Article III

Academic credit programs shall be offered on a semester credit hour basis and conform to federal requirements and commonly accepted practices in higher education.

Content Owner: Academic Affairs
Issued: 04/2001
Revised: 06/2001, 03/2021

Credit Hour: Federal Definition
A credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably approximates not less than: (1) one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out of class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or (2) at least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for other academic activities as established by the institution including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours. Title 34, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 600.2

St. Charles Community College shall establish specific graduation requirements in accordance with requirements of the State of Missouri and appropriate accrediting agencies. 
 

Content Owner: Academic Affairs
Issued: 08/1993
Revised: 01/2007, 03/2021, 02/2025

Graduation Requirements 
Specific graduation requirements are established in accordance with requirements of the State of Missouri and appropriate accrediting agencies. 

Graduation Honors 
The following grade point averages are required to achieve graduation honors: 
Summa Cum Laude: 4.0 
Magna Cum Laude3.75 - 3.99 
Cum Laude 3.50 - 3.74 

Semester Honors 
Full-time students who earn a 3.50 or higher grade point average for at least 12 credit hours in any semester, and part-time students who earn a 3.50 or higher grade point average for each cumulative 12 credit hours will be named to the Dean's List. Developmental courses, pass/fail courses, and courses in which incomplete grades were received do not count toward the 12 credit hours. 

Content Owner: Academic Affairs
Issued: 08/1993
Revised: 01/2007, 03/2021, 06/2026

St. Charles Community College shall measure academic progress for each term throughout each student's enrollment. All students enrolled in credit courses at the College are required to meet established standards for satisfactory academic progress.

Cumulative Grade Point Average Requirement

Students are required to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 at the end of each term, once they have completed 1-15 hours of coursework.

Academic Progress Standards

Students are placed on Academic Warning when their cumulative grade point average falls below a cumulative 2.0 for the first time. The second time the grade point average falls below a cumulative 2.0, students are placed on Academic Probation 1. After the third time, students are placed on Academic Probation 2, and after the fourth time, students are placed on Academic Suspension and are required to discontinue enrollment for the next semester. Upon return from suspension, failure to maintain a 2.0 term grade point average in any given semester will result in academic dismissal. Students who have been academically dismissed may apply to the  Executive Director of Student Services for consideration of academic reinstatement.

Students who have been placed on Academic Suspension may appeal to the Director of Advising and Support Services to waive the semester layout requirement.

Student Notification

At the end of each term, the College sends notifications to those students who are not meeting academic progress standards. This notification indicates intervention strategies and support resources for each level of progress beginning with Academic Warning.

Academic Warning

Students will receive a notification of their status that also provides support resources available including advising, tutoring, and health and wellness. 

Academic Probation 1

Students will receive a notification of their status that also provides support resources available including advising, tutoring, and health and wellness. Students will be required to meet with an advisor to register for classes. Enrollment is limited to 13 credit hours. 

Academic Probation 2
 Students will receive a notification of their status that also provides support resources available including advising, tutoring, and health and wellness. Students will be required to meet with an advisor to register for classes. Enrollment is limited to 13 credit hours.

Additional Intervention Strategies

Additional intervention strategies include identification of and communication with students whose completion ratio, including developmental courses, drops below a 67%, students who withdrew from all coursework in their previous term enrolled, or students who did not maintain a term GPA of 2.0 their previous term but are still maintaining a 2.0 cumulative GPA.

Academic Suspension: 

A student is placed on Academic Suspension when their cumulative GPA remains below a 2.0 for a fourth consecutive term. Students will be prohibited from enrolling in courses the semester following the suspension status.

Academic Dismissal

 A student will no longer be allowed to attend SCC unless they are academically reinstated by the Director of Advising Services. Students must wait a minimum of one semester to appeal this status (summer semester excluded)

Academic Reinstatement

Students must wait for a minimum of one semester (summer session excluded) after having been academically dismissed from the College; complete a form indicating the reasons why they should be considered for reinstatement, and agree to be interviewed by the Reinstatement Team.

Consideration for reinstatement may be based on an evaluation of life changes and circumstances that would merit reinstatement, or an official transcript from another college or university indicating that the student has been academically successful since being dismissed from the College.

Academic reinstatement does not include any forgiveness of grades earned at the College. The student is reinstated with the cumulative grade point average (GPA) the student had upon dismissal. Enrollment is limited to 13 credit hours the first semester; thereafter, semester limits may be waived by the Executive Director of Student Services. Any student not maintaining a 2.0 GPA each semester of attendance will be dismissed from the College. Academic reinstatement is available one time only.

Students receiving any form of financial assistance administered by the College are expected to meet financial assistance standards of academic progress as printed in the tuition chapter of the College Catalog.

St. Charles Community College Library privileges shall be extended to students, county residents, faculty, staff, and other libraries. The library shall be open to other individuals for use of materials within the building. 

Specific guidelines and procedures for operation of the Library are available at the Library circulation desk and online.

The College President shall be responsible for final decisions regarding continuation or discontinuation of College programs.

Content Owner: Academic Affairs
Issued: 08/1993
Revised: 06/2001, 12/2013, 4/2022

 

The Provost, Chief Academic Officer recommends program discontinuance based on appropriate criteria and consultation with program faculty and staff. The Provost, Chief Academic Officer submits the recommendation to the College President, and the decision is relayed to the appropriate deans and personnel in the program under consideration. If the decision is to discontinue the program, the College immediately ceases enrolling new students in the program. Efforts are made to allow students currently enrolled in the program to complete their degree/certificate. The timeline for completion is specified by the end of the semester following the announcement of discontinuance.

The College shall establish procedures for institutionally sanctioned field trips.

 

Content Owner: Academic Affairs
Issued: 08/1993
Revised: 06/2001, 06/2021

Field Trip Request Form

Faculty or staff members responsible for field trips must submit a Field Trip Request Form to their respective dean for review and cabinet approval at least one month prior to the activity. In addition to the Field Trip Request Form, a Release of Liability statement should be signed by each student if they will be responsible for their own transportation to/from the field trip.

CLUB TRAVEL
All clubs and organizations will be responsible for planning out all aspects of any travel they would like to participate in and must present it to the Student Activities Office before anticipated travel to get approval for travel and use of club funds. All paperwork must be submitted to the Director of Student Life by the club’s advisor, copying in the club president and Student Activities Coordinator.

• Travel Request forms must first be received by the Student Activities Office for processing and Cabinet approval. Required lead times are as follows:
  • Out-of-state travel and overnight trips – 2 months
  • Local travel – 1 month
  • Campus closure dates not included in required lead time
• Forms include:
  • Detailed Itinerary (as applicable/available)
    • Event purpose as it relates to the club
    • Travel dates
    • Transportation – cost and timeline
    • Hospitality – cost and rooming situation
    • Food
    • Event fees – individual cost for all intended travelers
    • Nearest emergency care
    • Reservation confirmation codes
    • Conference/competition itinerary
  • Student Travel Contract
  • Release of Liability
• Dual Enrolled students and/or students under the age of 18 are not eligible to participate in club travel.
• Advisors should be able to take a “headcount” within five minutes of an emergency to determine the whereabouts of all members present.
• Non-SCC employees must obtain Cabinet approval prior to accompanying a student club member or advisor for travel.

Transportation and Coursework

Faculty or staff members responsible for field trips must inform students of the location for convening on the designated field trip day. Students may be responsible for their own transportation if not provided by the College.

As an officially sanctioned activity, students and faculty must make mutual arrangements in advance for any classes and coursework to be missed due to field trips.

St. Charles Community College students called to active duty in special situations in any branch of military service for the United States while enrolled shall be released from academic responsibilities without penalty by following the Administrative Procedures associated with this policy.

Withdrawal from Courses

A student called to active duty may request to withdraw from all classes and receive a full refund of tuition and fees paid for class enrollment in that semester. This transaction must be initiated in the Office Admissions, Registration, & Records, and the student must provide a copy of his/her orders at time of request to withdraw.

Incomplete Grade of Early Final Examination

A student called to active duty who has completed at least 75% of the time designated for a course may initiate a request through the instructor of record for permission to either receive an "incomplete" in the course or take an early final examination and receive a final grade. 

Once the student notifies the Office Admissions, Registration, & Records of the decision, the action selected is considered final and properly documented to include the signatures of the student and the instructor, if at all possible, with a copy of the agreement placed on file in the Office Admissions, Registration, & Records.

College Property

Any physical properties belonging to the College that the student has in his or her possession such as equipment, instruments, or books must be returned to the lending source prior to separation.

Readmission of Students after Military Duty

In accordance with federal regulations, 34 C.F.R. § 668.18 and the Department of Defense (DoD) Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), SCC will promptly readmit members of the uniformed services who seek readmission with the same academic status they had when last attending the College or accepted for admission to the school to a program of study that was interrupted due to a uniformed service obligation. This requirement applies to any student who cannot attend school due to military service.

This requirement shall apply to:

• Service members who are unable to attend classes for more than 30 consecutive days due to military service; and
• Service members who are unable to attend classes for less than 30 days due to military service when such an absence would result in a withdrawal from the college.

A student is eligible for readmission under this policy if, during an absence:

• The student performs military services voluntary or involuntary, in the Armed Forces, including the National Guard or Reserve, active duty, active duty for training or full-time National Guard (under federal authority). The cumulative length of all absences for uniformed service (service time only) must not exceed five years.

St. Charles Community College will promptly readmit the student into the next class/es in the program beginning after they provide notice of intent to re-enroll, unless they request a later date or unusual circumstances require St. Charles Community College to admit them later. St. Charles Community College will admit the student with the same academic status, which means:

• They will be admitted to the same program to which they were last admitted; or, if that exact program is no longer offered, to the program most like that program, unless they choose a different program.
• They will be admitted at the same enrollment status, unless the student wants to enroll at a different enrollment status.
• They will be admitted with the same number of credit hours previously completed, unless the student is readmitted to a different program to which the completed credit hours are not transferable.
• They will be admitted with the same academic standing the student previously had.

The cumulative length of the absence and of all previous absences from the school for military service may not exceed five years. Only the time the student spends performing service is counted. If SCC determines that a returning student is not prepared to resume the program or is unable to complete the program, the College must make reasonable efforts to enable the student to resume or complete the program at no additional cost to the student. If such efforts are unsuccessful or place an undue hardship on St. Charles Community College, the College is not required to readmit the student.

 

Notification of military service

The student (or an appropriate officer of the armed forces or official of the Department of Defense) must give oral or written notice of such service to the St. Charles Community College Director of Admissions and Registration (who shall forward the information to the St. Charles Community Office of Financial Aid/Veterans Services) as far in advance as is reasonable under the circumstances. This notice does not have to indicate whether the student intends to return to St. Charles Community and may not be subject to any rule of timeliness. (Timeliness must be determined by the facts in each case.)

Alternatively, at the time of readmission, the student may submit an attestation of military service that necessitated his absence from SCC. No notice is required if precluded by military necessity, such as service in operations that are classified or would be compromised by such notice.

Notification of intent to return

The student must also give oral or written notice of an intent to return to SCC within three years after the completion of the period of service. A student who is hospitalized or convalescing due to an illness or injury incurred or aggravated during the performance of service must notify St. Charles Community College within two years after the end of the period needed for recovery from the illness or injury. A student who fails to apply for readmission within these periods does not automatically forfeit eligibility for readmission but is subject to the school's established leave of absence policy and general practices.

Tuition and Fees

A returning student will be charged the same tuition and fees in effect during the last academic year the student attended unless veterans' education benefits or other service member education benefits will pay the amount in excess. For subsequent academic years, the returning student may not be charged tuition and fees more than what other students in the program are charged.

 

The Workforce and Community Education Division shall provide workforce training and classes, workshops, seminars, and cultural and community events for lifelong learning. 

Financial Support

Workforce and Community Education courses and activities are self-supporting through fees assessed to participants. The Workforce and Community Education will establish minimum enrollment requirements for each course. 

Workforce and Community Education Fees

Workforce and Community Education course and activity fees are established by College administration. Unless otherwise noted, a senior citizen discount is available for Community Education courses and activities to persons who are 60 years of age or older. Whenever a student officially withdraws from a Workforce and Community Education course, a fee refund will be made in accordance with established guidelines. 

Course and curriculum management for degrees and certificates offered by St. Charles Community College shall be governed by administrative procedures.

Auditing Classes

Students auditing a course are required to register as such and pay for the course. All classes may be audited rather than taken for credit. Once a student has completed registration officially, the student may switch to/from auditing by the deadline noted on the Academic Calendar. Switching to/from auditing must be completed with the Admissions, Registration, and Records Office or the Academic Advising Office. SCC Staff should remind students that making these changes may affect their financial aid status or employer reimbursement.

Class Rosters

At the beginning of each semester, faculty should review official rosters in MySCC Portal and Canvas. Faculty should report discrepancies to the Admissions, Registration, and Records Office.  

Course Cancellation

At an appropriate time in the registration process, all course sections offered are reviewed to see if there is sufficient enrollment to justify running the class. 

When reviewing sections, enrollment levels alone determine which sections need to be examined further. Sections with low enrollment are reviewed with consideration given to numerous factors, including: other sections of the course at comparable times, availability of openings in these sections, whether the course is a program requirement or elective, when the course was last offered/will be offered again, and whether the course is an advanced course in a sequence. When more information is needed to make the decision, the Executive Director of Academic Operations, dean, department chair, and appropriate faculty members are consulted.

If a section is cancelled, students will be notified by SCC email before the end of registration so that they may adjust their schedules.

Course Syllabus

All faculty members upload a course syllabus to SCC’s Syllabus Library by the deadline so their students have access to the syllabus in Canvas and SCC’s Syllabus Library on or before the first day of class. Such outlines are important to students, so they will know course and instructor expectations. The outline provides help to substitute faculty covering the class in the event of instructor absence. The syllabus should include:

• Name of the college
• Semester and year
• Instructor name, office telephone, e-mail address
• Course name and number as well as delivery mode (on-campus, online, hybrid, or remote)
• Office location and office hours
• Curriculum Committee approved measurable course objectives 
• The title(s) and author(s) of the required  text(s) for the course, any required software, courseware, technical requirements and materials
• Schedule of major topics to be covered, reading, and homework assignments with due dates
• Test schedule 
• Late work and test make-up policy
• How grades are computed, including a grading scale
• Statement of published withdrawal date and related policies
• Statement about student attendance policy
• Statement about when graded papers and exams will be returned to students
• Statement addressing accessibility services for students
• Academic Integrity Policy
• Generative AI Use Policy

Curriculum Procedures

Governance, management, and procedures pertaining to curriculum are outlined on the Curriculum Information & Resources site and maintained by Academic Operations.

Final Exams

All classes are expected to have some kind of culminating experience during the last day/week of the term. This may be an exam, presentation, or project and will vary from discipline to discipline as appropriate.

New Courses and Course Changes

All new courses or course changes must be officially submitted by division through the Curriculum Committee following the procedures outlined by Academic Operations.

All new online and hybrid courses must be developed following the Quality Matters standards in the current rubric and submitted to the Dean of Online & E-Learning with the Quality Matters course self-review and online course approval form with department chair and division dean signatures for review and approval. Once the course meets Quality Matters standards, the form is signed and forwarded to the Vice President of Academic Affairs for signature and approved for enrollment.

Posting Grades

The public posting of grades, either by student name, institutional student identification number, or social security number and without the student's written permission is a violation of the federal Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act and is not allowed. Even with names obscured, numeric student identifier numbers are considered personally identifiable information. Students cannot obtain grades from the Admissions Office. Grades are processed by the Registrar's Office, then posted to student records.

The student may obtain the grade for a particular course in the following recommended ways:

·         Individual discussion with the instructor.

·         My SCC Portal

·         Learning Management System - Canvas.  Grades in Canvas are not final grades.  Final grades should be viewed in the SCC Portal.

 

Textbook Adoption Procedures

(Applies to software and other special course materials sold through the College Bookstore)

• Criteria for selection:
  • The course objectives and course content shall be the foundation of textbook selection.
• Selection of textbooks: 
  • The faculty and the department/program offering the course have the responsibility to select textbooks appropriate to course objectives and course content. The textbook adoption process should originate with all affected faculty.
  • Where there are multiple sections of a course, it is the expectation that the department/program faculty designate common texts to be used by all faculty members teaching the course. If a department/program decides that it would be in the best interest of their students, the department/program, with the approval of the dean, may allow individual faculty to choose an appropriate alternate text for designated course sections. Every reasonable effort should be made to accommodate the needs of all affected parties.
  •  It shall be the responsibility of the department chair or program coordinator to monitor the progress of textbook adoptions and address any issues in collaboration with the division dean.
• Textbook ordering and routing:
  • Textbooks and other course materials will be submitted through the Campus Store’s software by department chairs and full time faculty. Links to each course taught by an instructor will be emailed by the bookstore which contains a link to their respective courses to submit.
  • Departments/programs that have selected alternative texts will designate the sections for which each book is to be used. This information will guide the Campus Store in ordering and buyback procedures.
  • Any textbooks that are Course Material Access Program items (Formerly known as DDA or Inclusive Access) must be submitted before the set deadline in order to be available the following semester.
• Miscellaneous procedures: 
  • Faculty members instructing students to return textbooks or other course materials to the Campus Store should first consult with their department chair or program coordinator and the Campus Store.
  • Textbooks selected through this process should be retained for a minimum period of two years, excluding difficulties in textbook procurement or when changing is judged to be in the best interests of the students.
  • When possible, textbook changes for existing courses should be implemented for fall semester classes.
  •  In order to facilitate book buy backs, department chairs or program coordinators should notify the Campus Store as soon as it is known that a textbook is no longer being used.

Waiver of Prerequisite

Certain courses offered by the College may require the consent of the department chair and/or the completion of a course designated as a prerequisite before the student is permitted to register. These two requirements may be waived at the discretion of the department chair. In the case of such a waiver, students will need a Registration Form signed and dated by the department chair before being allowed to register for the course.

Procedures for Student Who Did Not Receive a "C" or Better in the Prerequisite

Students in classes that require a "C" or better in the prerequisite (ENG, MAT) who did not receive a "C" or better will be administratively removed from those classes. They will receive a 100% refund.

Grading System

Faculty members have the responsibility for grading; however, criteria used must appear in the course syllabus so students know what is expected, how to accomplish the objectives for the course, and due dates. Detailed procedures for online grading are provided to each faculty member by the Registrar two weeks prior to the date midterm and when final grades are due.

During the last week of each semester, comprehensive final exams or other educational or evaluative events are expected for all courses, with certain exceptions (labs, fieldwork and practicums, private lessons, and others as determined by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.)

The grading system includes the following:

A – (Excellent) I – (Incomplete) --see note below 
B – (Above Average) P – (Pass, Remedial Courses Only )
C – (Average) R – (Re-enroll, Remedial Courses Only)
D – (Below Average) V – (Audit) 
F – (Failing) W – (Withdrawal) 

NOTE: An "I" grade indicates instructor's and College's willingness to assist the student in completing course requirements independently and to ultimately award a grade. It should be assigned only to students who are near the end of the semester when independent completion of course requirements is probable and achievable. Course requirements must be completed by the eighth week of the next full semester, or a failing grade will be assigned. Faculty can extend this time period under special circumstances.

 

 

The College is committed to excellence in online education and recognizes the significant growth in enrollment in online courses. Consistent with this policy, by Fall 2024 all forms of online instruction must comply with Quality Matters standards for design and delivery of online and hybrid courses.

Content Owner: Academic Affairs
Issued: 06/2023

All faculty and instructional staff shall report grades by the published deadline. Any exception shall be approved by the Chief Academic Officer.

Content Owner: Academic Affairs
Issued: 07/2024

To meet this requirement, faculty should maintain accurate grade records throughout the semester, resolve outstanding grading issues before the submission window opens, and verify that all grades have been successfully entered. Technical difficulties or system‑related issues must be reported immediately to the Learning Management Systems Administrator and the Admissions, Registration, and Records office.

Any late submissions without prior approval may be subject to follow‑up or corrective action in accordance with institutional policy.

Any grades that remain unsubmitted 48 hours after the final grading deadline will be assigned a Z grade, which serves as a temporary placeholder indicating that the grade is unknown. Because Z grades are treated as failing grades for purposes of academic standing and satisfactory academic progress, they may negatively affect a student’s financial aid eligibility. Z grades also delay several end‑of‑term processes, including degree conferral, and can be especially problematic for dual‑enrolled students who require final grades to meet high‑school graduation requirements.

When a Z grade is posted, the instructor must submit a formal change‑of‑grade form to the Office of Admissions, Registration, & Records to replace it with the correct grade. Faculty who accrue Z grades or fail to resolve them promptly may be subject to additional corrective action as determined by Academic Affairs.

Faculty reporting a F grade at final grading only must also submit a Last Date of Attendance (LDA) for the student following the attendance/participation definitions:

The following definition of academic attendance and an academically related activity applies to all schools regardless of whether the school is required to take attendance. 34 CFR 668.22 (l)(7)(l)

Academic attendance and academically related activity includes any one of the following, but is not limited to:

• Physically attending a class where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the instructor and students
• Submitting an academic assignment
• Taking an exam, an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction
• Attending a study group assigned by the school
• Participating in an online discussion about academic matters
• Initiating contact with a faculty member to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course

The definition of academic attendance and academically related activity does not include activities where a student may be present, but not academically engaged, such as:

•  Living in institutional housing
• Participating in the school’s meal plan
• Participating in a student-organized study group
• Logging into an online class without active participation
• Participating in academic counseling or advising