Academic Freedom
North Central Texas College ensures adequate procedures for safeguarding and protecting academic freedom. That faculty have freedom in teaching, research, and publication is essential to the collegiate culture that rests upon the belief that higher education institutions serve the common good and depend upon a free search for truth and its free expression without intent to do personal harm. The College’s stance on academic freedom and its protection is clearly stated in Board Policy EJA (Local) - Miscellaneous Instructional Policies: Academic Freedom.
Each faculty member is entitled to full freedom in the classroom to discuss the subject he/she teaches. Limitations to this basic statement exist only within the bounds of common decency and good taste. Each faculty member is also entitled to speak or write as a citizen of the nation, state, and community without fear of institutional censorship or discipline.
The concept of academic freedom must be accompanied by an equally demanding concept of responsibility shared by the Board, administration, and faculty. The fundamental responsibilities of faculty as teachers and scholars include the maintenance of competence in their field of specialization and exhibiting such competence in lectures and discussions. Although publishing is not a fundamental responsibility of a faculty member, it is encouraged by the College.
Exercise of professional integrity by a faculty member includes the recognition that the public will judge the profession and the institution by his/her statements both in public and private life. Therefore, he/she should strive to be accurate, exercise appropriate restraint, show respect for the opinions of others, and avoid creating the impression that he/she speaks or acts for his/her college when he/she speaks or acts as a private person.
A faculty member should be selective in using controversial material in the classroom and introduce such material only as it has a clear relationship to the subject field.
Academic Fresh Start
Academic Fresh Start permits course work taken at NCTC that is at least 10 years old to be ignored for application purposes and determination of grade point average (GPA). Students applying to the institution or to a specific program (e.g., LVN, ADN, Paramedicine, etc.) may choose to invoke an Academic Fresh Start. Students must complete the Request for Academic Fresh Start form available in any NCTC Admissions Office at the time of application. Although grades on students’ NCTC transcripts are not altered, the cumulative hours earned and cumulative GPA are set to 0 and an explanatory note is added to the transcript. Academic Fresh Start applies to all course work in a given semester regardless of the grades earned. Semesters chosen for consideration must be consecutive.
Academic Honors
At the end of each Fall and Spring semester, certain students are recognized for superior academic achievement by being named to either the Chancellor’s Honor List or the Dean’s Honor List.
To qualify for the Chancellor’s Honor List, students must attain a GPA of 4.0 while enrolled full-time (12 or more college-level semester hours). Students qualifying for the Dean’s Honor List must be enrolled full-time (12 or more college-level semester hours) and achieve a GPA of 3.5 or above. Names of students so honored will be posted and released to the news media.
Academic Load
At North Central Texas College, a full-time student is defined as one who is enrolled for a minimum of 12 semester credit hours per Fall, Spring, or combined Summer semesters. Special permission must be obtained from the Provost or designee to enroll for more than 18 semester credit hours during a Fall or Spring semester, more than 7 semester credit hours in an individual Summer session, or more than 14 semester credit hours during the combined Summer semesters.
Conversion of Onsite Classes to Online/Remote Format
North Central Texas College students should be aware that onsite classes will be converted to an online/remote format in the event of a college closure. Students should plan ahead to ensure they have access to the computer equipment (either PC, MAC, or tablet), webcam, and internet connectivity to continue their classes in an online/remote format. Please read all official North Central Texas College student emails, as the transition from onsite to online/remote might require a reorganization on the part of the student. Students will be granted a 72-hour transition and grace period. Online classes will continue as scheduled without disruption.
Attendance Regulations
North Central Texas College’s attendance policy is published in each course’s syllabi. NCTC faculty are expected to keep up-to-date attendance records. However, general regulations regarding class attendance are as follows:
- Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students in all classes for which they have registered.
- All absences are considered unauthorized unless the student is absent due to sickness or emergencies approved by the instructor or participation in an approved college-sponsored activity (which requires written approval from the appropriate Dean or Director).
- The instructor is responsible for judging the validity of any reasons given for absence. Valid reasons for absence, however, do not relieve the student of the responsibility for making up the required work.
- Students will only be allowed to make up an examination missed due to absence if they have reasons acceptable to the instructor. A student compelled to be absent when a test is given should petition the instructor, in advance if possible, for permission to postpone the exam.
- Students may be dropped from a class by the Registrar upon recommendation of the instructor who feels the student has been unjustifiably absent or tardy a sufficient number of times to preclude meeting the course’s objectives.
- Persistent, unjustified absences from classes or laboratories may be sufficient cause for college officials to drop a student from the rolls of the College.
- Students may be dropped from a developmental course required for the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) purposes for non-attendance. Official NCTC TSI rules state that students not passing all sections of the THEA, Compass, or the TSI Assessment test must be enrolled in at least one area of remediation each semester they are enrolled or until all sections are passed, or all remedial requirements have been met.
- Simply logging in to an online course does not constitute attendance. The U.S. Department of Education calculates the last date of attendance by the last time a student participated in an online discussion or made contact (interacted) with a faculty member, and this standard is applied to online courses.
Course Cancellation Policy
The College reserves the right to cancel any scheduled course that does not have sufficient enrollment to justify, economically or educationally, teaching the course. Students will be notified of a cancellation at the course’s first scheduled meeting.
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