Policies

Policies

Attendance

The University Catalog states:

"Attendance during the first week of class is required. It contributes greatly to teaching and learning. Some departments determine a student’s enrollment in a course based upon attendance during the first week of class. Consult the department for more information about the attendance policy for the class that you are attending. Students who drop classes are financially responsible for those classes in accordance with the withdrawal/refund policies stated on the Web class schedule on ConnectU.

Students are expected to attend all sessions of courses for which they are registered. Each instructor determines when a student’s absences have reached a point at which they jeopardize success in a course. When absences become excessive, the student may receive a failing grade for the course. If students anticipate a prolonged absence, they should contact their instructors. If they find that they cannot communicate with the instructor, they should contact the chair of that department, who will inform the instructor of the reasons for the anticipated absence. Whenever an instructor determines that a student’s absences are interfering with academic progress, the instructor may submit a letter to the department chair informing that office of the situation."

Students who withdraw from a course or courses because of the death of an immediate family member, serious illness or medical emergency, or employment changes beyond the control of the student may file a Tuition and Fees Appeal Form through the Office of Student Accounts. In these cases, the student is still required to obtain an NC for each course s/he is withdrawing from according to the guidelines above. If the student is incapacitated and unable to contact his/her instructor(s), the student or her/his representative, may contact the Office of the Registrar, the academic department chair, or the dean for assistance in contacting the faculty and requesting withdrawal as indicated by the NC notation.

Grades

The following grades are possible in MDL courses:

A grade of "C" (2.00 quality points) or better must be earned in each required course to have that course count toward the Bachelor of Arts degree in Modern Languages. The grade of "D" in any 2000/3000/4000 level MDL course is passing, but does not allow the course to be counted for the major. It must be repeated with a higher grade of "C" or better to do so.)

Other possible notations:

Please consult the Catalog for complete information on MSU Denver's Academic Policies and Procedures, including the policy on attendance (under the NC/Withdrawal - No Credit section) and the Last Grade Stands policy for Repeated Courses: Catalog Policies.

NC/Withdrawal (No Credit)

• The No Credit (NC) notation is not a grade. It may indicate withdrawal from the course or course repetition. (The NC deadline should not be confused with the add/drop deadlines for each semester.) During the add/drop period, a student may drop a course, and it will not appear on the student’s academic record.) 
• Students can withdraw from a class online at ConnectU according to the published deadline in the Academic Calendar at www.mscd.edu/academic/acal. Proportional time frames are applied for part-of-term courses, weekend courses, workshops and summer terms. These deadlines are available from the Office of the Registrar or the Office of Student Accounts. Deadlines for full-term, summer classes are published in the class schedule.
• After the NC Deadline (or proportional time frame for part-of-term courses, weekend courses, workshops, and summer terms) of the semester, students cannot withdraw from a course. The “I” notation may be used during this period, as long as the conditions specified are included in the incomplete policy. 
• Students who fail to withdraw from their course or courses by the published NC deadline will be assigned the grade they had earned, based on the course syllabus.
• Students who need to withdraw from a course or courses because of the death of an immediate family member, serious illness or medical emergency, or employment changes beyond their control may request a tuition refund by filing a Tuition and Fees Appeal Form through the Office of Student Accounts. Students who receive financial aid are encouraged to speak with a counselor in the Office of Financial Aid prior to filing a ‘Tuition and Fee Appeal’.
• The “NC” notation is used in self-paced courses to indicate that the student has not completed the self-paced course(s) and requires additional time to increase the student’s proficiency. In this case, to earn credit the student must re-register and pay tuition and fees for the course in a subsequent term.

I (Incomplete)

The Incomplete (I) notation may be assigned when a student, who was achieving satisfactory progress in a course and who had completed most class assignments, is unable to take the final examination and/or did not complete all class assignments due to unusual circumstances such as hospitalization or disability. Incomplete work denoted by the Incomplete “I” notation must be completed within one calendar year or earlier, at the discretion of the faculty member. If the incomplete work is not completed within one year, the “I” notation will convert to an “F.” Students must have completed at least 75% of the course work to qualify for consideration for an incomplete. The student must be passing the course in order to be granted an incomplete.

Determination of eligibility does not guarantee that an incomplete will be granted. Students who do meet the qualifications may request an incomplete from the faculty member who is teaching the course. The decision to grant an incomplete is up to the faculty member or at the department chair’s discretion. The decision to grant an incomplete as an accommodation based on a student’s disability shall be made by the faculty member or the department chair, if the faculty member is not available, in consultation with the Director of the Access Center.

If an incomplete is granted, the student and instructor should fill out and sign an Incomplete Agreement form to clarify what the student needs to do to complete the course.

Graduating seniors may not graduate with an “I” on their MSU Denver academic record if:

• The course in which the “I” was assigned is required for graduation, or
• a “D” or “F” assigned for that course would result in an overall GPA less than 2.00.

The “I” notation may not be given for a self-paced course. If a student does not complete a self-paced course within the semester that he or she enrolled in the course, he or she must re-enroll in the course in order to complete it.

If a student receives an “I” in an online class, the instructor should contact the Educational Technology Center, whose staff will add the student to the online course roster so that the student will be able to logon to the course. This step must be done by the instructor each semester that the student continues to work on the course.

In order for an “I” to be changed to a letter grade, the incomplete work must be completed for the course for which the student originally registered. The student should NOT re-enroll for the same course, unless intending to retake the entire course. In this case, the student will pay tuition and fees.

Class Attendance on Religious Holidays

Students at Metropolitan State College of Denver (MSCD) who, because of their sincerely held religious beliefs, are unable to attend classes, take examinations, participate in graded activities or submit graded assignments on particular days shall without penalty be excused from such classes and be given a meaningful opportunity to make up such examinations and graded activities or assignments provided that advance written notice that the student will be absent for religious reasons is given to the faculty members during the first two weeks of the semester.

Nothing in paragraph one of this policy shall require MSCD faculty members to reschedule classes, repeat lectures or other ungraded activities or provide ungraded individualized instruction solely for the benefit of students who, for religious reasons, are unable to attend regularly scheduled classes or activities. However, presentations, critiques, conferences and similar activities involving individual students shall be scheduled to avoid conflicts with such students' religious observances or holidays provided that reasonable advance notice of scheduling conflicts is given to faculty members. Because classroom attendance and participation is an important aspect of learning, MSCD students should not register for courses if regularly scheduled classes or activities routinely conflict with their religious observances or holidays (e.g., conflicts resulting in weekly absences for an entire semester).

Any MSCD student who believes that an MSCD faculty member has violated this policy is entitled to seek relief under Section V of the MSCD Equal Opportunity Grievance Procedure.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

The Metropolitan State College of Denver is committed to making reasonable accommodations to assist individuals with disabilities in reaching their academic potential. If you have a disability which may impact your performance, attendance, or grades in this class and are requesting accommodations, then you must first register with the Access Center, located in the Auraria Library, Suite 116, 303-556-8387.

The Access Center is the designated department responsible for coordinating accommodations and services for students with disabilities. Accommodations will not be granted prior to my receipt of your faculty notification letter from the Access Center. Please note that accommodations are never provided retroactively (i.e., prior to the receipt of your faculty notification letter.) Once an instructor is in receipt of your official Access Center faculty notification letter, he or she would be happy to meet with you to discuss your accommodations. All discussions will remain confidential. Further information is available by visiting the Access Center for Disability Accommodations and Adaptive Technology Services website .

Students who need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor to discuss their specific needs. Students will need to provide the instructor with a disability verification letter from the Access Center for Disability Accommodations and Adaptive Technology Services before appropriate accommodations can be made.

Access Center E-mail is: mscd-accesscenter@mscd.edu

Failure to notify the instructor in a timely fashion may hinder the university's ability to assist students to successfully complete the course.

The Metropolitan State College of Denver does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation or disability in admission or access to, or treatment in, its educational programs or activities. Inquiries concerning Title VI, Title IX and Section 504 may be referred to:

Dr. Percy Morehouse, Director
Equal Opportunity
Metropolitan State College of Denver
(303) 556-2939

or

Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Education
1244 Speer Boulevard, Suite 300
Denver, CO 80204

Discrimination based on disability in admission to, access to or operation of programs, services or activities of the university is prohibited by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty is a serious offense at the College because it diminishes the quality of scholarship and the learning experience for everyone on campus. An act of Academic Dishonesty may lead to sanctions including a reduction in grade (up to and including a permanent F for the course), probation, suspension, or expulsion. Academic dishonesty includes cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, submitting the same paper or work for more than one class, and facilitating academic dishonesty.

Harassment and Discrimination

All members of the MSCD community are bound by the ethical guidelines established by the university. The Department of Modern Languages does not tolerate harassment in or outside of class or discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, or veteran status. We expect appropriate professional and student behavior at all times.

If you have concerns or questions, please consult with your instructor; the department chair, Dr. Torres, (PL 360, 556-3010); the Equal Opportunity Office (CN 315, 556-2939); or Student Services (CN 313, 556-3908).