College Catalogue: Online Campus
Administration of the Curriculum

Online Campus Semester System

Required courses are taken in 8 week increments with a minimum of two classes being offered in each 8 week term. Online class meetings are required. Some elective courses are taken in 12 week increments and require no class meetings.  Students receive course credit toward graduation on the basis of semester hours.  Semester hour credit for each course is shown in the Required Courses section. 

Courses

• Belhaven College 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.

Departmental Abbreviations

Art	ART
Biblical Studies and Ministries	BIB
Biology	BIO
Business	BUS
Computer Science	CSC
Education	EDU
English	ENG
History	HIS
Humanities	HUM
Interdisciplinary Studies	IDS
International Studies	IST
Mathematics	MAT
Philosophy	PHI
Psychology	PSY
Sociology	SOC
Worldview Curriculum	WVC

Grades and Quality Points
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Audit; W, Withdrew Before Grades; WC, Withdrew Course; WP, Withdrew Passing; WF, Withdrew Failing; AW, Administratively Withdrawn; S, Satisfactory; U, Unsatisfactory; ES, Examination Satisfactory; CR, Credit; NC, No Credit.

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 College.

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 professors and the Registrar’s office before the end of the semester:

The student (or one representing the student) must obtain the incomplete request form from the Registrar's office.  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.

Forgiveness Policy on Repeated Courses

An undergraduate student, upon written request, may ask to repeat up to four courses, or 12 hours for forgiveness.  The previous grade will appear on the permanent record, but will not be used in calculating the quality point index. 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. The student 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.  A grade of an F will not forgive a grade of an F; both F’s will be calculated in the GPA.
2. 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.
3. The highest grade earned will be the one used to recalculate the GPA.
4. A course intended to be used for the forgiveness policy cannot be taken as independent study and must be taken at Belhaven College.

Academic Probation and Suspension

A quality point index is calculated at the end of each semester or summer session. ALL STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO MAINTAIN A GRADE POINT AVERAGE OF 2.00 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 hours times two) = quality point index. 

A student who falls below the required cumulative 2.0 in any program will be placed on probation for the next four concurrent courses.  Academic probation will be removed when the student achieves a satisfactory cumulative GPA of 2.0.

If a student does not achieve a 2.0 within the probationary period of four courses, he/she will be administratively withdrawn for a period of six months, after which he/she will be eligible to apply for readmission.   Reinstatement is not automatic.  Students must show cause and correction of academic deficiencies.  Students who are readmitted must achieve a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the first four three-hour courses upon re-entry.

The second academic disqualification will be considered a suspension, and the student may not petition for reinstatement for one year.

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 240 quality points.

Course Load

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

Grade Reports

At the conclusion of a virtual campus course, final grade reports will be available on the Belhaven website.  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.

Transcripts

A student who desires a transcript must fill out a request form available on Blazenet or in the Business Office at least two weeks before the time he/she needs to have the transcript sent.  The Registrar is not permitted to issue transcripts for a student who is in debt to the College.  The request for a transcript must be signed by the person whose record is to be released.  The cost of each transcript is $10.00 and must be paid in advance by cash, credit card, or money order.  Personal checks are accepted; however, the transcript request will be held for two weeks to allow time for the check to clear.

Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974

Belhaven College 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 College 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 Policy

The online class attendance policy assumes that students will be present for all classes. Belhaven College Online Campus policy requires that students attend at least 75 percent of class meetings during a hemester in order to receive credit.

• All reasons for absences (for example, illness, power outage, internet or technical problems, emergencies, and late registration) are included in the maximum number of absences.
• If the student is more than one minute tardy twice, or leaves the virtual classroom more than one minute early twice, or is more than one minute tardy once and leaves class more than one minute early once, it will be counted as one full absence.
• If the student logs into the virtual classroom and does not actively participate in the class (i.e. does not respond to attempted contact by the professor or does not use the webcam), it cannot be confirmed that the student is actually attending the class, so the student will be counted absent.
• If there is a power outage, internet, or technical problem which prevents the student from attending class, the student should do the following. However these options are not available for other reasons for absence.
  1. Explore other options, such as attending class from another location.
  2. Inform the professor as soon as possible and contact the appropriate party to repair the problem as quickly as possible.
  3. Make up the absence by playing back themissedclass session, in its entirety, and submitting the Absence Declaration Form via fax (407-661-1732) to the Director of Student Services before the last class meeting of the hemester.
  4. Contact the professor to set up another time to take any tests or quizzes missed during the class session; otherwise, the student may receive a failing grade for the test(s) quiz(zes).

Degree Audits

A student’s degree audit 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. 

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 College.  At the time of graduation the student must have established a cumulative quality point index on the Belhaven College record and meet the minimum below to be eligible:
cum laude, 3.4; magna cum laude, 3.7; summa cum laude, 3.9.
To graduate "with honors," a student must have a minimum of 45 academic hours carrying quality points at Belhaven College and a 3.4 cumulative grade point average at Belhaven College

Belhaven College baccalaureate degree-seeking students who graduate with academic honors will wear Belhaven College 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 College.

Tutorial Work

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

Alternative Credit (For undergraduate degrees only)
(All alternative credit must not exceed 30 credit hours toward the undergraduate degree.)

• Standardized Testing
  Belhaven College recognizes the CLEP 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.
  
  
• Foreign Language Proficiency Exams
  Students proving proficiency in a native language other than English will be considered to have met Goal III.  Foreign students may not register for credit in their native language.  Students may earn college credit for Spanish, French, or German only by taking the CLEP examination at the elementary or intermediate levels.  Students may earn up to the required number of credit hours in the general education core for their major in a single language through completion of the CLEP examination with a minimum score of 50 or above or through proficiency credit.  The CLEP standardized examination will preclude the use of departmental examinations except in those areas where CLEP examinations are not available.
  
  The method of testing and the number of credit hours to be awarded for languages other than Spanish, French, or German will be determined by the chair of the foreign language department or their designee.  For testing other than CLEP, a $100 fee is charged for administering a proficiency exam; an additional fee of $100 is charged if the exam is completed and credit is to be awarded.
  
  
• 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.  Alternative credit, including military credit, may not exceed 30 hours.