Academic Information - CAPS

Academic Information

Degrees Offered

CAPS offers the following degrees:

Associate of Science (A.S.) with majors in:

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) with majors in:

Master of Science (M.S.) with a major in Management

Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)

Master of Education (M.Ed.)

Non-Degree Programs Offered

CAPS offers the following non-degree programs:

See each program listing for individual program requirements.

Degree Requirements

COLLEGE OF ADULT AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES (CAPS)

Associate Degree

  1. Completion of core requirements.
  2. Cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.
  3. For Nursing students - core GPA of 2.75.
  4. For Nursing students - grade of "C" or higher in each core course.

Baccalaureate Degree

  1. Completion of 124 semester hours.
  2. Cumulative GPA of 2.0 (2.75 for Nursing) or higher.
  3. Completion of core requirements with a GPA of 2.25 (2.75 for Nursing) or higher.
  4. For Nursing students - a grade of "C" or higher in each core course.
  5. Completion of 30 hours of liberal arts as specified.

Graduate Degree

  1. Completion of core requirements.
  2. Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
  3. A grade of "C" or higher in each course. Some programs require a grade higher than a "C."

See each program listing for individual program requirements.

In addition to the above, all degree candidates must settle all financial obligations.

Which Bulletin?

Students must meet the graduation requirements as stated in the university bulletin under which they enrolled. Students who maintain continuous enrollment, who make normal progress toward a degree, and who earn their degree within a maximum of six years from the date of enrollment may meet the graduation requirements as stated in the bulletin under which they enrolled. Students who withdraw from Indiana Wesleyan University for more than six months will meet the graduation requirements as stated in the bulletin under which they resume enrollment. Students changing majors or programs must meet requirements as stated in the bulletin that is current at the time they make such changes. The same holds true for students moving from the College of Adult and Professional Studies to the College of Arts and Sciences or the College of Graduate Studies, or vice versa.

Core Requirements

The integrity of the degree program demands that the core requirements be met at Indiana Wesleyan University. Students are required to complete the first course of the core program with a passing grade in order to maintain enrollment with their cohort. In general, no waivers are allowed for courses taken at other colleges/universities. Certain graduate programs allow up to six hours in transfer.

Final class dates as established by the calendar will be the final date for completion of the core curriculum. No compressing or doubling of core work is permitted to accommodate earlier completion or graduation schedules.

Grading and Evaluation

A letter grade is used in evaluating the work for a course. For the purpose of determining scholastic standing and awarding honors, grade points are granted according to the letter grades and semester hours of credit. The grade point average (GPA) is the number of quality points earned at IWU divided by the number of credit hours attempted at IWU.

Grade

Quality Points

Definition

 

(per credit)

 

A

4.0

Superior

A-

3.7

 

B+

3.3

 

B

3.0

Above Average

B-

2.7

 

C+

2.3

 

C

2.0

Average

C-

1.7

 

D+

1.3

 

D

1.0

Passing

F

.0

Failure (Also given for unofficial withdrawals.)

 

 

 

The following grades are not figured into the GPA:

W

 

Passing work at time of official withdrawal

I

 

Incomplete

CR

 

Credit

NC

 

No Credit

AU

 

Audit

Repeated Courses

A student may repeat once any course in which a grade below "C" ("C-," "D+," "D," or "F") was previously earned. Some specific graduate level courses are identified as repeatable and can be repeated if a student earns a grade higher than "C" but below the level required for that specific course. The course may be repeated once.

Whenever a course is repeated, the last grade and credits earned replace the previous grade in computing the student's grade point average (GPA). All entries, however, remain a part of the student's permanent academic record. Duplicate credit hours are not given for two or more passing efforts. A course taken in a classroom format may not be repeated for a grade through independent learning.

Since a course may be repeated once, failure to achieve a satisfactory grade in a course after two attempts will result in academic suspension and ineligibility to complete the major in which the course was repeated.

Incomplete Grades

Students are expected to complete the course requirements by the last class session. There may be instances when crisis circumstances or events prevent the student from completing the course requirements in a timely manner. However, the issuance of an incomplete cannot be given if the student fails to meet the attendance requirements. In these rare situations, a grade of "I" (incomplete) may be issued but only after completing the following process:

  1. The student must request an "I" from the instructor.
  2. The instructor must obtain approval from the appropriate Regional Dean/Program Director.

Because "incompletes" are granted only for extenuating circumstances, the student's grade will not be penalized.

A student who receives an "incomplete" has 10 weeks from the final meeting date of the course to complete course requirements and turn them in to the instructor. If, at the end of the 10-week extension, the student has failed to complete the course requirements, the "incomplete" will become an "F." A student with more than one incomplete on record is subject to academic suspension.

Audit of Courses

A student who has been accepted into an Indiana Wesleyan University degree program or as an unclassified student may choose to audit specified courses within a core program or electives as follows:

  1. Audit registration is allowed on a space available basis.
  2. The current audit fee per credit hour must accompany the registration.
  3. Auditing a course gives one the right to attend the course. No credit or letter grade is given. The course will be indicated as an "AU" on the student's IWU transcript.
  4. The student auditing the course is not expected to participate in classroom or study group assignments, or to complete homework, quizzes, or tests.
  5. The facilitator is under no obligation to grade any work an auditing student chooses to submit or to give feedback on progress.
  6. The materials required for the course are optional for auditing students. If one wishes to purchase materials, the fees must accompany the registration.
  7. The student must meet course pre-requisites or be approved by the Program Director.

Placement on Probation

Students enrolled in a CAPS program will be placed on probation if their core GPA falls below:

Students will be placed on probation if their cumulative GPA falls below:

Students are given two consecutive courses to satisfactorily raise their GPA. If the GPA is successfully raised, the probationary status is removed. Academic suspension will result if the student's GPA is not successfully raised.

Academic Suspension

Academic suspension will result if:

  1. A student fails to clear the academic probationary status within the probationary period of two consecutive courses.
  2. A student has two grades of failure (F) at one time on an academic record in the same degree level. (There are three degree levels: Associate, Bachelor, Master).
  3. A student has taken a course twice and failed to achieve a satisfactory grade. When this occurs, the student is ineligible to reapply for admission into the program in which the course was repeated. (Exception: students may take ENG-140 and ENG-141 as many times as necessary to achieve a passing grade.)

In all cases, the suspension will occur once the grades have been recorded in the Records Office. Students will be notified of the academic suspension in writing. Application for readmission may be made after six months. The application must be made in writing to the Dean of CAPS.

Academic Dismissal

Upon a second academic suspension in the same program, a student is not eligible to reapply to Indiana Wesleyan University.

Grade Reports and Transcripts

At the end of each course, the instructor submits grades for each student. Grade reports are mailed from the Indiana Wesleyan University Records Office and indicate courses taken, credits received, and grades assigned.

The student's official transcript is prepared by the Indiana Wesleyan University Records Office and will show the course, grade, credit, and dates of instruction for each course. Requests for transcripts of course work at Indiana Wesleyan University must conform with the Privacy Act of 1974, which requires that all transcript requests be submitted in writing and signed by the student. Financial obligations must be met before a transcript will be released.

A $3 fee is charged for each transcript. Students requesting a transcript should write to the Indiana Wesleyan University Records Office, 4201 South Washington Street, Marion, IN 46953. The $3 fee must be enclosed, along with a complete address to which the transcript is to be mailed.

Attendance Policy

Because of the accelerated nature of the CAPS programs, attendance is required and monitored. Students are expected to be present for onsite class sessions and participate in online activity. Absences are allowed as follows:

If a student exceeds the allowed absences and does not contact the Office of Student Services to officially withdraw before the last class session, the instructor is directed to issue the grade of "F".

Students who must miss a course due to unavoidable circumstances must arrange for a withdrawal with the Office of Student Services prior to the beginning of the course. Students needing to withdraw while in a course may do so by arrangement with the Office of Student Services prior to the end of the course, but the regular refund and academic withdrawal policies apply. Students will be charged a $25 withdrawal fee.

Faculty members reserve the right to factor lateness, early departures, and class attendance into a student's grade, as long as it is addressed in the syllabus.

Onsite Attendance Policy The nature of the CAPS programs requires students to attend all class sessions. Classes are held once per week for four (4) hours, or in the case of the M.Ed. program, once per week for eight (8) hours. At these sessions, the entire class meets with the faculty member. Class attendance records are maintained by the faculty member and submitted to the Office of Student Services.

  1. Class Attendance Policy Students are expected to be present when class begins, and remain the entire workshop. To be counted present, a student must attend a total of three (3) hours or more of a class that is four (4) hours in length or six (6) hours or more of classes that are eight (8) hours in length. For students enrolled in the M.Ed. program, a tardy will be recorded if the student misses 120 minutes of class time for sessions that are eight hours in length. If a student accumulates two tardies during a course, this will result in an absence being recorded on the student's attendance record.
  2. Project Team Policy Students are expected to participate in their project team activities. (Project Team Policy does not apply to M.Ed. students.)

Online Attendance Policy: Attendance is determined by activity during a workshop, either through discussions or submission of assignments. A student is reported absent for a workshop if there is not at least one submission (or posting) of an assignment or in a discussion forum assigned during that workshop.

Student Honesty/Cheating

Coursework

Students are expected to exhibit honesty in the classroom, in homework, in papers submitted to the instructor, and in quizzes or tests. Each instructor should define what constitutes honest work in a specific course. Any deviation from ordinary standards such as the permitted use of notes for an examination or an "open book" test should be stated clearly by the instructor.

Cheating is defined as submitting work for academic evaluation that is not the student's own, copying answers from another student during an examination, using prepared notes or materials during an examination, or other misrepresentations of academic achievement submitted for evaluation or a grade.

Plagiarism in research writing is considered cheating.

Students are expected to submit only their own original work. They are expected to give credit when borrowing, quoting, or paraphrasing, using appropriate citations.

An undergraduate student apprehended and charged with cheating, including plagiarism, during his or her college matriculation, shall receive the following discipline:

  1. First incident of cheating--failure in paper, assignment, or exam;
  2. Second incident of cheating--failure in the course involved;
  3. Third incident of cheating--dismissal from the university.

A graduate student is expected to understand clearly the nature of cheating and is subject to dismissal from the university for a single incident of academic dishonesty or cheating. Incidents of cheating and/or plagiarism will be investigated and judged by the appropriate graduate faculty.

Because the matter of cheating cumulatively leads to dismissal, faculty are required to report each case to the appropriate university administrator who in turn reports the case to the Dean and Vice President of the College. Unquestionable evidence must be in hand before any action will be taken to confront and accuse a student of cheating.

A student who is not satisfied with the disciplinary action may follow the grievance and appeal policies below.

Academic Records

Falsification of Academic Records or University Documents: Falsification of academic records or documents includes but is not limited to altering any documents affecting academic records; forging signatures; or falsifying information of an official document such as a grade report, ID card, financial receipt, or any other official University letter or communication. This includes information downloaded (printed) from student information available via web (online) services.

Unauthorized Access to Computerized Academic or Administrative Records or Systems: Unauthorized access to computerized academic or administrative records or systems means viewing or altering the University's computer records without authorization; copying or modifying the University's computer programs or systems without authorization; releasing or dispensing information gained through unauthorized access; or interfering with the use or availability of computer systems information.

Students who are found to have falsified University documents or participated in unauthorized access to computerized academic or administrative records or systems are subject to dismissal from the University for a single incident. The University may consider legal action for any individual found to have participated in these actions.

Grade Appeal and Academic Policy Grievance

Indiana Wesleyan University follows generally accepted college and university practice in the development of academic policies, the operation of classrooms, and use of grading techniques. The university allows its instructors independence in following generally accepted practices. A student who wishes to appeal a course grade or an academic policy decision (including one believed to be discriminatory based on race, national origin, color, sex, disability, or age, including Title VI, Title IX, and Section 504), must abide by the procedures that follow.

Each stated time frame will be the ordinary process. More time may be necessary in the event of a lengthy investigation, hearing, illness, or other unforeseen circumstances. All grievances, with all documents, recommendations, and decisions, will be reported to the Vice President for Adult and Graduate Studies. Because the appeal process is a private university administrative process, legal counsel or representation is inappropriate.

GRADE APPEAL

A grade appeal involves only those situations in which a student believes that an instructor (a) has not followed fair grading practice or (b) has not followed his/her published grading policy. A student who wishes to appeal a grade based on one or both of these reasons must follow these procedures:

  1. The student must first contact the instructor for a full explanation of the grade given and the basis for making the grade.
  2. If there is no resolution, then the student may file a grade appeal request form, which can be obtained from the Regional Dean/Program Director. If a properly completed grade appeal request form is not received by the university within 30 days of the date the student's grade was sent, then the student will forfeit any further right to appeal.
  3. After the university receives the grade appeal request form, it will be forwarded to the instructor along with a faculty grade appeal response form.
  4. If the instructor agrees that the grade should be changed, the university will change the grade and notify the student.
  5. If the instructor does not agree that the grade should be changed, the university will notify the student and send a request for subcommittee review form. If the university does not receive the form from the student within 15 days of the date the form was sent, then the student will forfeit any further right to appeal.
  6. Upon receipt of the request for subcommittee review form, the matter will be brought to the next regularly scheduled Academic Appeals Subcommittee meeting. (NOTE: The subcommittee reserves the right to seek clarification from the student or the instructor). If the matter involves a member of the subcommittee, then that individual will recuse himself/herself from deciding the appeal. The subcommittee will notify the student of its decision, which will be final.

ACADEMIC POLICY GRIEVANCE

An academic policy grievance involves those situations in which a student believes that the university has not followed published policies regarding an academic decision or discrimination based on race, national origin, color, sex, disability, or age, including Title VI, Title IX, and Section 504. A student who wishes to file an academic policy grievance must follow these procedures:

  1. The student must first contact the person who has made the decision for a full explanation of the policy and how the policy was followed. If the policy has been followed, then the student has no further recourse.
  2. If the policy was not followed or the student disputes the way in which the policy was applied, then the student may request that the matter be reviewed by the Regional Dean/Program Director by filing a request for review form, which can be obtained from the Regional Dean/Program Director. If the complaint involves the Regional Dean/Program Director, the student may request that the Dean of CAPS review the matter. If a properly completed form is not received by the university within 30 days of the date on which the event that gave rise to the complaint occurs, then the student will forfeit any further right to appeal. The Regional Dean/Program Director (or, if applicable, the Dean) will notify the student of the decision.
  3. If the matter is not satisfactorily resolved, then the student may request that the Academic Appeals Subcommittee review the matter by filing a request for subcommittee review form, which can be obtained from the CAPS Dean. If the university does not receive a properly completed form within 15 days of the date on which the decision notice in step 2 was sent, then the student will forfeit any further right to appeal. The Academic Appeals Subcommittee will notify the student of its decision, which will be final.

Project Teams

Global competition and accelerating change have challenged traditional notions of the corporate pyramid. Organizations seeking to improve quality and agility have replaced entire levels of management with self-managing work teams. For this reason, the skills needed for teamwork are at a premium in the workplace.

A team is essentially a small number of people with complementary skills, who are committed to a common purpose, a set of performance goals, and an approach to solving problems for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. But a team is more than just a collection of individuals. A true team develops an almost organic quality. The synergy produced through interaction involving a common goal should exceed what a group of individuals might achieve working independently. Thus, there is a significant difference between the product of a well-functioning team and the product of a work group where a piece of the problem is assigned to each individual.

Indiana Wesleyan University utilizes project teams and team projects in the curriculum because team process can enhance learning, especially in adult professionals. Students working in project teams are able to take on larger projects than they would be able to individually. This enables the University to present courses in a compressed format. Not only is learning enhanced through this method, but students also have the opportunity to develop teamwork skills. We believe project teams are a vital component to the education our students receive.

Project teams are typically comprised of self-selected teams of 3-4 individuals who meet as needed for class assignment preparation, team projects, and team presentations.

Individuals who work effectively in teams are characterized by the following abilities:

  1. Able to take responsibility for the success of the entire team and not just their own success.
  2. Able to hold both themselves and the team accountable for mutually agreed-upon goals.
  3. Able to negotiate goals and ideas in a team setting.
  4. Skilled at listening.
  5. Skilled at building on the ideas of others in a creative fashion.
  6. Able to give constructive feedback and express emotions to others without damaging relationships.
  7. Able to trust others and foster trusted relationships.
  8. Value team process.
  9. Understand the dynamics of team process and team product in pursuit of collective goals.

Each core group develops a Project Team Plan and Covenant of Expectations at the beginning of the program under the direction of an Indiana Wesleyan University instructor. These documents are then filed with CAPS. (Note: Only the Project Team Plan is required for elective classes.) Students will be given additional information during the first course concerning project team meeting location and requirements.