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Academic Policies

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SUMMER SESSION

The Summer Session is a self-supporting program. Should a course require special activities or materials beyond those normally available through departmental or general University resources, the faculty member is to apprise the Dean at the point of course submission so that an appropriate fee can be added to the course charge.

The departmental assistants are not available during the summer period. However, the Faculty Secretary (327-6142) is available to provide function such as the typing and duplication of course materials and examinations.

SUMMER FIELD STUDY PROGRAMS

These programs have served as highlights of the Wittenberg experience for many students and have proven rewarding for the faculty conducting them. Faculty interested in developing such a program must consult with the Director of International Education (Overseas Programs) Dean of SCE (domestic programs) no later than Fall semester preceding the Summer in question.

Faculty are responsible for the formulation of learning objectives and means of attainment in consonance with the expectations of their department, matters of logistical support such as travel and sustenance, supervision of students and of any adjunct resources, and financial control. Faculty are also responsible for assessing the academic fitness of students seeking enrollment. They are encouraged to consult the Provost’s Office and other offices in cases requiring special judgement. Beyond the issues of setting an initial budget and program charges, Internationl Education is the primary administrative entity relating to overseas programs.

Faculty devise a budget in consultation with the Dean and the Controllers’ Office. Once the Dean has approved a program budget, faculty have access to a program account to effect payment of advance needs and to obtain funds for ongoing expenses during the program. At the conclusion of the program, they submit a detailed report of all expenditures.

Given the limited staff of SCE, faculty must also be prepared to promote their program beyond the general announcements contained in Summer Session publications. A “program” entails not merely academic concepts and arrangements but students committed to enrolling in it. Thus, field study faculty serve also as recruiters for their program as well as initial registrars.

The Dean of SCE and the Director of International Eduation require and assist with procedures relating to official registration and the obtaining of required medical information and other items. Stipends for field study instruction generally follow the scale of other Summer instruction.

COURSE NUMBERING SYSTEM
(By Faculty action, January 25, 1994)

001-009
Courses that are preparatory to college work and therefore carry no graduation credit. (These courses address material that should have been mastered at the secondary level and therefore is not customarily taught at Wittenberg or similar institutions. Such courses should not be awarded college graduation credit, but they might nonetheless be counted, where appropriate, for the credit-load requirements associated with student financial aid packages.)

010-099
Credit-bearing activity courses in Health, Fitness, and Sport, and Theatre and Dance.

100-199
Introductory courses or sequences of courses, with no course prerequisites, that introduce basic skills, techniques, concepts, or questions of the field.

200-299
Courses that (a) continue the introduction to the field beyond the 100-level, and/or (b) introduce the field through a focus on a major area in the field. Such courses may or may not have departmental prerequisites, but are designed for students with some college experience.

300-399
Advanced courses that depend on (a) previously learned knowledge and skills in the discipline, and/or (b) a maturity of skills in critical thinking. In such courses students are asked increasingly to employ the tools of the discipline in response to basic questions. Ordinarily these courses have prerequisites or require junior standing.

400-499
Courses that require students to do more independent work, often involving the creation and synthesis of knowledge using previously learned skills and usually designed for students enrolled in the major.

500-600 (Approved May 2, 2001, Faculty Meeting)
Courses are for graduate course offerings in approved graduate programs.

MAJORS, MINORS, AND ELECTIVES: THEIR PURPOSES AND ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS
(By Faculty action, November 18, 1993)

THE MAJOR

PURPOSES

The major at Wittenberg serves three essential purposes:

  1. It allows the student to explore intensively an academic area of great personal interest, one often closely linked to the student's career interests.
  2. It plays a key role in the general education of the student, by providing experience in studying one focused area in great breadth and depth. Through the major several of Wittenberg's general education goals are pursued.
  3. It provides the opportunity for the student to prepare for graduate and professional study.
ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS

All of Wittenberg's major programs of study should meet the following tests:

  1. Breadth: Will the program adequately introduce each student to the range of essential topics and practices within the field?
  2. Depth: Will the program involve each student in advanced study in at least some aspects of the field? (This is usually achieved by several upper-level courses that build on lower-level courses.)
  3. Method, Practices, and Skills: Does the program teach each student essential methodologies, practices, and foundational knowledge used in the field, and will each student gain experience in their application?
  4. Appropriateness: Will the program do the above in ways consistent with the university's mission?
  5. Standards: Will the program meet the standards of the field?
  6. A major shall typically consist of 32-42 semester hours of credit in the department or program. Courses required or suggested for the departmental major but taught by other departments are not counted in the 32-42 semester hour total. A proposed major that consists of less or greater than the 32-42 semester-hour range will require special justification.
  7. Each department and program area shall develop a written mission statement and learning goals to guide the development of its programs of study. In addition, each department and program will specify its procedures for assessing student achievement and program effectiveness.
THE MINOR

PURPOSES

Minor programs of study serve purposes different from majors. Although optional at Wittenberg, a minor can provide a student with an excellent opportunity to study systematically in a field of personal and career interest. Such study is sometimes necessary for career purposes. Many students consider a minor a good way to provide more focus in their selection of elective courses.

ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS

A minor program of study should have integrity and purpose; it should consist of more than simply a stated number of courses in the field. Some minors maintain integrity by asking the student to devise a plan of study that must be approved by an adviser; some minors do so by prescribing several or all of the courses for the minor; others achieve integrity by requiring some kernel of the major within the minor program. A minor should be consistent with the university's mission and the standards of the field. A minor shall typically consist of 20-22 semester hours of credit. A minor consisting of fewer or greater semester hours will require special justification.

ELECTIVES

PURPOSES

Electives at Wittenberg serve three essential purposes:

  1. They enable the student to build more depth or breadth into a program of study.
  2. They make possible the pursuit of a second major or a minor (or minors).
  3. They enable the student to explore areas of individual interest.
Ordinarily, 30-40 semester hours of a student's degree will be available for electives.



 
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