Administration of the Curriculum - Online Studies

Online Campus Semester System

Required courses are taken in 7 week increments with a minimum of two classes being offered in each 7 week term. Online class meetings are required. Students receive course credit toward graduation on the basis of credit hours. Semester hour credit for each course is shown in the Required Courses section.

Courses
• Belhaven University reserves the right to cancel any course for which there is an enrollment of fewer than 12 students.
• Courses for which no prerequisites are specified have no prerequisites.
• Credit hours are indicated in parentheses following course titles.

Credit Hour Policy

Credit hours awarded for courses is determined by the faculty and academic administration in accordance with the mission and goals of Belhaven University. This determination is aligned with the Carnegie collegiate student credit hour, Federal definitions and requirements, and the standards, commission policies, and guidelines of SACSCOC, our regional accreditor. This credit hour policy guides the process for assigning credit hours for courses in the attainment of the Belhaven University mission and goals.

Conforming to sound, commonly accepted best practices, the following statements are Belhaven University’s working definition and principles for credit hour determination:

• The faculty oversees the content and quality of the curriculum and is responsible for the learning outcomes; therefore, it is the responsibility of the faculty to determine course credit hour valuations.
• The number of credit hours awarded for each course is determined on the basis of time spent in classroom instruction, outside class direct instruction, and outside class student work.
• One semester hour of credit is granted for the equivalent of 750 minutes of classroom instruction and 1500 minutes of outside class student work or 2250 minutes based on a combination of classroom instruction, outside class direct instruction, and outside class student work.
• Classroom instruction and outside class direct instruction times are equivalent for the purposes of credit hour valuations.
• Classroom instruction includes the formal class meeting, supervised labs, private instruction, or any similar instructional meeting between and instructor and one or more students.
• Outside class direct instruction includes student activities that:
  • Has a planned educational purpose or outcome
  • Is facilitated by an instructor or field supervisor (guided, monitored, or observed)
  • Is graded and documented
• Outside class direct instruction activities include but are not limited to
  • Online lectures or instruction (synchronous or asynchronous)
  • Video presentations, journal or blog writing
  • Chat rooms
  • Discussion boards
  • Field trips (which includes virtual field trips)
  • Group/team-based activities
  • Online test or quizzes
  • Video conferencing
  • Virtual labs
  • Supervised field experiences
• Outside of class student work includes course related activities that do not qualify as direct instruction. These activities include but are not limited to reading, writing, studying, preparing, practicing and researching.
• The ratio of classroom/outside class direct instruction and outside of class student work may vary depending on the course type. The ratio of outside of class student work serving in support of classroom/outside of class direct instruction is 2:1 (two minutes of outside of class student work supports one minute of classroom/outside class direct instruction.)
• The credit hour valuation is the same for all course formats, lengths, level, locations, and modes of delivery, which includes the traditional classroom, laboratory, online, electronic, private lessons, internships, practicums, independent study, senior thesis, or hybrid.
• The amount and level of credit hours awarded for a course will be determined according to these expectations and courses will be periodically evaluated to ensure that they meet or exceed these expectations.

The course credit hour audit uses the Credit Hour Evaluation Form that includes the Master List of Student Engagement as approved by the faculty (see Appendix A).

• The Credit Hour Evaluation Form identifies the course being evaluated, the courses outside of class direct instruction, outside of class student work, and classroom time as documented in the course student syllabus.
• The Master List of Student Engagement documents the possible outside of class direct instruction options and outside of class student work used to achieve the goals of the course beyond the formal classroom time. The normal time to complete for each method/modality is the estimated number of minutes an average to below-average student would take to complete the method/activity in order to achieve the expected learning outcomes for the course.

The Credit Hour Evaluation Form may be used for traditional courses at the discretion of the academic leadership.

For all new courses in the adult, graduate, and online areas, the Course Credit Hour Evaluation Form will be completed during the new course development process. For any course revisions in the adult, graduate, and online delivery modality the Course Credit Hour Evaluation Form will be completed during the update process. Department chairs/directors or other academic leaders may ask faculty to complete the Course Credit Hour Evaluation Form on selected courses as deemed necessary.

Exceptions to the Master List of Student Engagement such as methods or modalities not included on the master list or an adjustment to the normal time expected to complete an activity must be reviewed and approved by the appropriate Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The faculty of Belhaven University has participated in the development of this policy and its procedures and holds the responsibility for approval and subsequent revisions through the accepted faculty processes and procedures.

Approved by the Educational Review Council 2-6-19

Grades and Quality Points

At the conclusion of an Online course, final grade reports will be available on BlazeNet. The Office of the Registrar will not show students their grades. Grades will not be discussed or given out by phone or e-mail. Course grade reports will indicate course completed, credit received, and grades assigned.

The meaning of the course grade is as follows: A, Superior; B, Good; C, Average; D, Passing; F, Failing; I, Incomplete; AU, Audit; NA, No Audit; W, Withdrew Before Grades; AW, Administratively Withdrawn; S, Satisfactory; U, Unsatisfactory; ES, Examination Satisfactory; CR, Credit; NC, No Credit; RF, repeated failure/no forgiveness.

The grades S (Satisfactory) and U (Unsatisfactory) are used for courses completed on the Pass-Fail option. The grade ES (Examination Satisfactory) is used for credit given by examination in foreign languages and mathematics. The grade CR (Credit) is given for nonacademic courses to indicate that credit has been earned. The grade NC (No Credit) is given for nonacademic courses to indicate that no credit has been earned.

A plus/minus system of grading was implemented in the fall semester of 1985. The plus/minus changed the quality points associated with the letter grades; therefore, the letter grade A now carries 4.00 quality points; A- 3.66; B+ 3.34; B 3.00; B- 2.66; C+ 2.34; C 2.00; C- 1.66; D+ 1.34; D 1.00; D- 0.66; F 0.00. A grade point average is calculated at the end of each semester by dividing the number of quality points earned by the number of semester hours attempted, grades of F being counted as hours attempted. Only the grades listed immediately above carry quality points. Cumulative totals are also computed following each completed grade period.

Transfer work does not affect the Belhaven cumulative grade point average (GPA). The Belhaven cumulative GPA is based entirely upon work done at Belhaven University.

Academic Standing

Undergraduate

Academic standing describes a student’s performance in their academic program. Belhaven assesses academic standing using a quality point index. A quality point index is calculated at the end of each semester and a student will be assigned an academic standing in accordance with the chart below which indicates quality point deficiencies allowed.

The formula for calculation of quality point index is (GPA and Quality Point Index are calculated on Belhaven GPA credits only.):
Belhaven earned quality points - (Belhaven GPA hours times two) = quality point index.

Graduate

All graduate students are required to maintain a grade point average of 3.00 with no quality point index deficiency, regardless of their classification. The formula for calculation of quality point index is: Belhaven earned quality points (Belhaven attempted GPA hours times three) = quality point index.

In cases where a student feels they experience extenuating circumstances which imparted their GPA students may submit an appeal to be readmitted one time for a suspension and one time for a dismissal. All decisions made by the academic appeals committee are final. If after an appeal, which has been granted the students’ academic standing is not improved, no second appeal shall be considered.

Extracurricular Activities, Good Academic Standing, and Satisfactory Academic Progress

In general, a student who is eligible to enroll for classes is considered to be in good standing for extracurricular activities. Additional and more stringent requirements may be established by supervisors of those activities, groups, organizations, or societies.

For participation in intercollegiate athletics, a student must demonstrate good academic standing and satisfactory progress toward a degree. In order to demonstrate good academic standing, a freshman (0-23 hours) or sophomore (24-53 hours) must earn and maintain Good Standing - Clear or Good Standing - Notice. A junior (54-89 hours) or senior (90+ hours) must earn and maintain Good Standing - Clear. In order to demonstrate satisfactory academic progress, a student-athlete must be enrolled full-time (a minimum of 12 semester hours) unless fewer hours are required for graduation and meet academic standing requirements.

Freshmen students may participate in intercollegiate athletics during their first semester upon admission to Belhaven University and full-time (a minimum of 12 semester hours) enrollment. Transfer students meeting NCAA exceptions may participate during their first semester upon admission to Belhaven University and full-time (a minimum of 12 semester hours) enrollment. After their first semester at Belhaven, freshmen and transfer students (who met NCAA exceptions) are considered returning students and will be required to meet the academic standing requirement and the satisfactory academic progress requirement for intercollegiate athletics. If a transfer student doesn’t meet NCAA exceptions for participation, he/she must meet NCAA guidelines for residency requirements.

Financial aid requirements for satisfactory progress and other regulations are explained separately in this catalog and elsewhere.

Incomplete

The grade “I” is given at the discretion of the instructor and only in case of a prolonged illness or other emergency and indicates that all requirements in a course have not been met. In order for students to receive the grade “I”, they must have made satisfactory progress in the course up to the point of illness or emergency. The grade “I” cannot be given prior to the last day to drop a course without an F. Students receiving the grade “I” should make the following arrangements with their Instructor and Online Student Services office before the end of the course:

The student (or one representing the student) must obtain the incomplete request form from Online Student Services. In filling out this form, students and their professors agree upon the dates of completion for all work. Should a student fail to complete the required work within 30 days following the date of the last class meeting for which the grade of “I” was given, the grade “I” will automatically be changed to a grade of F by the Office of the Registrar.

Independent Study

Independent study courses will be available only for degree-seeking seniors facing imminent graduation who are unable to get a needed course at the regularly scheduled time.

Students must complete a Special Request Form and obtain permission from the Academic Dean in order to register for the course. The professor is not authorized to grant final approval for an independent study course. The request should be made as soon as possible, but must be submitted to the Academic Dean no later than one week prior to the start date for the course.

No course intended to be used for the forgiveness policy can be taken as independent study; furthermore, all forgiveness policy courses must be taken at Belhaven University.

Repeated Course Policy

100 or 200 Level Undergraduate Courses - limit 3 attempts

Students who have taken a course three times and failed the course each time cannot be registered for the course again unless approved through the academic appeals process. The student may be approved to take the course a fourth time but must pass the course on the fourth attempt; no additional registration for the course will be allowed after a failing grade is earned in the course for the fourth attempt.

300 or 400 Level Undergraduate Course or Any Graduate Course - limit 2 attempts

Students who have taken a course twice and failed the course (“failed” at the graduate level is a grade of D+ or below) both times cannot be registered for the course again unless approved through the academic appeal process. The student may be approved to take the course a third time but must pass the course; no additional registration for the course will be allowed after a failing grade is earned in the course for the third attempt.

Academic Appeals Process

Students must file an appeal to repeat a course if the course has been taken the maximum number of times and failed. The appeal must include information about why the student was not successful in the first attempts. This must include information and documentation to identify the reason for any missing assignments, for low attendance, or any reason being given for the student’s lack of success in completing the course. Online and Adult Students will submit the appeal to their advisors who will submit the appeal to the Academic Appeals Committee for review. Traditional students will submit the appeal to the Registrar’s office who will submit the appeal to the Academic Appeals Committee for review. Failure to complete the course with minimum grade allowed may result in the student being unable to continue in their current degree. Approval to repeat course does not override the end of term Academic Standing earned by the student; the student must sit out a term if placed on Academic Suspension and if approved, may repeat the course in the next available term. The decision of the Academic Appeals Committee if final. The grade for both courses will appear on the permanent record. The forgiveness policy can be used one time per course. Repeating a course may influence a student’s financial aid or sports eligibility.

The following stipulations apply to this policy:

1. Undergraduate students cannot use this option to repeat a course in which a grade of A, B, or C was earned. This can only be used to replace a grade of C- or below. Graduate students can use this option to repeat a course in which a grade of B- or below was earned.
2. The highest grade earned will be the one used to recalculate the GPA.
3. The student cannot use the forgiveness policy to replace a grade that was earned at another school, nor may grades earned at Belhaven be replaced by grades earned at another school. This policy will only affect the Belhaven grades and quality point index.
4. A course intended to be used for the forgiveness policy cannot be taken as independent study and must be taken at Belhaven University.

Program Withdrawal

• A student who withdraws from the program is to submit the online withdrawal form located on the registrar page on Blazenet, except in cases of administrative withdrawal due to nonattendance, deregistration or low GPA.
• The official date for withdrawal to be used to calculate tuition charged and the student’s grade in the course will be the date of withdrawal form submission. The effective date for Financial Aid purposes will be the date of the withdrawal form submission.
• The refund policy is stated in the Online Catalogue under “Student Financial Services Regulations” or in the Student Handbook under “Financial Information.”

It is advised that a student withdrawing from the program speak with a Student Financial Services counselor so that the student understands any financial ramifications of the withdrawal, including the return of Title IV funds and any payments that might be due from the student.

• A Program Withdrawal will affect the grace period of any outstanding student loans and may cause the student to enter into immediate repayment.

Course Withdrawal

A student who drops a course is not considered to have withdrawn from the school. A course drop is approved if:

• To drop a course from registration at any time before the last date of a course, the student must complete and submit the online Course Withdrawal form (CW).
• The course will be dropped or graded according to the submission date on the student’s course withdrawal form. Any course withdrawals processed from a course withdrawal or program withdrawal form submitted after the published “Last day to withdraw” date in the calendar for that term will result in a grade of “F” for the course.
• A course withdrawal covers only the course listed on the withdrawal form; the student may list the courses they wish to have withdrawn from registration.
• Financial aid may be affected by course withdrawals. The student understands that he/she must consider the financial aid effects of a course withdrawal.
• The student understands that any missed required courses must be completed at a later date in order to complete their degree/program.

Courses less than 5 weeks

Academic Registration / Withdrawal schedule

• Drop period - Day 1 - 3
  • During this time a student may drop a course without a grade
• Withdrawal period - Day 4 - 13
  • During this time a student may withdraw from a course and receive a grade of “W”
• Day 14 - on students are not allowed to withdraw from a course, doing so would result in a grade of “F”

Administrative Withdrawal

Students may be administratively withdrawn for nonpayment of tuition, misconduct, noncompliance with academic policy, and/or nonattendance.

Classification

An undergraduate student’s classification is determined by the number of semester hours he/she has to his/her credit. For sophomore standing a student is required to have earned 24 semester hours of credit, for junior standing 54 semester hours, for senior standing 90 semester hours, and for graduation 124 semester hours and 248 quality points.

Course Load

In the online studies program, a normal course load in a term should not exceed 12 semester hours. No student may receive credit for more than 18 hours in a term.

Grade Reports

At the conclusion of an online campus course, final grade reports will be available on Blazenet. Grades will not be discussed or given out by phone or e-mail. Course grade reports will indicate course completed, credit received, and grades assigned.

Transcripts

Students can order an official transcript via the National Student Clearinghouse Transcript Ordering Center (https://tsorder.studentclearinghouse.org/school/select). The Registrar is not permitted to issue transcripts for a student with an active account hold.

Transcript Fee Schedule (Per Recipient)

Copies 1-2: $10.00 total
Copies 3+: $2.00/copy
Processing: $2.50
Electronic PDF: $1.00 (Applies only to transcripts sent electronically to a recipient outside of the NSC Electronic Transcript Exchange network)

Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974

Belhaven University informs students of the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. The act, with which the institution intends to comply fully, was designated to protect the privacy of educational records and to provide guidelines for the correction of inaccurate or misleading data through informal and formal hearings. Students also have the right to file complaints with Family Education Rights and Privacy Act Office (FERPA) concerning alleged failures by the institution to comply with the act.

Belhaven University accords all the rights under law to students who are declared independent. No one outside the institution shall have access to nor will the institution disclose any information from students’ education records without the written consent of students except to personnel within the institution, to accrediting agencies carrying out their accreditation function, to persons in compliance with a judicial order, and to persons in an emergency in order to protect the health or safety of students or other persons. All these exceptions are permitted under the act.

Within the Belhaven community, only those members individually or collectively acting in the student’s educational interest are allowed access to student education records. These members include personnel in the office of the registrar, provost’s office, admission’s office, student services office, financial aid office, business office, and office of institutional improvement.

Students may not inspect and review the following as outlined by the act: confidential letters and recommendations associated with admission, employment or job placement, or honors to which they have waived their rights of inspection and review, or education records containing information about more than one student, in which case the institution will permit access only to that part of the record which pertains to the inquiring student.

Class Attendance Standards

Attendance is measured by student’s interaction with the course through submitting an assignment or posting to the discussion forum. If the student performs either of these elements, he or she is automatically marked present for that week. If not, the student is marked absent.

Academic Plan

A student’s academic plan is available upon entering an educational program.

Students must keep their own records of their academic progress; ULTIMATELY IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STUDENT TO SEE THAT HE/SHE IS COMPLETING THE CORRECT COURSES FOR THE DEGREE HE/SHE IS PURSUING.

Academic Lists

At the end of each semester, the following academic lists are published:

Undergraduate:
President’s List: Students must complete at least 9 credit hours in a semester with a GPA of 4.0
Dean’s List: Students must complete at least 9 credit hours in a semester with a GPA no lower than 3.6.

Graduate (master’s level):
President’s List: Students must complete at least 6 credit hours in a semester with a GPA of 4.0

Graduation with Honors

To graduate cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude, a baccalaureate degree seeking student must have earned a minimum of 60 academic hours carrying quality points at Belhaven University. At the time of graduation the student must have established a grade point average (calculated on the 100^th decimal place and not rounded) on the Belhaven University record and meet the minimum below to be eligible:

cum laude, 3.40 - 3.69; magna cum laude, 3.70 - 3.89; summa cum laude, 3.9 and higher.

To graduate “with honors,” a student must have a minimum of 45 academic hours carrying quality points at Belhaven University and a 3.4 cumulative grade point average at Belhaven University

Belhaven University baccalaureate degree-seeking students who graduate with academic honors will wear Belhaven University honor cords for the graduation commencement ceremonies. Students are not allowed to wear any other regalia from societies, sororities, or organizations not affiliated directly with Belhaven University.

Veterans’ Regulations

Each recipient of VA benefits enrolled at Belhaven University is expected to become familiar with, and to adhere to, all academic policies stated in the current issue of the Belhaven University catalogue.

Tutorial Work

The term “tutorial” is applied to final coursework being completed by a nonresident Belhaven student.

Alternative Credit (For undergraduate degrees only)

(Alternative credit for all sources may not exceed 45 credit hours toward the undergraduate degree.)

Credit from alternative credit programs may be given in a specific area in which a student wishes to major or minor, dependent upon departmental policy. Credit in Bible, history, culture, or literature courses from these sources to meet general education curriculum requirements will not be accepted. The maximum total of such credit listed above, in any combination, is 45 semester hours, not to include more than 30 hours of experiential credit. Hours earned through alternative credit programs do not carry quality points and therefore are not considered as residential hours for honors calculations.

• National Accreditation Transfer
  Belhaven University will review and accept up to 45 credit hours for courses comparable to those offered by Belhaven from schools accredited by agencies recognized by the Council for Higher Education and Accreditation (CHEA) or the Secretary of the Department of Education. Courses accepted must have a ‘C’grade or better. No comparable courses are allowed to substitute for WVC 301  or WVC 401 . The Registrar will make the final decision on credit awarded.
• Standardized Testing
  Belhaven University recognizes the CLEP, Dantes, AP and ACT PEP standardized tests for credit and accepts the recommended score scale. Alternative credit, including CLEP, AP, and ACT PEP may not exceed 30 hours. Students may not CLEP core courses in their major. CLEP courses, when allowed, become Gen Eds or electives and are counted as part of the alternative credit limit.
• Correspondence Courses
  A student may apply a maximum of six semester hours of correspondence credit to satisfy degree requirements. The Registrar must approve correspondence work in advance. Credit in major courses or core courses for degrees may not be earned by correspondence.
• Military Credit
  Credit for military service may be awarded as four credit hours of physical education if credit has not already been achieved in this area. These credits are awarded as non-academic hours. Other military training courses are individually assessed by the American Council on Education (ACE) recommendations.
• Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) (Maximum credit - 30 hours)
  Belhaven University is among more than 600 colleges and universities involved in assessing documented learning for academic credit toward an undergraduate degree. The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), an educational association founded in 1974 to promote the acceptance of the awarding of college credit for documented and experiential learning, has led the way in developing and implementing assessment techniques. Belhaven University uses the guidelines developed by CAEL. In order for the credit to be granted officially and recorded on the transcript, the applicant must have completed successfully a minimum of 12 semester hours of academic course work at Belhaven University. This type of credit is not necessarily transferable into or out of Belhaven University.

PLA if assessed through two course options as described below:

• BU 294 Prior Learning Assessment Portfolio 
  This course is designed to assist the student with the development of an experiential learning portfolio. This includes developing a resume, reflecting on the personal journey through an autobiographical essay, application of a Christian worldview, and identifying knowledge and skills learned from previous work educational and work experiences in the experiential essays. The portfolio will be the basis of evaluation of work and life experiences for possible college credit. Students may write for up to 12 hours of credit for each occurrence of BU 294  (resulting in a total possible of 15 credits, 3 from BU 294  and up to 12 experiential credits). Students must register for BU 294 ​ in term 1 of the semester prior to the semester of graduation. BU 294 ​ may be repeated if more than 12 credit hours of PLA credit need to be assessed, not to exceed the limit of 30 credit hours from this option, including the credits earned through BU 294 ​ . (Note: BU 294 may only be taken twice)
• BU29X Prior Learning Assessment Portfolio 1-3 credits
  This course is designed to assist the student with the development of an experiential learning portfolio when less than four credit hours are needed. This includes developing a resume, reflecting on the personal journey through an autobiographical essay, application of a Christian worldview, and identifying knowledge and skills learned from previous work educational and work experiences in the experiential essays. The portfolio will be the basis of evaluation of work and life experiences for possible college credit. Students may write for 1-3 hours of credit in BU290. Students must register for BU 291 , BU 292 , or BU 293  (depending on the number of elective credits needed) in term 1 of the semester prior to the semester of graduation. BU 291 , 2, or 3 are Pass/Fail courses.
  
  All PLA submissions from either course option listed above must be completed by the end of term 1 of the semester prior to the semester of graduation.

Credit from alternative credit programs may be given in a specific area in which a student wishes to major or minor, dependent upon departmental policy. Credit in Bible, history, culture, or literature courses from these sources to meet general education curriculum requirements will not be accepted. The maximum total of such credit listed above, in any combination, is 45 semester hours, not to include more than 30 hours of experiential credit. Hours earned through alternative credit programs do not carry quality points and therefore are not considered as residential hours for honors calculations.