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Copyright (c) 1986, 2011 CALCampus
CONTENTS
About CALCampus Mission and Purpose How We Fulfill Our Mission and Purpose Philosophy History & Vision Faculty and Administration Student Advisement Admission into Individual Courses Admission into Programs Administrative Removal Licensing, Accreditation, and Memberships Online Tools For Instruction CALCampus Honor Code and Plagiarism Course List Instructional Departments Course Delivery Methods Homework Submission & Teacher Communication Individual Courses Programs High School Level Courses College Level Courses Clock Hours/Time On Task How Registration Works To Drop a Course & Refund Policies Course Transfer Grievance Procedure CALCampus Student Account Your Internet E-mail Address Your Mailing Address Course Materials Grades and Transcripts Failure Policy Class Attendance Course Completion Time, Deadlines, Extensions, Re-registration Who To Contact If Something Goes WrongABOUT CALCAMPUS CALCampus is an accredited online distance learning school, located in the U.S., offering college and high school course instruction through the Internet. Enrollment is open to all individual, mature learners anywhere in the world who have access to the Internet. CALCampus was founded in 1982 as CALC, the Computer Assisted Learning Center. It began teaching courses exclusively online in 1986 as the CALC Online Campus, and in 1995 adopted the name of CALCampus. The complete CALCampus catalog is available to the public on the World Wide Web at www.calcampus.edu. Courses are offered in business, computer programming, computer applications and technology, English, mathematics, science, social science, general studies, foreign language study, and legal studies. English (ESL) courses are offered for non-native speakers. Students use our courses for many different purposes according to their own needs. MISSION AND PURPOSE The mission of CALCampus is:
CALCampus maintains permanent academic records for every student.
ONLINE TOOLS FOR INSTRUCTION
CALCampus is totally Internet-based and has been carefully designed to take effective advantage of the online tools that are available. Each student has access to our Course Management System, which holds a dedicated area for each course for submitting assignments, receiving comments, downloading supplemental materials, communicating through course forums, and interacting through online offices/classrooms.
CALCAMPUS HONOR CODE and PLAGIARISM POLICY
Under our Honor Code, each student is required to do his/her own work in all homework assignments, projects, and exams. Answers to questions are to be written in your own words and/or showing your steps in doing calculations so that instructors can determine that you indeed understand the information you are studying. Copying verbatim from any instructional source or from others (unless specifically requested by the parameters of the assignment and with appropriate citation of sources used) is not acceptable and is grounds for administrative removal from course enrollment with no refund. CALCampus Penalty for Plagiarism If you are found to be plagiarizing on an assignment, test, research paper, or any other submission for your course, you will receive a zero on the assignment and will be warned against doing this again. A second occurrence of plagiarism will result in administrative dismissal from the course without a refund, a failure, and no transcript. Students who have plagiarized are not eligible for enrollment in any future CALCampus courses. CALCampus faculty are committed to helping you prevent this from happening, so please seek help, if needed.EXAMS
Under our Honor Code system, students do their exams at their home location without a proctor. However, individual teachers have the option to require proctored exams for all or selected exams, for all or selected students, at any time during a course. Also, we can accommodate proctored exam requests, if requested by a school for its student. If a student earns less than 65% on a Final Exam, his/her course grade cannot be higher than a C.CALCAMPUS COURSE LIST
Courses are offered continually throughout the year. Refer to the Current Course List for offerings. This is located online and in the CALCampus Catalog of Courses and Programs. It is occasionally updated throughout the year as we add new courses. The Course List provides you with Course Title, Number, Cost, as well as links to descriptions for each CALCampus course.
INSTRUCTIONAL DEPARTMENTS
CALCampus offers courses in the following academic departments. Each department has its unique
abbreviation as noted below in capital letters.
BU Business
CSE Computer Science
EN English
HUM Humanities
MTH Mathematics
SH Science
SST Social Sciences
Each course is placed within one of these departments and is given
a specific Course Title and Number with which we identify the course.
Example:
Course Title: BASIC Programming I
Section Number: CSE310.
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| Specific Number for BASIC I
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Identifies Computer
Science Dept.
The CALCampus Course Catalog and Course List identify every course with both its Course Title and Number. Students need to remember this information as it is needed for course registration and also when submitting homework files.
COURSE DELIVERY METHODS
Courses are taught by a CALCampus instructor who has designed his/her own course. All instruction and communication with the instructor is done through the Internet. Materials for some courses are provided online for the student to download; most courses require a textbook that the student buys. Students use the Online Campus to submit homework to the instructor, receive feedback from the instructor, and ask questions. As needed, the instructor will provide supplemental instruction either through Internet e-mail or by scheduling a private one-on-one office hour online on CALCampus. On CALCampus, we have many classrooms and offices (teleconference rooms) available for real-time meetings.
In the past, CALC used primarily realtime small group online instruction. As the international student body grew, we gradually phased out the live small group courses.
HOMEWORK SUBMISSION & TEACHER COMMUNICATION
Do not submit homework in batches. Our instructional method is based on the student submitting one assignment per week with the instructor sending comments and supplemental instruction, as needed, before the student submits the next assignment. Teachers will reply with comments on each assignment. Submit all work ONLY THROUGH THE COURSE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (CMS). Please include your name, e-mail address, and assignment title inside the homework file so that the teacher can easily recognize what the file is and who it is from. Do not assume that an assignment has arrived when you submit it to the CMS. If you do not get an acknowledgement of receipt from a teacher within 48 hours, assume that your communication did not arrive and contact your instructor to see if he/she received the submission through the CMS. If no reply is received, contact the Director for assistance. Students should be in weekly contact with their teachers unless an alternate study schedule has been approved at the start of the course.INDIVIDUAL COURSES
Any of the CALCampus courses may be taken by individual learners who want to take a course for their own purposes and who are not enrolled in a program. Many students take just one or two courses to suit their needs; others take more. We advise against taking more than three courses at one time.
POSTSECONDARY PROGRAMS
CALCampus offers several Postsecondary Certificate and Diploma Programs, which are primarily aimed at the adult learner for the purpose of job skills enhancement and continuing education. Students take several courses that have been specifically grouped for instructional purposes. Upon successful completion of all required courses, the student receives a Certificate or Diploma of Program Completion from CALCampus with an official transcript of courses taken for the program.
HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL COURSES and CREDIT
CALCampus courses that are numbered in the 200s fall within the standard high school curriculum. The majority of our high school courses are designed to cover the content of a full year, unless otherwise noted in the course description. We do not specify credit amounts on our high school transcripts for individual students taking courses for other schools; instead, we note if it was full-year content or half-year content. This is because there is no standard among high schools throughout the US. In our own High School Diploma program, we award 1 credit for each course.
If you are interested in using a CALCampus course for credit at your local high school, you should contact your local school administration to get approval. CALCampus's Director is available to speak with local school administrators. CALCampus high school level courses are used by traditional high schools to supplement their regular curriculum; home schoolers and other individual students who are not residing within the U.S. also take CALCampus's high school courses. CALCampus offers a High School Diploma program to upper teens and adults. See the High School Division.COLLEGE LEVEL COURSES and CREDITS
Many of CALCampus's courses are on the college level and postsecondary level. Students are advised to contact their local university to ask about transferring their CALCampus courses into their local university. Many colleges and universities accept CALCampus courses.
In all cases, the college student is advised to check with the receiving institution to ask about credit acceptance. The final decision to award credit is always made by the receiving institution which sets its own guidelines and requirements. As a guideline, CALCampus college level courses are usually equivalent to 3 semester credits.
CLOCK HOURS/TIME ON TASK
Distance learning courses do not count classroom hours since there are no required physical classroom sessions. Instead, time on task is used to estimate clock hours. Determining the total time on task for a course is done by calculating how much time an average student would take to complete all required work for a course. This includes reading course lectures/presentations; reading other materials; participation in online discussions both realtime and message board/e-mail; doing research; writing homework papers; and completing all other assignments, such as research papers, projects, and exams. One should be able to measure any course, regardless of delivery method, by the description of the content covered. Using the Carnegie guideline, one semester credit equals 45 hours. CALCampus postsecondary level courses are designed to cover the content of a standard 3-semester credit college course, offered over a 12-week period. This would average from 8-11 hours of study per week, depending on individual learning ability, rate of individual learning, study environment, and prior knowledge of the subject matter. Since certain tasks require more time than others, the weekly average will vary.
HOW COURSE REGISTRATION WORKS
CALCampus accepts all individual learners based on the mature individual's self-assessment of his/her ability to benefit from and successfully complete selected courses. There is a student admission fee.
Individual Course Registration: See Course Registration Form.
Program Enrollment: See Program Application Forms.
Within 24-48 hours after we receive your course registration form, the Registrar will e-mail with acknowledgment of receipt. Usually within 1-3 business days from receipt of your registration, you will receive an e-mailed official Confirmation Letter from the Registrar, which welcomes you into CALCampus, provides your instructor's name and e-mail address, and gives you instructions for creating your student account on CALCampus. Soon after you receive your Confirmation Letter, you will be contacted through e-mail by your instructor with startup information for your course(s).
TO DROP A COURSE WITH A REFUND
CALCampus Tuition Refund Policy
The following applies: A student may cancel his/her course or program registration for a full refund any time prior to midnight of the third business day after the date the registration was submitted. There is a $25 drop fee. Pro rata refunds are based on a 12-week course period, starting from date of course confirmation from the Registrar, regardless of how much work the student may or may not have done. Individual Courses If a student fails to enter a course, prepaid tuition, fees and other course charges, minus the Student Admission fee and $25 drop fee, shall be returned to the student upon written request of the student within 7 calendar days from date of initial course confirmation. After 7 calendar days but prior to half the course duration, students may be eligible for a pro rata refund. After 6 weeks from date of course confirmation, there is no refund. Programs (a) A student who withdraws or is dismissed after three business days have passed, but before completing 50% of the potential units of instruction in the current time period, shall be entitled to a pro rata refund, as calculated below, less any amounts owed by the student for the current time period, less a one-time application fee not exceeding $500 or 20% of the program tuition, whichever is less. Current time period is based on a 12-week period. (b) Pro rata refund shall be the ratio of the number of units remaining after the last unit completed by the student to the total number of units in the time period, rounded downward to the nearest 10 percent. Pro rata refund is the resulting percent applied to the total tuition and other required costs paid by the student for the current time period. (c) All efforts shall be made to refund prepaid amounts for books, supplies and other charges unless the student has consumed or used those items and they can no longer be used or sold to new students, or returned by the school to the supplier. (d) No refund shall be required for any student who withdraws or is dismissed after completing 50% of the potential units of instruction in the current time period unless a student withdraws due to mitigating circumstances, in which case refunds shall be calculated based on the pro rata method described in (a). (e) The 50 percent completion limitation does not apply in cases where the student cannot complete the program due to action taken by the school. Examples of school?s action shall include school closing or bankruptcy, or cancellation of the program. In these and similar situations, refunds and fees shall be based on the pro rata method described in (a) for up to 100 percent of the tuition paid. A cancellation/drop request is to be sent to the Registrar in writing and may be submitted by e-mail, fax, or surface mail (postal date is considered date of request). CALCampus adheres to refund policies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the New Hampshire Postsecondary Education Commission. COURSE TRANSFER Within 7 days of the confirmation date of a course, a student may transfer into a different course - there is a $25 course transfer fee, plus or minus any price difference on the course registration fee. Course transfer requests are made by e-mailing the Registrar (date e-mail was sent is considered date of request) or through surface mail (PO date on envelope is considered date of request). After 7 days from the confirmation date, there is no transfer. The student will instead drop the first course and register for the new course. STUDENT GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE A grievance is defined as dissatisfaction occurring when a student believes that a decision, act, or condition affecting him or her is illegal, unjust, or creates unnecessary hardship. Such grievances may concern academic problems (excluding grades and plagiarism, except when there is an allegation of illegal discrimination); mistreatment by a school employee; wrongful assessment of fees; records errors; and discrimination based on race, national origin, sex, marital status, religion, age, or disability. Plagiarism falls under a separate policy. It is our intention to encourage and facilitate resolution of a serious grievance which a student may have with a faculty member, administrator or member of the staff in a timely manner with fairness and equity. A grievance must be filed within five business days of the occurrence so that it can be expeditiously addressed. A. A student who believes she or he has a legitimate grievance should promptly contact through e-mail the person immediately involved (i.e. faculty member, administrator, member of staff). The procedure is concluded if a mutually acceptable solution is reached. Each person will retain a copy of the dated e-mail resolution for reference. B. If the grievance is not mutually resolved through A, the student may pursue the matter through consultation with the Director of CALCampus: 1. Within seven days of the e-mail contact in A, the student should e-mail a written statement to the Director clearly indicating the nature of the complaint; the status to date; and the student's suggestion for resolution. 2. Within seven days after receipt of the written statement, the Director will contact each party separately; and then propose a written resolution to the grievance based on school policy. The proposed resolution will be delivered to both parties via e-mail within seven days for their approval. Each party will acknowledge and approve of the proposed resolution within three days via e-mail. Copies will be retained the offices of Registrar and Director. C. If the grievance is not mutually resolved through A or B, the student may pursue the matter through Committee: 1. Within seven days of the e-mail contact with the Director in B-1, the student should surface mail a written statement to the Compliance Committee at CALCampus. The statement must clearly indicate in writing: a) the nature of the complaint; b) the steps already taken; and c) the student's suggestion for resolution. 2. Within seven days after receipt of the written statement, the Committee will investigate the complaint and meet to resolve the grievance. The School Attorney, being a member of the Committee, will assure that any Committee resolution is based on the application of school policy and law. A written dated summary with Committee resolution will be surface mailed to each party within seven days of meeting. Each party will acknowledge receipt of the Committee's resolution within three days via e-mail acknowledgement. The final decision will be kept on file in the offices of the Registrar, Director, and School Attorney.CALCAMPUS STUDENT ACCOUNT
All students are given a CALCampus account for access to our Online Campus. We will e-mail you your login details after you register for a course.
YOUR INTERNET E-MAIL ADDRESS
When you register for a course, you are asked to provide us with your Internet e-mail address. This is very important. We need this so that we can communicate with you. If you change your Internet e-mail address after you have registered, we have no way of knowing how to contact you. You must tell us if you will be changing your Internet e-mail address. As soon as you know your new Internet e-mail address, contact the Director and your CALCampus instructor with the new information.
YOUR MAILING ADDRESS
Please e-mail the Registrar if your mailing address changes. We need this information for when we surface mail your official academic record.
COURSE MATERIALS
For many courses, instructional materials, in the form of text files, hypertext files, and Web-based files, are provided online for students to download. For most courses, a hardcopy text is required. Students get these from our online bookstore. Allow time for your book order to arrive; so order early.
GRADES and TRANSCRIPTS
All CALCampus courses are graded. At the end of the course, students who have completed all of the coursework and who have academically passed the course with at least an overall course average of 70% are awarded a hardcopy transcript of course completion from CALCampus with their grade on it, which is mailed by surface mail. Allow 15 business days for processing your final course grade and official transcript. Program transcripts are processed within two weeks of the student's completion of all requirements. The first transcript is free and is sent directly to the student unless otherwise requested by the student. For subsequent transcripts, there is a fee. CALCampus grading scale: A 94-100FAILURE POLICY
If the student's overall course grade is below 70%, that constitutes a failure and no transcript is issued.
In rare instances where a valid reason existed causing a failing course grade that was not a continual pattern of poor performance throughout a course, a student who fails a course might be given a chance to bring his/her grade up to passing (C-minus: 70%) with instructor recommendation and Director approval. There is no guarantee of approval, nor is there assurance that the student will achieve a passing course grade, if approved. The student must request this in writing to the Director and provide an explanation of the circumstances that existed that resulted in the exceptional failing work. This must be done within five business days after the failing final grade was reported, and the request must be approved by both the instructor and Director. If approved, the Director and the course Instructor will discuss the matter, will agree upon a corrective measure for the particular student, and the student will be notified of the decision. Students who have plagiarized are not eligible under this policy. Corrective measures may include one of the following: a) If the student's course grade was within one point of passing, the student might be given the option of taking an alternate final exam, if applicable. The exam will be proctored. Both grades will be averaged. There is a $25 alternate final exam fee. This must be completed within two weeks.CLASS ATTENDANCE
Class attendance is measured through the Course Management System (CMS). CALCampus provides individualized instruction through distance learning, using the online medium for communication. There are no required group classes. Students study offline, and use the CMS for communication with the instructor and for submitting course work. Each instructor holds an online office period. Individual, one-on-one online conferences may be required by an instructor. There is a class participation policy. Students are to contact their instructor at least once a week through the course management system.COMPLETION TIME, DEADLINES, COURSE EXTENSIONS, COURSE RE-REGISTRATION
Courses are designed for completion in 12 weeks. If the student has a deadline that is shorter than 12 weeks, he/she is to request in writing approval from the Registrar prior to enrollment. We may or may not approve of a particular accelerated request. This must be approved by the instructor and administration at time of registration, written into the course confirmation letter, and subsequently discussed with the instructor at the start of the course so that an acceptable study and assignment submission schedule is agreed upon. We rarely approve of completions of less than 10 weeks. If an accelerated request is not written into the course confirmation letter, then it is not approved and not recognized. On the other hand, we have some students who, for various reasons (medical, family, work), must delay their studies and plan to return later to finish up a course. If you find that you need more than 12 weeks to complete your course, please take a minute to e-mail the Registrar and your instructor so that we can note this in our files. To anticipate the unexpected longterm delays, CALCampus will allow you to complete the course within six months from the date of course confirmation. After that date, you will need to request a reactivation and extension of the particular course and get approval from the Registrar and the instructor. If approved, the course reactivation costs $100 for a three-month period. There are no refunds on course renewal fees. Two three-month reactivations per course are allowed over a total of 12 months from the original course confirmation date. After 12 months from the time of original course confirmation, the student must submit a new registration form and full payment for the course as posted on the current course list. Contact the Registrar for more details, should you have questions. CALCampus does not send out 1098-T forms.WHO TO CONTACT IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG
For technical problems dealing with your access to the Internet, contact your own local Internet provider.
ALL other PROBLEMS RELATED TO CALCampus: contact either your instructor or our administrative office. If you find the need to speak directly to CALCampus, the phone number is posted on this page.
Or, if you prefer to use traditional surface mail--send mail to
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