Page 24 of St. Johns River Community College 2006-2007 Catalog by St. Johns River Community College Florida

24 Regulations SJRCC 2006-2007 If a student accumulates recorded absences totaling three or more instructional hours (one instructional hour equals 50 minutes) during the withdrawal period (see academic calendar), the instructor may initiate an official warning to the student that he/she has reached the limit of allowed recorded absences. Further, the loss of instructional time through absences may result in the student being withdrawn from the course, unless the instructor, because of extenuating circumstances, permits the student to remain in the course. No student may be withdrawn from a course for loss in instructional hours without first being warned in regard to the limit of recorded absences. DISTANCE LEARNING COURSES: ORIENTATION AND ATTENDANCE After registering for a distance learning course with the College, distance learning students must check their SJRCC email account on the first day of the term to obtain orientation information. Distance learning students must begin their class by completing the orientation activity prior to the conclusion of the first week of the semester. If a student does not begin a distance learning course by the end of the first week of the semester by making contact with the instructor and completing the specified activity, he/she will be dropped as a "no show." Although in distance learning classes students do not "attend" class in the traditional sense, these courses do have an attendance policy, and students may be dropped for non-attendance. During a traditional-length semester, three instructional hours of attendance equals one week's missed work. If a student misses a week's worth of work in a distance learning course, he/she may receive a warning for non-attendance, and if the student misses more than one week's work in a distance learning course, he/she may be dropped from the course due to nonattendance. RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES Any student who wishes to observe a religious holiday not in the official academic calendar may do so without penalty. However, the student must follow proper procedure. This procedure requires the student to inform the instructor one week in advance of the holiday and make-up any required work, including tests, within one week of absence. Students may be required to present specific documentation upon request. Students who feel they have been unreasonably denied an educational benefit due to religious beliefs should contact the Vice President for Student Affairs for information on grievance procedures. MAKE-UP TESTS/EXAMINATIONS All make-up tests or examinations are at the discretion of the instructor. ACADEMIC PETITIONS PROCESS A student may petition for exemption to a college policy or to have an academic issue addressed. The petition, in the form of a letter addressed to the Vice President for Student Affairs, should explain in detail why an exemption to a policy should be made, or should describe an academic issue that needs to be addressed. Petitions usually concern denial of admission to the College, academic suspension, or issues involving course grades. Depending on the substance of the issue, a petition might be addressed and resolved administratively or if appropriate, it might be referred to one of the Colleges standing committees. Committee recommendations are forwarded to the President of the College, whose decision is final. The Vice President for Student Affairs informs the student of the decision. STUDENT OMBUDSMAN The College maintains a student ombudsman on each campus. Students who believe they have been denied access to courses or who have concerns about credit awarded toward a degree may appeal through the Office of the Student Ombudsman. The ombudsmen are the Provosts of the St. Augustine and Orange Park campuses, and the Vice President for Student Affairs. CONTINUING EDUCATION UNIT Continuing Education Units are awarded for successful participation in certain non-credit courses and programs. One Continuing Education Unit (CEU) is awarded for each 10 contact hours of participation. The CEU serves as recognition for participation in non-credit activities. CEUs do not convert to semester hours of credit. The College can issue to each individual who qualifies for CEUs a record of their CEU activities. GRADES Letters are used to indicate the quality of work achieved by the student at St. Johns River Community College. The following system of grading and assignment of quality points is used: A Excellent work; four quality points per semester hour are assigned. B Good work; three quality points per semester hour are assigned. C Average work; two quality points per semester hour are assigned. D Below average work; one quality point per semester hour is assigned. F Failure; no quality points are assigned and no credit is granted. The credit hours attempted are included in computation of cumulative grade point average. I Incomplete work; not computed on grade point average. A student receiving an "I" grade must complete the course within a 30 calendar day period which begins on the first day of classes of the next term. Students are not eligible for graduation or honors lists until all "I" grades have been removed from their

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