Cañada College Student Handbook
ACADEMIC RENEWAL
Up to 36 semester units of substandard course work (i.e., D, F, and NC) within a maximum of two semesters and one summer session which are not reflective of the student's current demonstrated scholastic ability may be alleviated and disregarded in the computation of the grade point average under the following conditions:
1. A period of at least
three years must have elapsed since the course work to be alleviated was complete;
and
2. A student seeking the alleviation must have completed
9 units of course work with a 3.5 cumulative grade point average, or
15 units of course work with a 3.0 cumulative grade point average, or
21 units of course work with a 2.5 cumulative grade point average, or
24 units of course work with a 2.0 cumulative grade point average.
3. The substandard coursework to be alleviated must have been taken at Cañada
College, College of San Mateo, or Skyline College. However, the course work
upon which the application for alleviation is based may be completed at any
college or university accredited by the Western Association of Schools and
Colleges or an equivalent accrediting agency.
The academic renewal policy may be applied when alleviation of prior course work is necessary to qualify a student for financial aid or admission to a program or transfer to another institution or for completion of a certificate or degree program. To request Academic Renewal, a student must file a formal petition to the Office of Enrollment Services located in on the bottom floor of Building 8.
When academic course work is alleviated from the computation of the grade point average, the student's permanent academic record shall be properly annotated in a manner to ensure that all entries are legible, providing a true and complete academic history.
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ACADEMIC STANDARDS POLICY
The Academic Standards Policy of Cañada College and the San Mateo County
Community College District is based on a cumulative grade point average of 2.0
(C), the minimum standard required for graduation or transfer. A grade point
average of less than 2.0 is considered deficient. Grade point average (GPA)
is determined by dividing the total number of grade points earned by the total
number of letter graded (GPA) units.
Academic standing, including determination of probation or dismissal status,
is based upon all course work completed at Cañada College, College of
San Mateo, and Skyline College.
In addition to the following academic standards, special program eligibility
requirements for financial aid, athletics, Veteran's Educational Benefits, etc.,
may differ. Students should consult with their specific program coordinator
for applicable program eligibility requirements
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ATTENDANCE REGULATIONS
The more class sessions
students miss, the greater the chances that grades may suffer. Regular attendance
in class and laboratory sessions is an obligation assumed by every student at
the time of registration. Regular attendance affords the student the opportunity
to acquire the content of the specific session and, over the length of the course,
the continuity of the professor's plan for the presentation of the subject matter
in the course.
When repeated absences place the probability of the student's success in doubt,
the Professor may drop the student from the course.
Absence means nonattendance for whatever reason. It is the prerogative of the
professor to determine when absences are excessive. A guideline used by many
professors to determine when absences are considered excessive is when the student
has been absent twice the number of clock hours that the class meets during
a week, or a pro-rata value designed to relate to shorter than semester length
courses or practicum intensive programs. This is strictly a guideline and will
vary with each professor depending on the subject matter of the course or laboratory.
The professor will only drop a student from a course if absences, in the opinion
of the professor, have placed the student's success in jeopardy.
If the student believes that there were extenuating circumstances related to
the absences that resulted in being dropped from a course, the student may petition
the Academic Standards and Policies Committee within five academic calendar
days. The petition must contain an explanation of the absences, progress in
the course to date, and justification for reinstatement. If the absences were
due to illness, the petition must include a physician's written confirmation
or a confirmation from the College Health Center. A student submitting a petition
may, with permission of the professor, remain in class until the decision of
the Academic Standards and Policies Committee is reached. After considering
the petition, the Committee will make a recommendation to the professor. In
all cases, the decision of the professor is final.
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AUTHORITY OF PROFESSORS
Students are expected to
be prepared for the course(s) in which they enroll and to be able to demonstrate
to the professor their levels of preparation, if requested to do so. Students
are also expected to perform the work of the course in a timely and systematic
manner. The professor of a course has the authority to determine the level of
preparation and level of performance of any student enrolled in that course.
In addition, any professor, with the approval of the Vice President, may seek
to exclude from a course any student whose conduct is disruptive. The instructor
has the authority to suspend the student from his/her class from the time of
an incident and the next class. The student must make an appointment with the
Vice President of Student Services immediately. Any student who refuses to leave
a classroom when requested to do so by the professor or by an administrator
of the college is subject to disciplinary action.
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CHANGE OF GRADES
An earned grade of A, B, C, D, F, W, CR, or NC may be changed by the professor within one year if an error has occurred. Grades cannot be changed on the basis of a student completing course work subsequent to the assignment of the final grade.
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COURSE REPETITION
A. Repeat for Credit
The Board of Trustees of
the San Mateo County Community College District has adopted a policy (District
rules and Regulations, Section 6.12) which permits a student to repeat certain
courses for credit a maximum of three times (total four class enrollments).
These courses require increasing levels of student performance or provide significantly
different course content each subsequent semester. Such courses will be designated
as "may be repeated for credit" in the course description. Courses
which are not so designated may not be repeated under this policy. Further information
on this policy is available from the Office of Admissions and Records.
B. Grade Alleviation
A student who has received
a substandard grade of D, F, or NC in a credit course taken at Canada College,
College of San Mateo or Skyline College may repeat the course for purposes of
grade alleviation. Normally, a student may repeat a credit course only once.
Under unusual circumstances, a student may petition the Dean of Admissions and
Records for permission to repeat a course more than once. Upon satisfactory
completion of the repeated course, only the grade earned in the repeated course
will be used in the computation of the grade point average. In no case will
the unit value of the repeated course be counted more than once. The student's
permanent academic record shall be annotated to insure that all entries are
legible that a true and complete academic record is maintained. That is, although
a course is being alleviated from the computation of the grade point average,
the original course and actual grade will remain on the student's academic record.
To the extent possible, preference for enrollment in a credit course shall be
given to students who have not previously taken the course. Exceptions to this
policy may be made by the Dean of Admissions and Records. Course repetition
involving work completed at a non-District institution may be honored upon application
to the Office of Admissions and Records.
C. Special Circumstances
Under special educationally justifiable circumstances, repetition of credit courses other than those for which substandard work has been recorded may be permitted. The student must obtain prior permission from the Dean of Admissions and Records before such course repetition will be authorized. Courses repeated under this provision shall be subject to the same terms and conditions outlined in "Grade Alleviation," section B above. Grades awarded for courses repeated under this provision shall not be considered in calculating the student's grade point average and in no case will the unit value of the repeated course be counted more than once.
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CREDIT BY EXAMINATION
A currently enrolled student in good standing may be permitted to obtain credit
for courses if he/she is especially qualified through previous training or instruction
and can demonstrate such qualifications by successfully completing an examination
approved by the faculty of the appropriate Division. Credit will not be allowed
for a course for which credit has been previously granted or for which credit
has been earned in a more advanced course in the same sequence. A maximum of
12 units toward an Associate Degree or 6 units toward a certificate may be applied
from courses for which credit has been earned by examination. College credit
earned by examination may not be used for meeting unit load requirements for
programs such as financial aid, Veteran's or Social Security Educational benefits,
or graduation residency requirements. The student's academic record shall be
clearly annotated to reflect that credit was earned by examination. Credit by
examination may be earned through the Advanced Placement Test (APT), the College
Level Entrance Placement (CLEP) examination, Credit by challenge, and/or credit
by certification and/or license.
A student may challenge a course for credit by examination only one time. A
challenge examination may not be used in order to improve a grade already received
for a course.
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