Policies & Procedures

 GRADUATION UNDER A GIVEN HANDBOOK

 UNIVERSITY CLASS ATTENDANCE POLICY

 GRADING SYSTEM

GRADUATION UNDER A GIVEN HANDBOOK

A student may expect to earn a degree in accordance with the requirements of the curriculum outlined in the Handbook in force when he or she first entered the University, provided the courses are being offered. Moreover, he or she must complete these requirements within six years. On the other hand, he or she may graduate under any subsequent Handbook published while he or she is a student. If a student elects to meet the requirements of a Handbook other than the one in force at the time of his or her original entrance he or she must meet all requirements of the Handbook he or she elects.

Graduation honors are awarded to candidates who complete all requirements for graduation in accordance with the following stipulations:

a. Those who maintain a general average within the range of 3.00 to 3.24 will receive CUM LAUDE.

b. Those who maintain a general average within the range of 3.25 to 3.49 will receive MAGNA CUM LAUDE.

c. Those who maintain a general average within the range of 3.50 to 4.00 will receive SUMMA CUM LAUDE. A minimum of 59 percent of the credit hours completed must be earned at NCA&T State University in order to be considered for honors. The computation for honors is based upon all courses taken at this University.

When a student is majoring in Electrical Engineering, he or she is assigned a faculty adviser. The adviser:

a. Provides information, advice, and recommendation in academic and related areas,

b. Directs the student to sources which explain in detail academic regulations, course Pre- requisites and graduation requirements,

c. Helps the new student to understand the degree to which one should assume responsibility for one’s own program planning,

d. Provides vocational guidance and occupational information in one’s area of specialty, and

e. Refers the student to the appropriate individual, office or agency when further assistance is indicated.

The Department Chairperson is also available to students wanting information about different curricula and to help in forming educational plans. Instructors are usually the best source of help to students having difficulty with particular subjects. Members of the faculty keep office hours and expect students to consult them individually whenever special assistance is needed. The Department wants to emphasize however that students have the primary responsibility for planning their individual programs and meeting graduation requirements.

The normal course load is sixteen (16) or seventeen (17) credit hours. A full-time undergraduate student is required to carry a minimum of twelve (12) credit hours.

The maximum course load that a student may carry at the University is eighteen (18) credit hours, unless the student has cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher; or has a semester grade point average of 3.0 or higher in twelve (12) or more hours the immediate past semester.

The maximum course load that a student may carry who has a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher is twenty-one (21) hours.

The maximum course load that a student may carry who is on academic probation is twelve (12) semester hours.

Students with a GPA of less than 2.0 should be strongly advised to not exceed a maximum of 12 credit hours.

Academic advisers should emphasize to students that course load limits will be enforced by the Registrar’s Office. A student is automatically on academic probation if the cumulative grade point average is less than the minimum required based on the total number of semesters (including summer sessions) of attendance at the University. (See the University Bulletin requirement.)

Students who desire to obtain a double major, involving two departments or two Colleges/Schools must satisfy the major requirements for each department or College/School.

A change in a student’s program may be made with the consent of his or her adviser and the Department Chairperson. Students may drop a course without penalty up until the official deadline for withdrawal. After that deadline, a student cannot withdraw from a course without withdrawing from the University for that semester.

Students may transfer from one College/School of the University to another with the written approval and acceptance of the Deans of the Colleges involved. The proper forms on which to apply for such a change are to be obtained from the Office of the Registrar and executed at least six weeks prior to the beginning of the transfer. When such a transfer is made the student must satisfy the current academic requirements of the College and/or department to which the student transfers. A minimum GPA of 2.5 is necessary for students transferring to Electrical and Computer Engineering.

A student enrolled in Electrical and Computer Engineering is strongly discouraged from enrolling in any other school or college.

A student wishing to transfer credit for summer work elsewhere at an accredited college should obtain approval of his course selections prior to taking the courses. He or she should present a summer catalog of the chosen institution and request for approval.

Summer courses may be taken at an accredited junior college only if completed prior to the conclusion of the student’s sophomore year at NCA&T. In general, students may transfer credit for a maximum of two courses each summer, as long as the residence requirement for graduation is met.

A student who wishes to leave, or is asked to leave the University at any time during the semester shall file an official withdrawal form. This form may be obtained from the Counseling and Testing Center. It should be completed and executed in quadruplicate (quintuplicate for veterans), and taken to the Cashier’s Office. For failure to execute this form, a student incurs the penalty of receiving an “F’’ for each course in which he or she is enrolled that semester. Students who withdraw from the University within 15 calendar days of the beginning of the final examination period for the semester shall receive grades based upon their performance in classes up to the date of their withdrawal.

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UNIVERSITY CLASS ATTENDANCE POLICY

Regular and punctual class attendance is the responsibility of the individual student. Moreover, the student is expected to have sufficient maturity to assume the responsibility for regular attendance and to accept the consequences of failure to attend.

The non-compulsory class attendance policy places responsibility on the student and the instructor:

1. The student is responsible for all material covered in each course for which he or she is registered. Absence from class does not relieve him or her of this responsibility.



2. The student is expected to be present for laboratory periods, scheduled examinations, and other activities that may require special preparation.



3. The student is responsible for initiating any request to make-up an examination, a laboratory exercise or other work missed because of a class absence. If the instructor requests a statement concerning the reason for the makeup, the student should obtain it from the appropriate officer (e.g., the University Physician, the vice Chancellor for Student Affairs). See University catalog for additional details.



4. The student is expected to report to each class at the beginning of the term with a validated schedule and a class admission card.

1. The instructor is responsible for explaining to the class any specific expectations concerning attendance at the beginning of the term.



2. The instructor is responsible for providing the student with a schedule of the examinations and other class requirements that will provide a basis of evaluating student performance.



3. All quizzes and tests must be announced at least 7 days in advance.



4. The instructor is expected to warn the student when his or her academic progress is adversely affected by excessive absence from class.

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering especially wants to emphasize that regular attendance to classes has much bearing on academic success.

In cases of classroom dishonesty namely, cheating on examinations, plagiarizing or other forms of dishonesty in course work, the following procedures are followed:

1. The instructor should report the problem to the Department Chairperson in writing detailing the circumstances with copies of supporting materials attached.



2. The faculty member shall give the appropriate form of reprimand as defined below.
   
   
   • First time offenders will be awarded a “F’’ on the exam, report, etc., with a letter placed in the student’s file, indicating that they have been found cheating in class.
   • Second time offenders will be awarded an “F’’ for the class, with a letter placed in the file and a copy sent to the placement center.
   • Third time offenders will be dropped from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.



3. The student may appeal to the College of Engineering Grade Appeal Board, which may make recommendations, as the board deems appropriate.



4. All faculty will be made aware of all offenders.



5. All recommendations from the Department Office will reference the cheating incident for all second and third time offenders.

During instances when students exhibit disruptive behavior in the classroom, a faculty member should attempt to defuse the student(s)'s anger and/or resolve the problem while maintaining a tone of calmness and professional objectivity.

If the situation appears to be escalating out of control, the faculty member should go to, or request that another student in the class to go to, the nearest administrative office to contact campus security for assistance in bringing the matter under control.

If a student(s)'s behavior in the classroom has been unreasonable or inappropriate, e. g., student used profanity, student threatened the faculty member or another student in the class, etc., then the faculty member may request that the student be administratively withdrawn from the course. This action is consistent with the policy of the University of North Carolina - UNC-GA Policy on Disruptive Students in the classroom.

Pre-requisites are courses or levels of achievement that a student is expected to have completed successfully prior to enrolling in a course. Course Pre-requisites can be found in the University Undergraduate Bulletin or this Handbook.

It is the student’s responsibility to satisfy Pre-requisites for any course enrolled in. A computerized Pre-requisite search may take place each semester. Failure to satisfy Pre-requisites will result in removal from enrollment in the course.

All students are required to show instructors proof of their Pre-requisites (semester taken and grade received) and co-requisites (semester taken) during the first week of classes.

Those students who do not meet Pre-requisite/co-requisite requirements should drop the course and add other courses if possible before the add-drop deadline. Such students will not be allowed to attend class lectures or take tests.

During the add-drop period, the academic advisers should check the Pre-requisites/co- requisites of the courses their advisees will be taking. No exceptions on Pre-requisites/co- requisites will be allowed on all courses listed in this ECE Handbook.

1. Evaluation of student’s performance in a particular course or section is the prerogative of the faculty member responsible for that course or section. No grade assigned to a student in a particular course or section may be changed without the consent of the faculty member responsible for the course and section*



2. Each faculty member who assigns grades has the responsibility to implement grading procedures that are fair, equitable, and provide a reasonable evaluation of the student’s performance in the course.



3. The responsible faculty member should inform each student at the beginning of the semester of the means which will be used for determining grades in each course or section.



4. Take-home quizzes or exams are discouraged by this Department for non-advanced undergraduate courses.

* Subject to the approval of the Chairperson and Dean

All students are expected to make normal progress toward a degree. Normal progress means the completion of sixteen (16) or more semester hours each semester with a 2.0 grade point average or higher for full-time students. These sixteen (16) hours must consist of courses that count toward graduation for full-time students.

A student is eligible to continue to work toward an undergraduate degree until he has attended eleven (11) semesters as a full-time student (not including summer session) or until he has attempted 152 semester hours. At that point the student becomes ineligible to continue at the University.

A student who has received a grade of “C” or above in any course at this University may not repeat that course for a higher grade unless approved by the Dean of the College. However, a student may repeat courses in which a “D” or “F” has been earned. When this is done only the higher grade will count toward meeting course and degree requirements.

It is University policy that a final examination is given in every course. Absences from final examinations are excused only in very exceptional circumstances, such as serious illness certified by a medical official of the University or other conditions beyond the control of the student. A student who missed a final examination must contact the instructor within 24 hours after the scheduled time of the examination. Failure to contact and present an acceptable reason for his or her absence from the examination may result in the student receiving an “F’’ in the course. In all cases in which a student is absent from a final examination, and if the absence is excused, the student should arrange for a make-up examination with the instructor immediately.

In order that students may complete semester projects, take lab tests, and prepare for final examinations, faculty members are urged to avoid giving major tests during the final week of the semester unless all students in the class agree.

The final exam papers are not returned to the students, but the instructor shall keep the unreturned papers at least until the first month of the next regular semester. During this period, any student shall have an opportunity to review the exam paper. The fact that in some instances it may be impossible to provide a student with the opportunity to review his or her final exam papers is not sufficient to justify a re-examination.

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GRADING SYSTEM

Grades are assigned and recorded as follows: