Table of Contents Academic Policies and Support Academic Attendance Policy Academic Honesty Policy Academic Support and Resources Course Policies Auditing Policy Class "Netiquette" for Online Learners Course Refunds Course Withdrawal Policy Institutional Grading Policy Notices Copyright Notice FERPA Notice

Last Updated 2/1/2012

Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College policies and procedures contained in the college catalog.

Academic Attendance Policy and Administrative Course Withdrawal

Students are expected to attend all courses for which they have registered. Timely course attendance and participation is a requirement for successful completion of Charter Oak State College courses. Students who do not attend a registered course by the close of week 1 or who fail to maintain active participation in a course for two consecutive weeks will be administratively withdrawn from the course with a final grade of "AW".

Administrative withdrawals may have implications on a student’s Financial Aid award and satisfactory academic progress. Students who are administratively withdrawn from a course will not be eligible for a tuition refund. Administrative withdrawal from one or more courses during a semester does not relieve the student of financial responsibility for any costs associated with or resulting from registration for the semester: including tuition, registration or any College fees. When students are administratively withdrawn from a course, a final grade of “AW” will be entered into their academic record and they will be removed from the course in Blackboard.

Academic Honesty Policy

IMPORTANT - Charter Oak State College’s Student Handbook states:

"Charter Oak State College may discipline a student in the following situations:

For academic dishonesty, which shall in general mean conduct, which has as its intent or effect the false misrepresentation of a student’s academic performance including but not limited to: (a) cheating on examination; (b) plagiarizing, including submission of another’s ideas or papers as one’s own; (c) stealing or having unauthorized access to examinations; (d) falsifying records, transcripts, test scores or other data or being represented by another individual for all or part of a distance learning course."

By registering for an online course, a student attests that all assignments submitted and examinations completed are the work of the enrolled student. Dishonesty will result in an “F” in the course and may incur other disciplinary action for Charter Oak State College students including dismissal from the College.

Policy on Multiple Submissions of the Same Paper

A student can neither submit substantially the same research paper, term paper, or project, nor submit a paper or project that contains significant portions of the same paper or project, for credit in the same course or more than one course.

Exceptions to this policy can be made with approval from the instructor of the course and for students taking the 1 credit research course offered by Charter Oak State College. In a course where students are required to submit drafts of a paper, the policy applies only to the final paper.

Violation of this policy would minimally result in a grade of F for the paper; however, because if this assignment is considered a “final” paper, it could result in a grade of F for the course.

Plagiarism

If you are not sure whether something requires citation, you should consult with the instructor. You should realize that an act of plagiarism may include some degree of premeditation or may be the result of carelessness or ignorance of acceptable forms of citation. The act is plagiarism in any case and is a violation of the Charter Oak State College academic honesty policy. You, therefore, must be conscious of your responsibility as a scholar under the honor system to learn to discern what is included in plagiarism as well as in other breaches of the academic dishonesty policy, and must know and practice the specifications for citations in scholarly work. The minimum penalty for the first instance of academic dishonesty is failure of the course.

Charter Oak State College uses an electronic monitoring system, Turnitin.com, to check students’ papers for plagiarism. The instructor in this course may use Turnitin.com to screen all student work for potential plagiarism. When a paper is submitted to Turnitin.com for review, the paper becomes part of the Turnitin.com database. Therefore, if the paper has already been submitted to Turnitin.com, when the second rendition of the paper is submitted, it will check the second paper against the first paper and it will show line by line the similarities in the two papers and it will calculate the percentage of similarity. Turnitin.com will also check the submitted paper against millions of documents and web pages on the Internet and report similarities to those sources.

For more information on recognizing and preventing plagiarism, please go to http://www.plagiarism.org/plag_article_what_is_plagiarism.html. For additional help, click the "Plagiarism Policy" link in the left menu of this online course.

Academic Support and Resources

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Before the course begins, students with documented disabilities should contact the Charter Oak State College Disability Specialist, Linda Larkin, to discuss any possible accommodations.

Tutoring
Charter Oak State College provides free online tutoring in math, writing and several other subject areas to students taking Charter Oak State College courses. To take advantage of the online tutoring service, go to http://www.etutoring.org/. Click on “Northeast eTutoring Consortium,” then select Charter Oak State College. If new to eTutoring, read the Welcome message and directions first, then click on “Need an Account?” If you have any questions, please email Sue Israel, Undergraduate Programs Administrator.

Research Papers
Many Charter Oak courses require students to write research papers. Instructors expect papers to be written properly and cited correctly using MLA format, APA format, or another specific citation method. For assistance with your writing and research skills, visit the following websites:

• Research Tips (Manchester Community College Library, Manchester, CT)
• Guide to Grammar and Writing (Capitol Community College, Hartford, CT)
• "What is Citation?" (plagiarism.org)
• APA In-Text Citations: The Basics (Online Writing Lab, Purdue University)
• MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics (Online Writing Lab, Purdue University)

Auditing Policy

Auditing a Course

Prior to the start of the course and with the instructor’s permission, students who wish to audit a course may do so by paying 50% of the per credit tuition plus the registration fee. The student may participate in the threaded discussions, but cannot participate in any group or team projects.  The instructor is not obligated to grade the auditing student’s work.  A grade of “AU” cannot be changed to a letter grade once the course has begun.  Likewise, a letter grade cannot be changed to an “AU” once the course begins.  If a student wants a letter grade, the student would need to retake the course for credit, do all of the required work, and pay the full tuition.

Institutional Grading Policy

Grades
The faculty will grade assignments and examinations within one week of receiving them and provide a grade and feedback when appropriate. The course grade will be based on the final examination grade; the mid-term exam, if one is required; and grades on assignments and papers, as appropriate. All research papers, assignments and examinations must be completed by the last day of the course or at the discretion of the instructor. Failure to do so may result in an “F” grade on the student’s permanent record.

Due to the rigors and constraints associated with online learning, there are no extensions available in online courses. However, under "special circumstances" such as serious illness of the student or death in the family, a student may request up to two weeks to complete the course. If the student's request is granted by the instructor and the Dean of Undergraduate Programs, the student must complete the course within the agreed-upon timeframe. A grade of Incomplete will be recorded. If at the end of two weeks the outstanding work has not been submitted to the instructor, the Incomplete grade will become an "F" grade. To request the additional two weeks, a student must download the "Request for Incomplete Grade" form (found in ACORN, on the Students tab, in the Forms section) and submit the completed form to the course instructor. Students who are considering requesting an Incomplete are advised to review the request form to understand the conditions under which their request will be considered.

Faculty have four (4) days after a course ends to submit final grades to the College. Grades posted in Blackboard are unofficial. Official final grades will be posted in our student portal, ACORN. Students may print out a PDF version of their final grade reports to use for company reimbursement.

Grading System
Charter Oak State College utilizes a four-point grading system, where an “A” equals 4.0 grade points and an “F” equals 0.0 grade points. Each grade and grade point designation will correspond to a numerical percentage range as shown below.

Class "Netiquette" for Online Learners

1. Respect fellow classmates. There is a great deal that we can learn from each other, but this can not happen if students feel uncomfortable in class about speaking up (afraid that their ideas will be treated harshly or not "listened to" respectfully) or are worried about what will be said to them or about them once they do speak up. Make sure you do everything you can to make our classroom culture a comfortable learning environment for everyone in the class. We may have people from many different backgrounds in this class and people with many different levels of academic preparation. You should all feel comfortable and make each other comfortable with discussing the issues.
   
   
2. Use an appropriate tone of voice. Say what you need to say, but say it in an appropriate tone of voice--one that is respectful and calm. Sarcasm, heavily judgmental or confrontational comments break down good will and create an inhospitable classroom atmosphere. Bullying comments are inappropriate and unacceptable in this class. This is most important in a virtual classroom, where tone of voice is often difficult to "read" from the language on screen (although the use of emotions helps reduce this difficulty in some ways). If you are able to be funny without offending others feel free to do so but please be careful.
   
   
3. Take responsibility for making this class successful. Ask yourself what you can do during each class discussion to move the class forward in a positive way.

FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) Notice

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. These rights include:

• The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days of the day the University receives a request for access. Students should submit to the registrar, dean, head of the academic department, or other appropriate official, written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The University official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the University official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
• The right to request the amendment of the student's education records that the student believes is inaccurate. Students may ask the University to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate. They should write the University official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate. If the University decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the University will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.
• The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
  
  One exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic or research, or support staff position (including law enforcement personnel and health staff); a person or company with whom the University has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the board of Trustees; or a student serving on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee, or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks.
  
  A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.
• The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by State University to comply with the requirements of FERPA. The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:
  
  Family Policy Compliance Office
  U.S. Department of Education
  400 Maryland Avenue,
  SW Washington, DC 20202-4605

Directory Information
Institutions may disclose information on a student without violating FERPA if it has designated that information as "directory information". Charter Oak State College defines directory information as:

• Name
• Address
• College email address
• Degree program and concentration
• Dates of Attendance
• Current enrollment status (full/part time)
• Receipt or non-receipt of a degree
• Academic awards received (Dean's List, honor roll)

Prior written consent from the student is required before releasing non-directory information (other than the above). Charter Oak State College may release directory information to educational officials unless written notification to not release directory information is on file in the Registrar's Office.

Copyright Notice

Students - Charter Oak State College's course web site may contain copyrighted materials that are used in compliance with U.S. Copyright Law. Under that law, materials may not be saved to your computer, revised, copied, or distributed without permission. They are to be used in support of instructional activity as part of this course only and shall be limited to the duration of the course, unless otherwise specified by the instructor or owner of the material. You may only download or print materials at the direction of your instructor, who knows which materials are copyrighted and which are not.

Visitors and all others - Please see Charter Oak State College's Terms of Use.

Course Withdrawal Policy

The purpose of this policy is to define the parameters for course withdrawals for all students taking Charter Oak State College (COSC) courses with the exception of students receiving financial aid.

Following is the withdrawal policy (for specific dates go to the Academic Calendar):

1. To receive an official Withdrawal (“W”) in a 15-week course, a student must withdraw no later than 11:59 pm Eastern Time (ET) on the last day of the 13th week, which is a Sunday.
2. To receive an official “W” in an 8-week course, a student must withdraw no later than 11:59 pm ET on the last day of the 7th week, which is a Sunday.
3. To receive an official “W” in a 5-week course, a student must withdraw no later than 11:59 pm ET on the last day of the 4th week, which is a Sunday.

Students who withdraw after these deadlines will receive a failing grade ("F") for the course. There are potential academic and financial consequences related to this policy; students should discuss their particular situation and the potential implications with their Academic Counselor. Students receiving Financial Aid should contact the COSC Financial Aid office. Non-COSC students are advised to contact their home institution.

The withdrawal process is as follows:

Complete the electronic Course Withdrawal Form. After you submit the form, you will receive a confirmation of information submitted. Please print or save a copy of the confirmation page. The information you provided will be automatically sent to the Registrar's Office for processing. The official withdrawal date will be the time/date stamped by the COSC web server.

Any refund will be based on the official notification date of withdrawal. Refunds apply to tuition charges only. Fees are non-refundable. Refund amounts vary according to when the student withdraws, and after the "refund period" there is no refund. For the refund schedule, visit the ACORN portal and view the Academic Calendar. For the withdrawal policy, visit ACORN and view the Registration Policies page.

Below are the general refund deadline dates for courses; please refer to the Academic Calendar for the specific dates for each term.

8, 10 & 15 Week Courses:

• 100% end of day 2
• 80% end of week 1 (Sunday)
• 50% end of week 2 (Sunday)
• 25% end of week 3 (Sunday)

5 Week Courses:

• 100% end of day 2
• 50% end of week 1 (Sunday)