Nov 24, 2024  
2018-2019 Evening, Weekend, Online Academic Catalog 
    
2018-2019 Evening, Weekend, Online Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Course Guidelines/Policies (Graduate)


Academic Advising

An important aspect of academic life at Lakeland is the relationship between its students and their advisors.

While students are expected to be responsible for their own academic decisions and curricular requirements, they should know that, throughout their years at Lakeland, one sure source of friendly concern, supportive encouragement, and accurate academic advice is their advisor. The advising relationship can help students with the following:

  • Mapping out the path to degree completion
  • Selecting courses each semester
  • Communicating with offices on the main campus

Class Attendance and Participating Online

Students are expected to be present and actively engaged in all class sessions. For classroom-based instruction, this means students are present and punctual in all class sessions. For online instruction, this means students should log in a minimum of three days each week and participate in the discussion forum. For BlendEd® courses, students must follow the attendance requirements whichever way they choose to attend. Individual course instructors are responsible for clearly notifying students of their unique and specific class attendance policies.

Adding or Dropping Courses

  • Students may add and drop courses in accordance with the published add/drop deadline schedule each term.
    • Students can complete this transaction online via my.lakeland.edu.
    • Added courses are then approved by the advisor.
  • Students are responsible for adding and/or dropping courses within the stated deadlines.
  • A student receives no grade for a dropped course.

Administrative Drops for Non-Attendance

  • Lakeland University reserves the right to administratively drop a student from any class during the semester regular term (fall/spring) or short term courses (7 or 10-week sessions) for failure to attend classes or commence enrollment during the first part of the term/session without an approved excuse.
    • An instructor may excuse a student at their discretion.
    • The instructor and student make agreed upon arrangements to submit assignments. 
  • Commencing enrollment requires participation in the class meeting in person on campus or via Lakeland’s courseware system, Blackboard. 
    • Simply logging into a class via Blackboard does not qualify as commencing enrollment. 
    • Student submits assignments or the student must participate in a discussion board activity in order to “commence enrollment.”
  • If the student fails to commence enrollment the following process is followed:
    • Instructor raises a flag in Starfish called Student has not Commenced Enrollment.
    • The Starfish process sends a notice to Student, Academic Leadership, Academic Advisor, and Financial Aid.
    • Academic Leadership verifies by reviewing any subsequent course participation in Blackboard or by contacting the instructor directly. 
    • If enrollment activity has since taken place, the instructor or staff clears the flag after verifying the activity. Student remains in the course.
    • If the student fails to initiate the drop process or participate by the end of the add/drop deadline for the term or session, an administrative drop is completed.
      • Administration drops student from the course who no longer has access to the Blackboard platform.
      • The student’s enrollment status may change based on the number of courses dropped.
      • Tuition and financial aid refund calculations will commence following the policies in place on the day prior to the start of the term/semester.

Withdrawing from a Course OR the University

  • A student who wishes to withdraw from one, some or all courses must do so in accordance with the withdrawal dates published for each term. Official withdrawal from course(s) requires the student secure approval by telephone or email from their Kellett School advisor and completion of the add/drop/withdrawal form.
  • International students or students receiving military benefits should check with these institution representatives to ensure they understand the impacts to their enrollment status if withdrawal is completed.
  • Add/drop/withdrawal form is available to download from my.lakeland.edu.
  • Students are responsible for withdrawing from courses within the stated deadlines.
  • A student receives a W grade for a withdrawn course.

Definition of Falling out of Enrollment

Continuous enrollment is completion of a minimum of one three-semester-hour course each two-semester period. Students will be required to apply for readmission before registering for courses after a period of non-enrollment exceeding one semester. If degree requirements have changed since the time of one’s last admission to Lakeland, the reapplication process will revise one’s degree plan in accord with the new requirements.

Medical Withdrawal and Family Leave

Students may withdraw from one or more courses up to the published withdrawal deadline date. (See Withdrawing from a Course OR the University) If an extraordinary situation related to the physical or mental health of the student or an immediate family member emerges after the withdrawal deadline expires, a student may submit a request for medical withdrawal or family leave. 

Students seeking medical withdrawal or family leave must submit an application to the Provost within six (6) months of the last day of the term for which the leave is requested. Applications must include two things:

  • A letter from the student outlining his/her situation and
  • credible documentation from supervising physician, caregiver, or authorized professional that includes
    • dates and duration of student or family member’s condition and accompanying treatment;
    • assessment of whether the condition or treatment of it reasonably interfered with the student’s ability to attend classes or complete required coursework.

Notes:

  • Successful applications for medical withdrawal or family leave require withdrawal from all courses within the term. Students may not seek medical withdrawal or family for a single course when enrolled in multiple courses. 
  • Incomplete applications will require additional time to process, which can delay applications for readmission or resolution of academic standing issues.
  • Requests for refunds related to withdrawal for medical situations requires a separate request to the Bursar’s office.

Repeating a Course

Students may repeat a course up to two times but will receive credit for the course only once. Lakeland uses the highest grade received to compute the cumulative grade-point-average (GPA). All attempts of repeated courses, including the grades received, will remain on the transcript even though only the highest grade is included in the cumulative GPA.

Independent Learning Experiences-Evening, Weekend, Online Graduate Program

Lakeland recognizes two types of circumstances in which a student may complete degree requirements outside of a typical course offering.

  1. Courses with low enrollment: On rare occasions, a course may need to be offered to 1-4 students in order to ensure they maintain appropriate degree progress. If such a need is identified; the student’s advisor should contact the center director who works with the regional director, dean of the school to which the course is assigned. Together, they will review options and alternatives for the student. If the team in consult with the Provost and Interim Vice President of Kellett Adult Education determines a special offering of a course is necessary, the team will work to offer the course through normal registration processes.
  2. Courses designed for independent learning: Many of Lakeland’s programs provide opportunities for students to complete their degree requirements through independent learning. Examples of these courses include (but are not limited to) the following:

Students should consult with their academic advisor to complete the approval process for enrollment into these courses.

Auditing a Course

A student may audit any Lakeland University course. Requirements for auditing a course are decided by the instructor. The minimal requirement for an audit is regular class attendance. Upon completion of the work assigned by the instructor, an auditing student will receive a letter grade of AU on his or her permanent academic record. No credit is earned for an audited course. Failure to meet the instructor’s conditions will be recorded as UAU; withdrawal from the course as WAU. Course enrollment may be converted to audit status on or before the date announced as the last day to withdraw as indicated on the academic calendar for the relevant term.

A reduced tuition rate is applied when a student completes an audited course. Students should refer to the tuition and fee schedule or their individual bills for specific rate information. There is no audit tuition reduction for a student who has enrolled under the PACE tuition plan or under other special tuition rates.