing from one or more courses may have substantial adverse effects on, including but not limited to, financial aid, scholarship award, health insurance, and athletic eligibility.
70 Academic Procedures and Requirements
3. The policy does not apply to clinical courses taken in the College of Nursing. Students who are failing clinical in the College of Nursing at the time they withdraw from the class will receive an F for that class. 4. The policy does not apply to students who have committed academic
dishonesty in the course in question. A student will not be allowed to withdraw from a course in which he or she has committed academic dis- honesty. If a student is accused of academic dishonesty, he or she will not be allowed to withdraw from the course while the case is pending. 5. A student may not withdraw from a class if he or she has exceeded the
allowed number of absences for a particular course without consent from the instructor. A faculty member’s attendance policy supersedes the Withdrawal from a Course policy.
6. Students who are called to active military service during an academic term may choose one of the following options:
a. The student may request retroactive withdrawal to the beginning of the semester with a full refund of tuition and fees.
b. If at least 75% of the term has been completed, the student may request that the faculty member assign a grade for the course based on the work completed, but the final grading decision is left to the faculty member.
c. A student may be assigned a grade of I and will be subject to univer- sity policies regarding the disposition of the Incomplete.
7. Students with a grade of WF will be ineligible for recognition on the Dean’s List for the semester in which the WF was assigned.
Freshman Orientation Program. All beginning freshmen are required to participate in an orientation program preceding or at the beginning of the first term of residence. The program is designed to help orient the student to university life and includes scheduled sessions on registration proce- dures, academic programs and requirements, campus life, etc., in addition to academic advisement and registration for classes. Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration (SOAR) sessions are held in June and July (see www.una.edu/orientation) or students may attend New Student Advising and Registration, which is held each semester on the Monday of the week classes begin as listed in the Schedule of Classes for that semester (see www.una.edu/admissions).
Mathematics Placement. See Department of Mathematics. English Placement. See Department of English.
General Studies Examination. All students at the University of North Alabama are required to successfully complete the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) after completing 44 semester hours of coursework and prior to beginning the 70th hour of coursework. Additionally, by this point the student must have completed ALLof the fol-
Academic Procedures and Requirements 71 • English 111 and English 112
• At least one semester of the literature requirement • Math 110 or higher numbered math course as appropriate • At least one semester of the laboratory science requirement • At least one semester of the history requirement
Transfer students transferring in more than 70 hours of coursework must register for the CAAP course during their first semester at UNA. The purpose of the examination is to measure what students learn during the basic program of study. Scores on the CAAP exam are compared nation- ally and a grade of “S” or “U” will be received for the course. A grade of “S” in the CAAP course is required for graduation. For further information, contact the Center for Academic Advising and Retention Services.
Teacher Education and Nursing. Students who enroll in teacher edu- cation or nursing programs must satisfy requirements for admission to, retention in, and graduation from such programs in addition to other univer- sity requirements. The standards and procedures are described under the College of Education and Human Sciences and the College of Nursing and Allied Health.
CLASSIFICATION, GRADING SYSTEM, CREDITS,