GRADUATE & PROFESSIONAL STUDIES

ACADEMIC POLICIES & INFORMATION

ACADEMIC SCHEDULE

The Tusculum College Graduate and Professional Studies programs follow a non-traditional academic calendar. Students enroll in cohort groups that start year round. Courses in each program are offered sequentially, allowing students to study one subject at a time. Classes are held at times and in locations convenient to students. All students are required to attend all formal class sessions and learning team meetings.

CLASS ATTENDANCE

Classes in the organizational management and graduate programs are held one evening a week for four hours with the instructor, and an average of four hours per week with the learning team to complete planned assignments to meet course objectives. Class attendance is mandatory and is recorded by the faculty member who submits student attendance records to the administrative office. A grade of “F” is automatically assigned to any student who misses more than one third of the total class meeting time. Total missed class time includes absence for the evening as well as arriving late or leaving before the class is dismissed. This is an institutional policy and is not left to the discretion of the faculty member. The academic departments may adopt significantly more stringent grading practices related to attendance requirements as detailed in their syllabi and may require completion of any missed work. Students should realize that failure to attend class will result in grade reduction and may also impact financial aid. Refer to sections on “Financial Aid” and “Withdrawal” in the Tusculum College Catalog for further information.

The delivery model used for the Bachelor of Arts in Education (BAED) requires that students attend classes two times per week, with each class meeting lasting for either 4 hours or 8 hours. Course length consists of three weeks of class meetings with a one-week break after the first week in session. Students are required to attend all class sessions and attend 18 hours of practicum experience in lieu of learning team participation. Absence from BAED classes will result in grade reduction as follows: for every 2 hours of class missed the student’s final grade will be reduced by 5 points and the student will be required to make up any missed work the instructor deems necessary.

CLASS REPRESENTATIVES

The main function of the class representative is to serve as liaison between the class and the Graduate and Professional Studies faculty, administration, and administrative staff. Class representatives disseminate information to members of the class, such as course syllabi, announcements, and other communications. The class representative may serve as the spokesperson for the class when the class wishes to convey information to members of the staff and faculty although each class member is able to contact the faculty/staff regarding his/her own concerns.

COMPUTER ACCESS

Students who enroll in Graduate and Professional Studies programs are responsible for having access to a computer, email capabilities and Internet connectivity capable of linking to the Tusculum College Web site. Tusculum College provides for computer/Internet accessibility at its instructional sites. If any students are unable to obtain access to the Internet connectivity and e-mail capabilities either on their own or through the use of College-supplied facilities, the College will assist them in identifying other convenient Internet access locations.

Students in the Graduate and Professional Studies consistently use computers to complete assignments throughout the curricula. It is strongly recommended that students entering their respective programs be proficient in executing the following skills: (a) typing, (b) file management (open, save, delete, move, copy, create folders, save file in specified folder), (c) familiarity with windows (maximize, minimize, close), (d) using and installing software (open programs; use spell check; cut, copy, and paste within a document; insert graphic image; and, change font and font attributes), and (e) basic Internet usage (navigate in browser, send and receive e-mail).

COURSE LOAD

Undergraduate students in Gateway and BSOM may not enroll in more than two courses concurrently. A BSOM student will be permitted to register for only one major course at any given time, unless the second course is one of the concentration courses. A BAED student may enroll in only one Gateway course per semester and may not enroll in any courses during the student teaching semester. To dual enroll a student must have a Tusculum College grade point average of 2.75 or better. Transfer students with no prior Tusculum coursework must have a cumulative G.P.A. of 2.75 or better in order to dual enroll. Students on academic probation will not be allowed to dual enroll. Students will not be allowed to take three courses concurrently. Any exceptions to these requirements must be referred by the academic leadership to the Admissions and Standards committee for approval. If dual enrollment is requested by any graduate student for any reason, a written request should be submitted to the graduate department chair for approval/disapproval.

If the student wishes to take courses at another institution, he/she should refer to the Courses at Another Institution policy on page 22 of the Tusculum College Catalog. In addition to this policy, students must complete a transient student form which maybe obtained from their academic advisor.

DROP / ADD CLASSES

Contact your Academic Advisor to drop or add courses and to obtain the proper form.

FACILITIES

The Greeneville campus and all off-site locations provide instructional support and educational services that meet the needs of adult students. All locations are approved by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and meet federal guidelines. In addition to the services and resources provided at each location, students have access to all resources (e.g. library, career counseling, tutoring) via the Internet or by phone. Computers with Internet access are available at each location to ensure access to these resources. The Morristown location, Tri-Cities location, Greeneville, and the Knoxville Regional Center have computer labs that are available to students. An extension of the Library on the Greeneville campus is housed at the Knoxville Regional Center.

Directions to our campus locations are available here

GRADE APPEALS

A student who believes a course grade is not a fair reflection of his or her performance in a given class has the right to appeal that grade. He/she must however, present this concern within 30 calendar days of the last date of the course by written appeal to the course instructor. The appeal must be accompanied by documentation providing evidence to support a grade appeal. The instructor must respond in writing within 14 business days after receiving the appeal. If the professor’s/instructor’s explanation of the grade is satisfactory to the student, then the matter is resolved.

If the student is still not satisfied, then he/she must file a formal written appeal. The formal appeal must include the original materials presented to the instructor, the written response from the instructor and supporting documentation to the regional Chair or Coordinator of the program in which the student is enrolled within 7 business days from the receipt of the written response from the instructor. If the instructor is also the Chair or Coordinator, the new appeal is submitted to the Director of the School. If the appeal is not resolved at the School Director level, the appeal will be forwarded to the Chair of the Admissions and Standards Committee for undergraduates or the Graduate Committee for graduates at their next scheduled meeting. The course instructor and these committees are the only institutional bodies that may change grades. The decision of these committees is final.

If a BAED student is appealing a grade due to the attendance policy, the written appeal must be presented first to the Coordinator of the program.

PLAGIARISM AND FALSIFICATION OF DOCUMENTS

Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty. It consists of knowingly presenting in writing or in speech the intellectual or creative work of others as if it were one’s own. This includes:

Failing to identify direct or word-for-word quotations by use of appropriate symbols and reference to the source
Restating in one’s own words the work (ideas, conclusions, words) of another without reference to the source
Presenting as one’s own the creative work (for instance, music or photographs) of another without proper acknowledgement

Besides plagiarism other forms of academic dishonesty include the following:
Submitting the same work in two or more courses without significant modifications or expansion and without the approval of the instructors involved
Submitting purchased, borrowed, copied or specially commissioned work as if it were one’s own
Knowingly permitting others to submit one’s own work under their names
Copying the work of others during an examination or other academic exercise
Knowingly allowing others to copy one’s own work during an examination or other academic exercise
Using “cheat sheets” or any other unauthorized form of assistance during an exam, quiz or other academic exercise

NOTE: AUTHORIZED HELP is encouraged and includes:
• attendance at help sessions
• tutoring received with the instructor’s knowledge (responsible tutoring does not provide answers to specific assignments but focuses on general principles, concepts, rules, and information, as well as on skills development)
Manipulating or fabricating data to support erroneous conclusions. The effect of cheating within a community is to destroy the environment of honesty and trust on which the community depends. A dishonest performance diminishes the achievement of those who have worked hard and demonstrated real mastery of a subject. For this reason, students are encouraged to confront peers who violate the standard of honesty by any form of cheating or plagiarism and, if necessary, to report their behavior to an appropriate authority (instructor, director or authorized college agency or body).

REPEATING COURSES

Students may repeat courses. All attempts will be recorded on the permanent record along with the grade received. For all repeated courses, only the last attempt will be used for determining grade point average and hours completed for graduation. An “R” will be placed on the transcript by all courses which have been repeated. To avoid repeating grades with courses at another institution, by CLEP/DANTE exams, or other sources, the student MUST seek prior approval from the Tusculum College Registrar.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Charges are due at the beginning of each semester and are payable in full as a part of registration and as a condition for enrollment. No student is eligible to enroll for or to attend classes until registration is completed and all semester charges are paid. A student who is awarded financial assistance under federal, state, institutional, and/or private programs approved by the College may use documentary evidence of such award as a condition for registration. This privilege, however, does not relieve the student from completing payment in full when actual funds are received and, in any event, prior to the end of the semester.

Students or parents who prefer to pay educational expenses in monthly installments may want to consider Tusculum College’s Installment Plan. A description of the plan will be provided to each student with billing statements. For information or questions about the Installment Plan, please contact the Business Office.

ADJUSTMENT OF CHARGES FOR DROPPING A COURSE

For a Professional Studies student who drops a course, the course’s tuition will be reduced in accordance with the following schedule:
Written request to drop - (complete a drop form (.pdf) and contact your academic advisor to drop a course)

Portion of received by Tusculum College Tuition Refunded
prior to the first class meeting ........................................ 100 percent
prior to the second class meeting ................................. 80 percent
after the second class meeting ...................................... None

Professional Studies audit and laboratory fees are refundable only if the student drops the course prior to the first class meeting. Other fees are not refundable.

WITHDRAWAL

Effective 8/1/2010 the following WITHDRAWAL FROM CLASS (DROP) policy will apply for ALL UNDERGRADUATE students:

A student may drop a class already in session before the third scheduled meeting date and receive a grade of "W" (withdrawal). A grade of "F" is issued when a student drops a class after the third sche duled meeting date.

The refund policy remains the same:
100% refunded if dropped before the first class meeting
80% refunded if dropped before the second class meeting
0% refunded if dropped after the second class meeting