Academic Calendars by Semester
Audit
Course Audit Form
Class Attendance
back to Academic Topics
Class Cancellation Policy (LCOB)
NOTE: Faculty employed at Florida Gulf Coast University ARE NOT ALLOWED to independently
cancel classes.
It is part of the professional responsibility of all faculty to carry out their assigned teaching duties in an appropriate manner. This responsibility includes the requirement to meet all scheduled classroom commitments.
In emergency situations please follow these steps:
- Inform the Department Chair and/or Department Secretary of the situation and provide for either an alternative class coverage or special out-of-office class coverage or special out-of-office class assignment.
- If you are able to make alternative class coverage arrangements, please ensure the person covering the class has the necessary materials to conduct the class.
- If alternative class coverage cannot be arranged, have your Department Secretary post a sign on the classroom door and elsewhere necessary to inform the students that the class will not meet as scheduled and to check their e-mail for an out-of-class assignment.
- Have your Department Secretary send an e-mail to your class or classes informing the students that the class will not meet as scheduled and provide them with the out- of-class assignment.
- As a last resort, have your Department Secretary get a list of your class roster with telephone numbers from the Assistant Dean and have your Department Secretary call your students and inform them that the class will not be able to meet and provide them with the out-of-class assignment.
Approved by the LCOB Department Chairs on 8/9/02. Updated on 7/27/04.
back to Academic Topics
Faculty Office Hours (LCOB)
The LCOB requires all regular faculty to have a minimum of 5 (five) office hours per week. In the case of Distance Learning Courses, the faculty member still has a 5 (five) hour requirement EXCEPT with a stipulated minimum of 3 (three) hours per week in the on campus office (i.e. it is possible for the faculty to have up to 2 (two) hours of "virtual" office time).
Please be sure to let your Department Secretary know what your office hours will be prior to the beginning of a new semester. The Department Secretary will print your schedule/office hours and post it on your office door. Office hours must also be included in each class syllabus and every semester in the Faculty Activity Report (FAR).
back to Academic Topics
Gulfline
Gulfline is a University-wide online system used by Faculty, Staff, and Students. See the
Gulfline Guide for general instructions.
back to Academic Topics
Grades
FGCU Grading System, including:
Grade Forgiveness
GPA Calculation
Grade Reports
Change of Grade
Grade Appeal
Graduate Grading Policy (LCOB)
Change of Grade by Instructor (LCOB)
If it is necessary to change a student’s grade after the grade has been posted to the transcript, the Change of Grade form must be completed, and approved by the Assistant Dean/Associate Dean, and submitted to the Office of the Registrar.
A request for a change of grade will be considered only during the term immediately following the term in which the grade was assigned. Grades assigned during the spring semester may be changed during the following summer and fall terms. The dean (or his/her designee) of the college offering the course must approve grade changes. Exceptions to the time limitation may be approved by the college dean with supporting justification attached to the Change of Grade form.
Grades will not be changed after a degree or certificate has been awarded. For grade appeal procedures, refer to these pages from the Student Guidebook.
need a new link
The Instructor must follow these steps:
- Ask the LCOB Student Affairs Office Secretary for the Change of Grade form
- Fill out he information required
- Sign and date the form
- Return the Form to the LCOB Student Affairs Office Secretary
Grade Rosters
Grade Rosters will be available any time on Gulfline (see the Gulfline Guide) for Department Chairs or to the faculty via their Web accounts.
A "W" in the grade column indicates that the student has withdrawn from the course.
An "X" in this column indicates the student is auditing the course and thus gets no grade.
Midterm and Final Exam Grades
Faculty may post Midterm Grades and must post Final Grades on-line at Gulfline (see the Gulfline Guide)
Incomplete (LCOB)
An "I" grade assigned by an instructor indicates that a student has not completed a limited portion of the course work required. An "I" grade is not computed in a student's GPA for either an undergraduate or graduate student. To initiate consideration for an "I" grade, a student contacts the instructor before grades are reported. The decision to award an "I" grade is solely the decision of the instructor. Should a professor decide to assign an "I" grade, both the student and the instructor must complete an Incomplete Agreement Form. A copy of this form must be sent to the LCOB Student Affairs Office to be placed in the student’s College advising file. The maximum amount of time allotted to complete the course work and remove an "I" grade is one year from the semester ending
date that the "I" grade was assigned. After one year, the "I" grade will be changed to an "F", if the instructor has not reported a change of grade. A student will not be permitted to re-register for a course in which he or she currently has an "I'' grade.
Additional Guidance on Incomplete Grades
source: e-mail message from Carol Burnette 1/7/08
"If you assign an incomplete grade, please send an email to the student outlining the assignment/exam to be completed and the deadline for completion. Please forward a copy of this email to me and your department chair. I will place a copy in the student’s advising file.
Let me know if you have any questions or need additional information. Thanks."
Carol Burnette
Associate Dean for Assessment & Enrollment Management
Lutgert College of Business
burnette@fgcu.edu
Plus and Minus Grades
See the FGCU Grading System for defintions.
NOTE: LCOB requires a grade of “C” or higher for all undergraduate business courses. At the graduate level, students earning lower than a “C” will receive an “F” grade.
The grades of D+, D, and D- while considered passing for undergraduate students may not be acceptable for some courses (see your Degree Program Requirements).
Earned credit hours are not assigned in courses with grades of F (Failure), I (Incomplete), U (Unsatisfactory), W (Withdrawal without academic penalty), WF (Withdrawal with academic penalty), X (Audit) above), and Z (Thesis/Dissertation Continuation).
A grade of NR will be posted for grades not reported by the instructor. A NR grade will be converted to an F if a grade is not reported to the Office of the Registrar at the end of the following semester.
A student who registers for a course but fails to meet the course requirements without officially dropping the course, will receive a grade of F in the course.
Grades earned at other institutions will be converted to a grade of T (transfer grade) and not calculated in the Florida Gulf Coast University GPA.
Final Grades will not be mailed to the student by the university. Grades are available on FGCU's Gulfline (see the Gulfline Guide).
Posting & Handling of Student Grades
Privacy Statement – Student Grades
It is critical to protect the privacy of each student's course grade (s) and performance.
Grades should not be posted by the faculty on their office or classroom door in alphabetical or Social Security Number.
With a student's written permission, ungraded reports may be placed in an open office area or used for future student research.
Graded course exams, papers or projects, which reveal grades, are not to be placed in any open office area, whereby students may readily scan each other's performance.
Secretarial and office staff may not provide any grades or course information to anyone, including faculty, staff, students, or family members. If a student is having difficulty obtaining this information, the student is to be referred to a College Advisor.
Course exams, papers or projects should be maintained by the course instructor for at least one semester to allow for the possibility of student appeals. After that period, instructor must properly destroy and dispose of these documents.
Posting of Student Grades
Because grades are available to all students on Gulfline, FGCU does not mail final grades reports. Students who require written verification of their grades should contact the Office of the Registrar.
Grades are available for student access on Gulfline (see the Gulfline Guide).
Secretarial and office staff can NOT provide any grades or course performance information to any person-students, family members, etc, over the telephone or face to face.
It is important for your Department Secretary to keep a copy of your Student Information File.
back to Academic Topics
Class Rosters
NOTE: It is each faculty’s responsibility to view and print their class rosters on Gulfline (see the Gulfline Guide)
At the end of the Drop/Add period, it is recommended that you confirm your class roster by visiting Gulfline.
Students attending class but who are not listed on this class roster should be advised to contact the Office of the Registrar as soon as possible to solve the registration problem.
Tip for Faculty wishing to download Class Rosters: How to remove links from student names after you copied the class roster from Gulfline to MS Excel:
- Delete Columns D and E (two columns next to the student name column).
- Insert a column next to the student name column.
- Select all student names (Make selection from the header of the column - down, or from a blank cell below the last name - up. This allows you to copy all the names with a single action, without copying the links too.)
- Copy them.
- Select Paste Special...
- Select Paste "values" and click OK.
- Delete the original student name column.
back to Academic Topics
Course Syllabi
Please be sure to post a syllabus for each of your classes on line. Your Department Secretary can assist you.
Does your syllabus contain a brief statement of the main points of the course study?
Every course at FGCU is expected to have an online presence, which at minimum is an online syllabus linked to the online schedule. Students use the information in the syllabus to help them make decisions about which courses to take. Consequently, the syllabus should be posted online at least one week before school starts.
FGCU has designed a web page form known as Syllabus Wizard that will allow you to type information into individualized fields.
The faculty is required to post the information on the Web site, to distribute it to their students and to discuss it during the first week of the semester. Each syllabus must include the following:
It is important to include information about your:
- Grading policy including Plus and Minus Grading
- Method of assessment
- Examination dates
- Attendance policy
- Academic Dishonesty Statement
And most important:
- Learning Objectives – this will help us comply with the State mandates, as well as the SACS and the AACSB International accreditation requirements.
back to Academic Topics
FERPA and University Employee Responsibilities
FERPA stands for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (Buckley Amendment) of 1974. It deals with academic records, including rights and responsibilities of students, faculty, and the University.
For a complete explanation of FERPA, see the Registrar's Website.
Related documents:
Student Records
As a university employee, you are likely to handle or have access to students’ education records. Educational records consist of any information which pertains to a student’s attendance at FGCU and include not only grades and transcripts but also a student’s medical information, scholarship and financial records, personal home and family information, and the like. Federal and state laws prohibit universities from disclosing information in educational records to third parties – including fellow students – without the student’s written consent, with few exceptions. Further, only university employees with a "need to know" may review a student’s educational records. The laws will not even permit you to give such information to the student’s parents, if the student is over 18 years of age. No one other than the student has the right, under the Public Records Act, to see the student’s records.
Because violation of these laws may result in liability to the university (or to yourself if you willfully violate the law), you are put on notice to seek advice before releasing information from educational records of an FGCU student to anyone other than the student. You should refer inquiries about student records to either the Registrar’s Office or the Dean of Students Office.
Final Exams
A final exam schedule is prepared for each semester. When available a copy of the final exam schedule will be distributed to faculty by e-mail. Future final exam schedules will be linked to the Academic Calendar in Gulfline. Once on Gulfline, select Academic Calendar. You will then be able to click on the button “Final Begin” for the full schedule. Faculty have to provide final exam information to students as it becomes available.
Special Needs Students
See Adaptive Services
back to Academic Topics
Independent Study –Undergraduate and Graduate Policy and Procedure (LCOB)
Policy
- It is the responsibility of the professor to supervise the independent study, assist with developing the scope of work to be completed, evaluate the final report/project, and assign an appropriate grade.
- The level of effort or work assigned to complete the project will be equivalent to 25 to 30 hours per credit hour earned.
- A maximum of 3 credit hours of Lutgert College of Business independent study may be applied toward graduation requirements.
- Independent study is considered a Lutgert College of Business and/or major elective and may not be used in lieu of a required course.
Procedure
- The student will meet with the College advisor and/or faculty member to begin the process for approval. The College advisor will explain the guidelines for an independent study and give initial approval based on the student's academic history. The student will be given the Independent Study Contract and instructed to identify a professor willing to supervise the independent study.
- With the assistance of the professor, the student will prepare an outline of the proposed research project and complete the Independent Study Contract. The proposal and contract must be submitted to the professor and the appropriate Department Chair for approval.
- When approved, the contract and proposal will be forwarded to the Assistant Dean. The Assistant Dean will add the course to the class schedule and enter the course reference number (CRN) to the contract.
- The Assistant Dean will assist the student with registration.
- Copies of the contract and proposal will be distributed to the student and professor. The original will be placed in the student's College advising file.
- Upon completion of the independent study, a copy of the graded report/project will be placed in the student's College advising file.
Late Adds
A student may add a course through the first week of classes. If a student wants to add a class after the first week of class, the student must receive the approval of the instructor and Assistant Dean of the LCOB on a Registration Add form, attach it to a petition for a late add, and submit to the Office of the Registrar. If the instructor and the Assistant Dean of the LCOB do not sign the Add form, the student will not be added to the course.
Withdrawals
Catalog Information on Withdrawals
Withdrawal Applications (and other forms) are available on the Registrar's Website.
back to Academic Topics
Tuition Waivers for In-State Students
FGCU policy is published on the General Counsel's Website.
(12 pages). This policy, which deals with FERPA, is on the website of FGCU's General Counsel.