Student academic problems are to be handled initially between the student and the faculty member teaching the course involved. Students with academic grievances may use the Academic Grievance Policy and Procedure below.
The purpose of this policy and procedure is to provide Champlain College students the opportunity for additional review of the facts pertaining to an academic decision affecting them. Procedures are designed to provide objective and fair treatment (as provided specifically in the procedures) of both students and faculty and to resolve disputes in a timely manner.
An academic grievance is a claim that a specific academic decision or action that affects the student’s academic record or status has violated published policies or procedures. The assignment of grades is not generally considered a justifiable grievance under this policy unless published policies or procedures have been violated. Only the Provost (chief academic officer) has the right to file an administrative grade change should a grievance involving a grade be accepted.
PROCEDURES
TIMELINE
Trustee Scholar: A designation awarded to students who attend Champlain College full-time and maintain a 4.0 average for two consecutive semesters.
President’s List: A designation awarded to students who attend Champlain College full-time and achieve a semester average of 4.0.
Dean’s List: A designation awarded to students who attend Champlain College full-time and achieve a semester average of 3.50 or better.
Graduation Honors: Cum laude distinctions are given to graduating undergraduate students with the following cumulative grade point averages:
Summa Cum Laude: | 3.80 average |
Magna Cum Laude: | 3.65 average |
Cum Laude: | 3.50 average |
Divisional Honors: Divisional honors are awarded to the student in each division with the highest cumulative grade point average.
In addition to skills and knowledge, Champlain College aims to teach students appropriate ethical and professional standards of conduct. The Academic Honesty Policy exists to inform students and faculty of their obligations in upholding the highest standards of professional and ethical integrity. All student academic work is subject to the Academic Honesty Policy.
It is the student’s responsibility to understand and comply with College-wide policy as well as any assigned work-including examinations, tests, quizzes, term papers, reports, themes and other exercises-every student shall conform to a strict standard of academic honesty.
Any attempt to deceive a faculty member or to help another student to do so will be considered a violation of this standard.
The student’s work must match the instructor’s intended purpose for an assignment.
While the instructor will establish the intent of an assignment, each student must clarify outstanding questions of that intent for a given assignment. It is the responsibility of the student to understand and follow the intent articulated by the instructor. For example:
The student may not give or get any unauthorized assistance in the preparation of any work. Group-work contexts often need extra clarification. For example, sharing work without explicit authorization to do so is a violation of the Academic Honesty Policy. Students in doubt about the instructor’s expectations should seek clarification, or assume that the work must be completed individually.
The student must clearly establish authorship of a work. Referenced work must be clearly documented, cited, and attributed, regardless of media or distribution. Adequate documentation must articulate the resources, and even sources of inspiration, directly employed in the creation of a work. Even in the case of work licensed as public domain or Copyright, (See: http://creativecommons.org/) both Faculty and the student must provide attribution of that work in order to uphold the standards of intent and authorship. Professional and Academic practice provides guidance about how to properly cite, reference, and attribute the intellectual property of others. For general examples, see Section 1.6.
Online submission of, or placing one’s name on, an exam, assignment, or any course document is a statement of academic honor that the student has not received or given inappropriate assistance in completing it and that the student has complied with the Academic Honesty Policy in that work.
In essence, the Academic Honesty Policy poses the following questions to all students:
On each assignment, students are expected to isolate their authorship. This means that the Faculty member can precisely identify the student’s work. Documentation should embrace direct references, indirect references and background resources as required by the instructor. The Academic Honesty Policy requires the student to declare and document authorship.
Any violation of the Academic Honesty Policy, as determined by the instructor, may result in sanctions. The instructor may impose a sanction on the student that varies depending upon the instructor’s evaluation of the nature and gravity of the offense. Possible sanctions from the instructor include but are not limited to, the following:
A student may appeal these decisions according to the Academic Grievance Procedure. This policy is not exclusive, and in addition to course-based penalties, students may be subject to additional sanctions at the college level, particularly sanctions required by the dean. For students who are repeat offenders, sanctions required as a result of the College’s Conduct Review Process for conduct that violates both this policy and the standard described in section 2 of the College’s Standard of Conduct. All students in violation of the Academic Honesty Policy will be enrolled in a (free) course that educates students on information ethics. Completion of this course is designed to prevent future academic honesty violations and will be taken into consideration in determining appropriate sanctions if a subsequent violation occurs.
The College will place on probation any matriculated student who, after attempting 12 or more credits, fails to achieve either a cumulative GPA (CGPA) of 2.0 or a term GPA of 2.0. The College may dismiss any matriculated student who fails to achieve a CGPA of 1.80 after attempting 12 credits or who fails to achieve a CGPA of 2.0 after attempting 30 credits.
A student who is eligible for dismissal will receive a dismissal letter from his or her program Dean. Students are permitted to appeal the dismissal in writing within the time limit stated in the letter.
Academically dismissed students wishing to take courses as non-degree students may do so only with permission. Traditional students must have the permission of their program Dean, and Continuing Professional Studies (CPS) students must have the permission of the Dean of CPS.
Under certain circumstances, unsatisfactory course grades may be coded so that they do not adversely impact the student’s CGPA. The following conditions apply to the Academic Renewal policy as a whole:
Students who are returning to Champlain may be eligible to have course grades eliminated from their CGPA calculation using the following criteria:
Current students who have chosen to change majors may be eligible to have course grades eliminated from their CGPA calculation. The following conditions must apply:
Students are expected to attend all their classes. Not doing so may jeopardize their academic success. If illness, accident or similar circumstances make it impossible for a student to attend classes, the student should notify the appropriate faculty member(s). Instructors provide each student with a class-attendance policy in the syllabus.
Attendance in online classes, for academic purposes, is defined as participation in the class activities through the submission of assignments, timely discussion posts and any other required means of communication. Depending on specific class requirements, participation may also be required on a specific weekly schedule as defined in the course syllabus.
Champlain College requires students in online courses in the Division of Continuing Professional Studies to demonstrate participation by Day 8 of the course. “Participation” means that a student has completed a discussion post or submitted an assignment. If a student does not complete a post or an assignment by Day 8 of a course, the student will be automatically removed from the course(s) and your financial aid adjusted accordingly.
Champlain College permits the auditing of courses, at a reduced rate, for individuals who wish to participate in courses simply for their own enrichment. Students auditing a course may attend all class sessions and participate in class discussions. Academic work will be neither reviewed nor graded by the faculty. No credit will be issued for any course taken as an audit. Graduate courses, Core courses, and other courses designated by academic divisions may not be taken as audits. Audits will be permitted only on a space-available basis. Audit registration begins one week prior to the start of the course. A student may change a course from audit to credit or credit to audit only during the first 10 days of the semester. Once courses have begun, no refunds are issued for credit-to-audit changes. Additional charges will be applied for changes from audit to credit.
To be eligible for a professional certificate, you must meet the following requirements:
Requests for change of major for students in Continuing Professional Studies will be reviewed by their academic advisor. Final approval of change of major requests rests with the CPS Dean’s Office.
A student may add or drop courses or change from one section to another of the same course during the first five days of each semester (the first three days for a 7-week course.) After that time period, students may change sections or add a new course only with the permission of the course instructor and appropriate Dean or designee after reviewing the student’s likelihood of success.
A student enrolled in 12 or more credit hours is considered full-time. Schedule changes, especially from one accelerated term to another, may impact your full or part-time status and result in financial ramifications. Students considering changes that affect their full-time status should first check with the Financial Aid Office to determine the effect of such changes on aid eligibility and consult with your academic advisor before adjusting your schedule.
Each instructor is responsible for maintaining an in-person and/or online classroom environment that facilitates effective teaching, learning and safety. The classroom environment should be such that it prepares students for behavior that is expected in the professional and corporate environments in which they are preparing to live and work. The College includes electronic communication in its definition of the classroom environment to include email, video conference, telephone meetings and activities in Canvas related to each course.
Inappropriate classroom conduct which disrupts in-person or online classroom or laboratory activities is a violation of the Champlain College Standard of Conduct. Examples of disruptive conduct include, but are not limited to, the following:
Disruptive and disrespectful behavior on the part of any student will not be tolerated. The instructor has the responsibility to determine appropriate standards of behavior in the class as long as the requirement does not infringe upon the individual’s rights. Science laboratory classrooms that may introduce a safety hazard to the student under certain circumstances may inherently require strict regulation of safety protocol in addition to normal rules of behavior.
An instructor may require that a student leave the classroom or laboratory - in-person or online space - if the student is disruptive and does not heed a verbal or written first warning. In the online environment, an instructor may use their discretion to delete inappropriate posts. Return of the student to the classroom or laboratory may require a written pledge by the student to abide by the rules of expected classroom decorum or safety.
Continued inappropriate conduct or safety violations will be grounds for dismissal from the course in question for the remainder of the semester. Should a faculty member determine that a disruptive student should be dismissed from a class for the remainder of the semester with a failing grade, there shall be a written statement to the student, citing the student’s right of appeal under the Academic Grievance Procedure. Further action may also be taken by the Office of Student Conduct under the College’s Conduct Review process.
Bachelor’s and associate’s degree candidates who have completed all of their degree requirements will receive their diplomas and have any appropriate academic honors announced at the Commencement ceremony. Bachelor’s degree students within 8 credits of meeting all requirements and associate’s degree students within 4 credits of meeting all requirements are eligible to take part in the ceremony as non-graduating participants if they wish. All participating undergraduates must also have an overall cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher. Students who wish to participate in the commencement ceremony as non-graduating participants must have a plan to complete the degree within two semesters. This plan should be filed with the Registrar’s Office.
It should be noted that whereas both graduates and non-graduating participants are listed by name and hometown in the graduation program, non-graduating participants are ineligible to receive their diploma, to have academic honors designated in the program, to have academic honors announced during the event, or to have their name listed in local media until they have successfully completed their remaining academic requirements.
Diplomas will be printed with the graduating student’s legal name or a derivative thereof. Honorifics, titles and previously earned degrees will not be permitted. On the graduation application, each student has the opportunity to write his/her name as he/she would like it to appear on the diploma. The College reserves the right to approve all diploma name requests.
To be considered full-time, a student must enroll in courses totaling at least 12 credit hours per 15-week semester. Students making changes that affect their full-time status should first check with the Financial Aid Office to determine the effect of such changes on aid eligibility.
Normally, one unit of credit is based on 15 hours of classroom instruction and 30 hours of homework per semester. Students enrolled through the Division of Continuing Professional Studies whose cumulative credit load for the 15-week semester totals at least 12 credits, even though those credits may be divided between two seven-week terms, and regardless of when those credits are added to the term, are considered full-time.
Students enrolled through the Division of Continuing Professional Studies who wish to take more than nine (9) credit hours in an online accelerated term and have a CGPA higher than 3.0 should consult with the CPS Dean’s Office for permission.
CPS students seeking substitutions for required courses must work with their academic advisor to determine if a substitution request is appropriate. Each course substitution must ultimately be authorized by the Program Director of the student’s professional program. Upon approval of substitution, the student’s advisor will make the appropriate changes to the student’s record.
CPS allows students to prove competency of course subject matter in many of its courses by testing out of the material. Additional information about this option can be obtained from the academic advisors.
In addition to the voluntary course withdrawals, there are very rare instances in which a student may be involuntarily withdrawn by the instructor. These include, but are not limited to, violations of the College’s Standard of Conduct, the Classroom Behavior Policy, disciplinary problems, or damaging the College’s relationships with internships or project sites. A grade of “W” is recorded, as determined by the date of withdrawal and the student’s academic status at the time, or by the circumstances of the withdrawal. Course withdrawals are not permitted after the end of the term.
It is the student’s responsibility to officially withdraw from a course. Students wishing to withdraw must alert their student services advisor. The withdrawal becomes effective as of that date. All notification by the student can be done via email. Failure to formally withdraw may result in failing grades, reduction in financial aid and academic dismissal from the College. Deadlines for withdrawing without academic penalty are strictly enforced. Please contact your student services advisor for exact dates.
Students may withdraw from a full semester (15-week) course through the 11th week of the semester and receive a grade of W, which is not calculated in the GPA. After the 11th week, individual course withdrawal is not permitted. If students withdraw from the College after the 11th week of the term, they will be withdrawn from all courses with W grades, which are not calculated in the GPA.
15-week course | withdraw by end of 11th week |
12-week course | withdraw by end of 9th week |
10-week course | withdraw by end of 7th week |
8-week course | withdraw by end of 6th week |
7-week course | withdraw by end of 5th week |
6-week course | withdraw by middle of 4th week |
5-week course | withdraw by middlle of 3rd week |
All arrangements to take courses at any institutions with cross-registration agreements require permission of the Dean of a student’s professional program.
A student’s CGPA is calculated by multiplying the credit hours for each course by the grade point per credit hour of that course as determined by the final grade. For example, a 3-credit-hour course in which a student receives a “B” (3.0 grade points per credit hour) will equal 9.0 grade points for that course. The cumulative grade point average will then equal the total grade points divided by the total number of credit hours. Grades earned in transferred courses are not used in CGPA calculations.
The College reserves the right to adjust the curriculum and course content whenever such adjustments are academically appropriate and approved by the administration. The curriculum requirements in effect during the catalog year in which the student enters will remain in effect for that student unless the changes have no material effect on the student’s graduation date, or the student wishes to pursue a more recent set of requirements.
To be eligible for the associate’s degree, you must be a student in the College’s Division of Continuing Professional Studies and meet the following requirements:
To be eligible for a bachelor’s degree from Champlain College, you must meet the following requirements:
Pursuing a double major requires careful planning and sequencing of courses; the effort will very likely require additional time to complete. Students who wish to pursue a double major must first consult with the Dean of their professional program to obtain approval. They must fulfill all the requirements of both programs, and there must be a difference of at least 24 credits between the two programs. Upon completion, one bachelor’s degree will be granted, and the transcript will list both majors.
Approved students may take up to 12 credits at the graduate level (exceptions by permission of the dean) toward completion of their undergraduate degree that may also be applied toward completion of a graduate program. Students who wish to pursue enrollment in a graduate program must apply for admission no sooner than the final semester of their undergraduate degree program.
Students must submit their request to participate to their advisor. With the support of the advisor, the request will be forwarded to the Program Director of the graduate program who, in conjunction with the Program Director of the student’s undergraduate program, will determine preparedness for graduate level coursework and eligible courses for approved students.
Students in graduate level classes are expected to adhere to the Academic Information and Policies as outlined in the Graduate College Catalog as they pertain to those courses.
All students are given a mymail.champlain.edu e-mail address. Students who live on campus are given a mailbox in Cushing Hall. These channels are used for all official Champlain College correspondence. It is our expectation that students will receive and send information through these channels.
Student requests for grade changes must be submitted to the faculty no later than the last day of exams one semester or term after the semester in which the grade was earned. Students who wish to appeal an instructor’s denial of a grade change should follow the Academic Grievance process, located in this catalog. All faculty requests for grade changes must be approved by the Dean responsible for the course.
In conjunction with frequent evaluations, mid-semester grades help students understand their level of progress. Faculty members submit mid-semester grades for each student to the Registrar’s Office for all 15-week courses. These grades are internal and do not appear on student transcripts.
Grade | Achievement Grade Equivalent Standard |
S (satisfactory) | C- or better A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C- |
U (unsatisfactory) | Passing but D+, D, D not satisfactory |
F (failing) | Not passing F |
At the end of each semester or term, faculty members submit to the registrar a final grade for each student.
*There may be exceptions in certain programs. These exceptions are detailed in the program web pages.
Grade Range | Grade Points per Credit Hour | |
A | (93+) | 4.00 |
A- | (90-92) | 3.67 |
B+ | (87-89) | 3.33 |
B | (83-86) | 3.00 |
B- | (80-82) | 2.67 |
C+ | (77-79) | 2.33 |
C | (73-76) | 2.00 |
C- | (70-72) | 1.67 |
D+ | (67-69) | 1.33 |
D | (63-66) | 1.00 |
D- | (60-62) | 0.67 |
P | Not computed | |
F | (Below 60) | 0.00 |
NP | 0.00 | |
W | Withdrawn before the ninth week of a traditional-length course | Not computed |
I | Not computed | |
AU | No grade or credit earned |
At the discretion of the instructor, and with the approval of the Academic Dean, an interim grade of incomplete may be assigned for a course in which the student has met the following criteria:
The following procedures apply:
Independent study is defined as a course of study designed by a student to meet specific academic needs, taken outside regular classroom hours and supervised by one or more cooperating instructors. Regular college credit is given, and regular tuition is charged.
An independent study course may be undertaken under the following conditions:
Champlain College grants credit for military education following the guidelines issued by the American Council on Education.
Students who petition to change their name in the College’s Student Information System must present legal documentation of the name change in the form of a court document, driver’s license, Social Security card or other acceptable legal document to the College’s Enrollment Service Center.
Students may enroll with non-degree status and take a maximum of 18 credits. Continuing beyond 18 credits requires permission from the Dean of Continuing Professional Studies or application for admission to a professional certificate or degree program. Credit-based tuition and institutional policies for non-degree students are the same as those for degree-seeking students. Students seeking matriculated status must be admitted to the College through the appropriate Champlain Admission Office. Academic achievement in courses taken as a non-degree student does not guarantee admission to the institution.
Champlain College may award an undergraduate degree posthumously in recognition of a student’s work and satisfactory progress toward the degree at the time of death.
An undergraduate degree may be awarded posthumously if:
Students in good standing who have missed two consecutive semesters of classes will be withdrawn from the College and will be required to submit a formal application for readmission. Upon readmission, the student’s academic requirements are those required for the most current catalog year.
Students on academic probation who have missed two consecutive semesters of classes or who have been academically dismissed, are required to submit a formal appeal to the Academic Dean in order to be reinstated. If the appeal is approved, the student’s academic requirements will be those required for the original catalog year under which the student began his or her studies. Additional conditions may apply to those reinstated following academic probation or dismissal.
Students may retake a course up to two times, for a total of three attempts, in order to pass the course or improve their grade in the course. Course withdrawals are counted as attempts. Students may not repeat the course simply to improve a grade if a more advanced course in the sequence has already been completed. Credit for the course will be granted only once (unless otherwise specified), and the highest grade received will be counted toward the CGPA. All grades received for a course will remain on the transcript, even though only the highest will be used in the calculation of the CGPA.
When a Continuing Professional Studies student is taking an on-campus class in a computer lab or studio space, the following policy applies:
All Champlain College technology labs and studios have specific rules defining usage and a code of conduct. Some labs and studios may have additional protocols that must be followed based on usage. All Champlain College students using these facilities are required to follow this policy and accept its terms upon entry to the lab. This policy is posted publicly in each lab, and can be found under Student Resources and Policies in Canvas.
Failure to adhere to the usage terms and code of conduct may result in disciplinary action, which could include loss of access to campus technology labs.
Usage
Hardware and Software
Students in undergraduate degree programs (AS or BS) may choose to demonstrate competency by completing a course test-out and passing the associated assessments with a grade of C or better. Students will then be awarded a P on their transcript. Test-out grades will not affect a student’s CGPA and will count as transfer credit.
Students may not enroll in a test-out for a course they have already attempted and failed. They may enroll in a test-out for a course they have attempted and withdrawn from.
Students have one semester to complete a test-out course. If the test-out course falls within the semester a student intends to graduate, the deadline to complete the test-out is two weeks prior to the end of the semester. There is no restriction on when a student may begin a test-out, but except in the case of a graduating student, it must be completed by the end of the semester.
A student may take as many test-out courses as desired, provided they do not exceed their allowable transfer credit limit.
Once students have gained access to their test-out course, they are allowed one attempt to successfully test-out of any single course. If they do not pass, or do not complete their assessment within the allotted time frame, they will not earn credit, and they will not be refunded the fee.
A transcript is an official copy of a student’s permanent record with the College and cannot be changed. Transcripts are issued by the Registrar’s Office only at the written request of the student or alumnus. Written requests can be made in person, via fax or via postal mail. Requests will be honored as quickly as possible in the order of application. However, during especially busy periods (Commencement, registration, etc.) there will be delays in processing, so transcripts should be requested well in advance. Five copies of a student’s transcript will be provided free of charge. A fee of $5 will be charged for each subsequent copy.
(Those with the College seal)
Official transcripts are sent only to a college or university, a state or federal agency, or an employer. Only under special circumstances will an official transcript be sent directly to the student. Unofficial transcripts for a student’s personal use do not bear the official seal of Champlain College and may be sent directly to students. Note: transcripts will be sent only when a student’s account is paid in full.
All transfer applicants are required to submit official transcripts of their high school and college records. The acceptance of transfer credits is at the sole discretion of Champlain College.
A student who transfers from another college may be awarded transfer credit of up to one-third of the total credit hours toward a professional certificate, up to 45 hours toward an associate’s degree, and up to 90 hours toward a bachelor’s degree, provided that similar required or elective courses are offered at Champlain College. Students in bachelor degree programs must complete 15 hours of 300-level or higher courses in the major. Judgment of similarity is based on criteria provided by the appropriate academic division Dean or Champlain College, and judgments are made at the College’s discretion. Credit hours for transferred courses are given full value, but grades are not transferred to a student’s permanent Champlain College record and do not become part of a student’s cumulative grade point average at Champlain College. In order to be considered for transfer credit, a course must be completed with a grade of “C” or higher.
Students in bachelor degree programs must complete 15 hours of 300-level or higher courses in the major.
Credit for courses taken at Champlain College is generally transferable to other institutions of higher education. However, because the decision of whether to grant credit for any particular course is made by the receiving institution and not by Champlain College, students should consult with officials at the receiving institution concerning the transferability of credits earned at Champlain College.
Any student withdrawing from the College begins that process by working with a student services advisor. As part of the withdrawal process, the student will receive a statement setting forth the financial implications of his or her withdrawal. The withdrawal date recorded on the student’s official College record will be determined by the registrar when the withdrawal form is completed. It is the student’s responsibility to officially withdraw from the College. A student who withdraws from the College without following this procedure jeopardizes his or her opportunity to receive any refund.
The College reserves the right to withdraw any student for disciplinary reasons. If a student wishes to contest the College’s initiation of an involuntary withdrawal that is for more than a temporary period, the College will provide a hearing and appeal opportunity to the student under the procedures specified in the College’s Conduct Review process. The student should inform the administrative office initiating the withdrawal of his or her intent to contest such initiation within 5 working days of the student’s receiving notice of same. The College will consider waiver of this deadline in cases where the student was incapacitated; requests for waiver should be submitted to the same administrative office.
Students who are inactive (not registered for classes) for two consecutive semesters including summer are automatically withdrawn from the college.