Course Policies

1. Academic Integrity and Student Original Work (See Catalog for additional policies, especially Policy on Acceptable Use of Computing Resources, and Policy on the Use of Material in Web Pages.)

Each student is responsible for maintaining academic integrity and intellectual honesty in his or her academic work. It is the policy of the school that each student must:

· Submit his or her own work, not that of another person

· Not falsify data or records (including admissions materials)

· Not engage in cheating (e.g., giving or receiving help during examinations, acquiring and/or transmitting test questions prior to an examination)

· Not receive or give aid on assigned work that requires independent effort

· Properly credit the words or ideas of others according to accepted standards for professional publications. (See, for example, The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.)

· Not use term paper writing services or consult such services for the purpose of obtaining assistance in the preparation of materials to be submitted in courses or for theses or dissertations

· Not commit plagiarism (Webster’s defines plagiarism as “stealing or passing off ideas or words of another as one’s own” and “the use of a created production without crediting the source.”)

Extreme caution must be exercised by students involved in collaborative work to avoid violation of this policy.

2. Writing Skills

Each student must demonstrate proficiency in the use of the English

language in all work submitted for this course. Grammatical errors, spelling errors, and writing that does not express ideas clearly will affect your grade. The professor will not provide remedial help concerning writing problems that you might have. Students who are unable to write correctly and clearly are urged to contact their program office for sources of remedial help.

3. Communication by Email

Students must use their NSU email accounts when sending email to faculty and staff and must clearly identify their names and other appropriate information, e.g., course or program. When communicating with students via email, faculty and staff members will send mail only to NSU email accounts using NSU-recognized usernames. Students who forward their NSU-generated email to other email accounts do so at their own risk. SCIS uses various course management tools that use private internal email systems. Students enrolled in courses using these tools should check both the private internal email system and NSU’s regular email system. NSU offers students Web-based email access. Students are encouraged to check their NSU email account daily.

4. The Temporary Grade of Incomplete (I)

The temporary grade of Incomplete (I) will be granted only in cases of extreme hardship. In such cases, a student desiring an incomplete must submit a written appeal with full rationale to the course professor at least two weeks prior to the end of the term. The student does not have a right to an incomplete, which may be granted only when there is clear evidence of just cause. Should the course professor agree, an incomplete contract will be prepared by the student and signed by both student and course professor. The incomplete contract must contain a description of the work to be completed and a completion date. The completion period should be the shortest time possible. In no case may the completion date extend beyond 30 days from the last day of the term for master’s courses or beyond 60 days from the last day of the term for doctoral courses. The incomplete contract will accompany the formal submission of the course professor’s final grade roster to the student’s program office. The program office will monitor each incomplete contract. If a change-of-grade form is not submitted by the scheduled completion date, the grade will be changed automatically from I to F. No student may graduate with an I on his or her record. The grade of I does not apply to master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation registrations.

5. Grade Policy Regarding Withdrawals

Course withdrawal requests must be submitted to the student’s program office in writing (via postal mail or email) by the student. Requests for withdrawal must be received by the program office at least three weeks prior to the last day of the term. Program offices will publish specific withdrawal deadline dates for each term (see Academic Calendar on p. ii). Withdrawals sent by email must be sent from the student's assigned NSU email account. Requests for withdrawal received after 11:59 p.m. est on the withdrawal deadline date will not be accepted. Failure to attend classes or participate in course activities will not automatically drop or withdraw a student from the class or the university. Students who have not withdrawn by the withdrawal deadline will receive letter grades that reflect their performance in the course(s). When a withdrawal request is approved, the transcript will show a grade of W (Withdrawn) for the course. Students with a history of withdrawals risk dismissal. Depending on the date of withdrawal, the student may be eligible for a partial refund. For a complete list of withdrawal deadline dates, please see the academic calendars located at: <http://www.scis.nova.edu/NSS/pdf_documents/AcadCal.pdf>