Courses and Academic Work

Classroom Procedures for Academic Work

These procedures protect the freedom granted the student body under the Honor Tradition and assure self-protection and consideration of others. A violation of any of these procedures is a violation of the Honor Tradition.

• Cell phones and similar communication devices may not be used in the classroom unless specifically permitted by the individual faculty member or as part of a University-approved accommodation plan.
• Children are not allowed in classes at Converse University.
• Pets are not allowed in classes at Converse University unless an accommodation is approved by the Office of Student Accessibility Services..

Quizzes and Examinations:

• Giving or receiving knowledge about a quiz or examination before, during, or after a testing situation or attempting to do so is a violation of the Honor Tradition.
• Unless prohibited by the individual faculty member, students are permitted to make use of old quizzes or old examinations in preparation for quizzes and examinations. They may also study the classroom and laboratory notes of others.
• At no time during an examination period is a student permitted to comment to another student about the level of difficulty, specific content, or the general nature of any final examination she has seen or taken. This prohibition applies even when the other student is not enrolled in the course concerned. Discussing examinations in any way is a violation of the Honor Code.
• Examinations or quizzes must be taken in a classroom within the building in which they are administered or in another place designated by the instructor.
• There should be no supervision in a proctoring sense and the instructor should be free to come and go as desired.
• Students may leave the examination at will, but they are subject to the fixed time limit of the examination or quiz period.

The Honor Tradition and Academic Work

A complete statement of the Honor Code and policies to be followed by faculty can be found on the Converse University website linked below; the Honor Code policies and practices stated in the Student Handbook are incorporated as part of this Faculty Handbook.

https://www.converse.edu/life-at-converse/student-life/student-conduct/honor-tradition/

Student Withdrawal from Courses

1. Students may withdraw from a course with a notation of “W” up to two weeks prior to the last day of regular terms and four days prior to the last day of class in January Term. No one may withdraw from a course after these deadlines and receive the notation of “W.”
2. Withdrawals from individual courses have no impact upon a student withdrawal from the University (meaning withdrawal from all of a student’s courses). In all instances of withdrawal, applicable policy is an administrative decision, not a faculty prerogative.

Quality points are assigned as follows:

In courses designed to be graded “Pass/fail”, no quality points are granted for a “Pass,” as a “fail” is regarded as hours attempted and failed. The failing grade reduces the student’s grade-point ratio, but the passing grade has no effect. For classification purposes only, the student is granted the credit hours at the rate of two quality points per hour when the grade is passing and these hours count toward the total needed for graduation.

Incomplete grades:

1. Course requirements are meant to be completed within the term. The student’s failure to complete course requirements within the term is not sufficient reason for assigning the grade of incomplete.
2. At the instructor’s discretion, illness, injury, or family emergency may be grounds for assigning a grade of incomplete or a health withdrawal. If the grade is an incomplete, a contract will specify the work to be completed and the date by which the work must be submitted to the instructor. A copy of the contract will be retained by the student and by the instructor and a copy will be sent to the Registrar. A form for the contract is supplied by the Registrar.
3. A grade of I automatically becomes an F unless the deficiency is removed by the end of the next long term.
4. When an external evaluation is required for an internship and the instructor cannot obtain the evaluation by the end of the term, a grade of incomplete may be assigned. A senior enrolled in an honors course during the fall or short term is eligible for the grade of incomplete until the thesis is completed.
5. In cases of unusual circumstances, the completion date on the contract may be extended by the instructor who will inform the Registrar, in writing, of the completion date and the reasons for the extension.

A student failing a course may be permitted to take the second term, if the course failed is the first term of a continuous course, or the next higher course in the subject only with the approval of the department chair concerned.

Pass/Fail grading and limits:

1. Regular courses specified by the Converse faculty as eligible to be offered on a pass/fail basis and under conditions of student eligibility specified by the Converse faculty.
2. Courses, such as student teaching, in which it can be demonstrated that another method of evaluation is superior to a letter grade, may be offered on a pass/fail basis. In such cases, the Curricular Programs Committee should examine the methods of evaluation as part of the course proposal.
3. Off-campus courses not under the immediate supervision of faculty, e.g., internships and practicum, may be offered on a pass/fail basis.
4. The “Pass/fail” grade does not substitute for adequate academic supervision and control of a course.
5. A Converse student taking a course on another campus, e.g., in cooperative programs, summer school, etc., may not take the course on a “Pass/Fail” basis unless it is available only on that basis.