UndergraduateCatalog20-21 | Page 45

Gwynedd Mercy University
AY2020-2021 / Undergraduate Academic Catalog
not have a University transcript , they are considered “ never enrolled If student is taking more than one course at a time and he / she is not out of overall program attendance , then only an administrative course withdrawal may be necessary .
If a student is absent for non-consecutive class sessions , then the student will earn a final grade from instructor based on either the departmental policy or the instructor ' s individual policy . Final grades can include “ I ” and “ F ” grades . All “ I ” grades need to be changed to a final grade within 30 days ; otherwise , the Registrar ’ Office will change the “ I ” to an “ F ”.
If student needs additional courses to complete degree , courses must be scheduled prior to last date of attendance ( LDA ) in order to avoid the possibility of being administratively withdrawn from program .
If courses are not scheduled prior to LDA , student has within 7 days of LDA to communicate with Academic Advisor and schedule remaining requirements .
If student does not communicate with Academic Advisor within 7 days of last date of attendance , student will be administratively withdrawn from program .
If student communicates with Academic Advisor within 7 days and is able to schedule program re-entry within 45 days of LDA , no further action is required and student will be able to continue towards degree completion .
If student communicates with Academic Advisor within 7 days but is not able to schedule program reentry within 45 days of LDA , student must withdraw from program and then readmit . ( A Leave of Absence will not be approved since this situation will not be considered an unforeseen circumstance .) When readmitting , student must contact FA directly to reinstate FA funding . This process does not occur automatically .
Alternative Instructional Equivalencies ( AIE )
Academic Credit Hours--General Information
While Gwynedd Mercy University is committed to an outcome-based approach to curriculum and assessment in accordance with its accreditation by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and other discipline based national accrediting associations , it also complies with and endorses the requirements of the Pennsylvania Department of Education on what constitutes a semester credit hour of instruction ( 22 PA . Code Chapter 31-21-31.22 ). The standard states that “ a semester hour represents a unit of curricular material that can normally be taught in a minimum of 14 hours of classroom instruction , plus outside preparation or the equivalent as determined by the faculty .” The institution also supports the federal regulations for credit hours as specified in the Higher Education Opportunity Act as : “ 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 .”
At Gwynedd Mercy University , a three-credit course represents 42 hours of classroom instruction or its equivalent , not including final examination or homework as normally interpreted . The following guidelines are intended to assure compliance with the standard across the various course delivery
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