registration Policies
COURSE REGISTRATION | COURSE AUDIT | COURSE WITHDRAWAL - ACADEMIC
CLASS ATTENDANCE | COURSE NUMBERING/CREDITS | COURSE COMPLETION |
COURSE REGISTRATION
Only students who have registered by specified deadlines will be guaranteed spaces in courses. Registration occurs when a student mails in a Registration Form, or registers online or by phone, and pays the course fee in effect on the first day of class. Course fees are outlined in the Financial Policies Section under Fee Structure. Course fees are payable by cash, cheque, VISA, or MasterCard. Students are encouraged to register early, as maximum enrollment of 22 students per course will be enforced. Some courses have a maximum enrollment of less than 22. For week-long intensive courses, an extensive amount of student preparation is required; therefore students are required to register one month in advance. The deadline for registration for semester-long credit courses is two weeks before the first day of class. Registration deadlines for collegiums vary. Late registrations for courses/collegiums/ISMs are accepted only if students can be prepared for the course (including acquiring syllabus, texts, and completing any pre-course assignments); a late fee of $75 applies. There are no registration deadlines for correspondence courses. Registration deadlines for online courses vary; late registrations are not accepted . People wishing to audit a course must register by the deadlines stated and will be allowed to have a space in the course if the maximum enrollment has not been exceeded. Categories of courses that cannot be audited: correspondence courses, online courses and art therapy studio (ARTST) courses. ARTST courses may be taken on a non-credit Workshop basis; the registration fee will be the same as the credit course fee.
COURSE AUDIT
Students may audit courses, with the exception of correspondence courses, online courses, and art therapy studio (ARTST) courses. ARTST courses may be taken on a non-credit Workshop basis. The course fee for auditing will be half the credit course fee. However, St. Stephen’s College follows an adult education model, meaning that student participation in all courses is necessary. The student must do all the required reading as per the syllabus and be willing and able to participate meaningfully in class discussion. Students auditing an intensive course must have all the required reading done beforehand and be ready and able to contribute to all participatory elements of the course. No grades will be given to any participatory assignments. Students wishing to change their status in the course from credit to audit may do so according to these guidelines: 1) prior to the end of the first day of week-long courses, 2) prior to the fourth class for courses lasting longer than one week. A $75 administrative fee will be applied against the refund. Students who want to change their status from audit to credit may do so after obtaining the consent of the course instructor, and notifying the Registrar's Office (normal assignment expectations and deadlines will apply). The student will pay the difference between the audit fee and the credit fee.
COURSE WITHDRAWAL - ACADEMIC
Students who wish to withdraw from a course and receive a grade of W must notify the Registrar before the end dates specified below. If a withdrawal request is not made by the date specified, the final course grade will be based on total work completed in the course. Withdrawal deadlines to avoid academic penalty are:
1 Intensive (week-long) courses: one month after the end date of the course.
2 Semester courses (4-month sessions): two months after start date of course.
3 Full-year courses (8-month sessions): four months after start date of course, or four months after registering.
4 Correspondence courses (6-month sessions): three months after start date of course, or three months after registering.
5 Learning Events lasting less than 5 days: one month after the end date of the event.
CLASS ATTENDANCE
The success or failure of a class often depends on the attendance and full participation of all members of the class. It is therefore important and expected that full attendance at class sessions be the norm. In extenuating circumstances, students may be absent for a maximum of 20% of the total classroom time and still complete the course for credit, but may be required to do additional work.
COURSE NUMBERING/CREDITS
The course numbering system at St Stephen’s College is as follows: Doctoral level: 700; Master level: 500; Bachelor level: 300 or 400. Three-credit courses at St Stephen’s College consist of a minimum of 35 hours of class time. Graduate students may not take for credit any undergraduate courses in their field of study and/or area of specialization to satisfy the graduate program requirements; however, in some instances, an undergraduate course may be taken to satisfy one elective requirement, with the permission of the Degree Program Chair.
COURSE COMPLETION
Students are expected to submit assignments required for credit courses to instructors by the deadlines described in the syllabus. Final assignments are normally due the last day of the course (for semester, online, correspondence and independent study courses), or two months after the last day of the course (for week-long intensive courses). If the final assignment is not submitted to the instructor by the deadline or the negotiated extension to that date (see Extension policy below) and provided no formal withdrawal from the course has been requested, the final grade will be based on work completed.
COURSE EXTENSIONS
Students are expected to submit course assignments by the deadlines given by the instructor in the course outline, and according to the course completion policy outlined above. However, in extenuating circumstances (eg. medical reasons) students may consult with the instructor before the due date and request an extension to the deadline. Instructors may grant a maximum of two one-month extensions; the terms of the extension will be based on the circumstances of both the instructor and student. Students are reminded that they are expected to set realistic goals and timelines for themselves to complete assignments that are due, particularly in situations where they may enroll in several courses at the same time. Students who fail to complete the course and who do not apply for an extension by the required deadline will receive a grade based on work completed. To obtain a higher grade, or a passing grade, for the course, students may re-register for the course. Both the original registration and the re-registration will appear on the transcript.
Exceptions to the course completion and extension policies will be allowed for extreme extenuating circumstances only, and must be negotiated with the Dean. Students requesting this exception must appeal, in writing, to the Dean, citing in detail the grounds for their request. The written response will be kept in the student's file. The decision of the Dean shall be final.
