Coursework Policies

• Withdrawal from Courses
• Class Attendance
• Examinations and Papers
• Incompletes and Extensions
• Grades
• Questioning a Grade

Withdrawal from Courses
A student may add a course during the first 10 academic days of a semester and may withdraw from a course during the first 15 academic days of a semester without the instructor’s permission.  After 10 academic days a student will not be permitted to enter another course for credit. Students may withdraw from a course within the first 50 academic days (10 weeks) of the semester, with the instructor’s permission.  When a student has withdrawn from a course after 15 academic days, the course will appear on the transcript with a notation of "W," indicating that the student withdrew from the course without penalty.  The "W" will not be counted in the student's grade point average.  If a student does not withdraw from a course during the first 50 academic days, the instructor will assign a grade at the end of the semester based on completed work.  The 50^th day of the semester is indicated on the Academic Calendar published on the registrar’s web site.

 In cases of emergency, students may petition for exceptions to the above deadlines. Such petitions must be approved by the instructor and authorized by the dean of Studies, the Director of  Health Services, or the director of Counseling Services.

  Class Attendance
All students are expected to attend class regularly unless an individual instructor suspends this faculty ruling. The days before and after vacations are not excepted. Excessive absence may lead to no credit in the course, a lower grade, or denial of an extension. With the approval of the Academic Administrative Board, an instructor can require a student to withdraw from a course because of absence, as well as for other reasons contributing to nonperformance. A student may not resume course work after more than twenty academic days of continuous absence without recommendation of the professor concerned and the dean of the College.

Examinations and Papers
No in-course examinations shall be assigned during the last scheduled week of classes. Laboratory practicals, or in-course examinations for students who had been ill, may be scheduled during the last week.

All papers assigned as part of a series of regular semester assignments for a course shall be due no later than the last day of classes. A substantial final paper required as a substitute for a final examination may be due no earlier than the first day of the examination period and no later than the end of the final examination period or, for seniors in the second semester, the third day of the examination period.

A reading period of two calendar days is scheduled between the last day of classes and the first day of the examination period. No examinations, additional readings, projects, or papers may be scheduled or due during the reading period.

Most final examinations at the College are self-scheduled. This permits students to take exams during any of the morning, afternoon, and evening sessions of the examination period, which usually lasts four or five days. Detailed instructions about when and where to take exams are available several weeks prior to the examination period on the registrar’s web site. A student must bring her identification card to the examination center. Second semester seniors must take all their exams during the first three days of the examination period.

In any course with self-scheduled exams, no student may take the final exam before the beginning of the examination period unless an exception has been granted in advance by the Academic Administrative Board. These are granted only in extremely unusual circumstances. Travel schedules and prior reservations will not justify an exception. A student who does not have an approved exception and who fails to take the exam during the examination period will receive a grade of F for the exam.

A few exams requiring audiovisual aids, including some in art history, music, and beginning language, are prescheduled and must be taken at the appointed time.

Self-scheduled examinations are an unusual privilege derived from our common honor code. The system depends on student volunteers to staff the examination centers. Information about volunteering will be distributed in advance of early registration. Every student is encouraged to donate one block of time toward running the examination center.

The College honor code governs academic conduct in taking exams. Every student is expected to have read the section of this handbook on the honor code, as well as A Guide to the Uses and Acknowledgment of Sources and to avoid all forms of plagiarism and cheating, whether knowing or inadvertent. Misuse of library materials or someone else’s work on an exam violates academic responsibility.

Incompletes and Extensions
Any work (paper, exam, or project) turned in after the last day of the examination period will be accepted and counted toward successful completion of the course only if a student has had an extension authorized the director of Health Services of the director of the Counseling Service in the case of a medical emergency, or an academic dean in the case of other emergencies.  Once an extension has been authorized the student must seek the instructor's approval. No instructor has the authority to give a student a due date beyond the last day of the examination period without prior authorization.

The new due date for the incomplete work, as agreed upon by the student and her instructor is entered on the form. Whenever possible, instructors should indicate a provisional grade on the form approving the extenstion.  The provisional grade is based on the work already completed for the course.  It is not the grade the student will likely receive when she completes the remaining work for the course.  If the remaining work is not completed by the new deadline, the provisional grade will become the course grade on the student's transcript.  If the instructor has not submitted a provisional grade and the work is not completed by the new deadline, a failure will be recorded by the registrar.  If the extension was authorized for medical reasons and the work is not completed by the new due date, a W will be recorded for the course on the student's transceipt.

Grades
A grading system of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, and F is used to indicate the quality of work. A cumulative average of 2.00 is required for graduation. In a few courses, CR (credit) is used to indicate work of acceptable quality.

As a general guide to instructors, the faculty has agreed to the following equivalencies to letter grades:
A = excellent
B = good
C = satisfactory (graduation level)
D = minimally passing
F = failing.

Recognizing that any system of grading is but a cryptic form of evaluation, the faculty will interpret the grade on individual pieces of work with detailed commentary.

Questioning a Grade
By faculty legislation a grade that has been submitted to the registrar can be changed only at the request of the instructor, and then only with the approval of the Academic Administrative Board. The Board has granted such permission only in cases in which there was a computational error, and not in cases that involve re-evaluation of student work.
A student questioning a grade she has received should therefore consult with the instructor. If it turns out that there was a computational error, the instructor could petition the Academic Administrative Board. If after talking with the instructor the student remains concerned about the way in which a grade was determined, she should speak with the department chair. If her concern persists she can speak with the dean of the College, who may be able to clarify the issue or, if circumstances warrant, refer it to the dean of the faculty.