Academic Policies

Section IV: Special Educational Experiences and Credit

1. Independent Study, Honors Reading and Honors Research
2. Course by Special Arrangement
3. Directed Study
4. Participation Credit
5. Internships, Practica, and Cooperative Education Programs

A. Independent Study, Honors Reading and Honors Research

1. The purpose of an Independent Study, Honors Reading or Honors Research is to allow the competent and prepared student to pursue study of a topic of special interest or need in depth and to develop the student's ability to work on his/her own by pursuing a reading/research project to successful completion.
2. Prior to registration, students must file the Independent Study/ Honors Reading/Honors Research Petition. This petition requires the signature/approval of the instructor, program chair and jurisdictional dean. Regular tuition is charged.
3. In most cases Independent Study, Honors Reading or Honors Research should be within the field of the student's area of concentration and should be something which cannot be pursued through established courses. These are pursued on-campus under the direct supervision of an Aurora University faculty member.
4. While most Independent Studies last one full term, occasionally they will run over several terms or less than one term. Independent Studies should be registered for along with other classes. After the first week of classes, the Registrar must approve registration for Independent Studies on a case by case basis in consultation with the instructor and the jurisdictional dean.

B. Course by Special Arrangement
This is a course that is part of the approved curriculum program but is being offered to a student during a term when it is not scheduled. It should be employed only in cases of extreme scheduling conflict when no substitution is appropriate. Prior to registration, students must file the Course By Special Arrangement Petition. This petition requires the signature/approval of the instructor, program chair and jurisdictional dean. An additional $100 per semester hour fee is assessed in addition to regular tuition.

C. Directed Study
This is a course in which a student or students is/are studying on campus under the close supervision of an Aurora University faculty member. This is not "field experience," does not cover material in the regular curriculum, and is not as research- and/or independently-oriented in its instructional methodology as an independent study. A good example of a Directed Study is New Testament Greek. Students should file the Directed Study Petition prior to registration. This petition must be signed/approved by the instructor, program chair, and jurisdictional dean. Regular tuition is charged.

D. Participation Credit

1. At the time of academic advisement and registration, eligible students may register for participation credit during their sports season; i.e., football, soccer, volleyball, golf, women's tennis in Fall Term; basketball in Winter Term; baseball, softball, men's tennis in Spring Term. Initial registration is subject to eligibility review per NCAA Division III regulations and membership on the athletic team. The regular tuition charge and refund policy will apply.
2. Eligible students must be registered for a minimum of eight semester hours not including registration for participation credit.
3. A maximum of three semester hours of participation credit may be applied toward graduation. Participation credit is awarded in one semester hour units to members of athletic teams who meet the necessary NCAA eligibility requirements and are recommended for credit by the team's coach and are approved by the Registrar. Grading is on a credit/no credit basis.

E. Internships, Practica, and Cooperative Education Programs

Aurora University recognizes the validity of field experiences and experiential learning conducted under the control of the faculty and encourages the integration of such learning into the University's academic programs where appropriate.

1. 1. Internships and Cooperative Education Placements may be arranged in conjunction with any credit-bearing program of the University with the consent and sponsorship of the program faculty. They carry common course numbers throughout the University, together with the departmental prefix of the sponsoring program. With the approval of the jurisdictional dean, placements may carry a departmental prefix reflecting the discipline of the faculty sponsor and the content of the learning experience, even though the credit may not be applicable to a specific area of concentration.
   1. Internships may be offered in two forms:
      * XXX294/394 Career Investigation Field Experience (CIFE), 1 semester hour to 4 semester hours per term, at least sophomore standing required at start of placement
      * XXX494 Career Application Field Experience (CAFE), 3 semester hours to 9 semester hours per term, at least junior standing required at start of placement
   2. Eligibility: Students placed in CIFEs must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0, and must not have been placed on academic warning at the end of the term preceding the term when the placement is to begin. Students placed in CAFEs must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.00, must not have been placed on academic warning at the end of the term preceding the term when the placement is to begin, and must have completed at least 18 semester hours at AU by the time the internship is to begin. The program faculty of the approving/sponsoring unit may impose additional or more stringent requirements for eligibility.
   3. Site requirements: Students must meet all eligibility requirements imposed by the site at which the student seeks placement, including but not limited to GPA requirements or prior completion of specific coursework, background/security checks, citizenship/residency requirements, health and fitness, insurance coverage, prior work experience, and demonstrated competence in specific skills.
   4. Contact hour and duration requirements: In order for credit to be awarded for CIFE and CAFE placements, the student must be placed for a minimum of 145 clock hours per 3 semester hours credit. Placements for 1 semester hour to 4 semester hours must be arranged to cover a period of at least 6 weeks. Placements for more than 4 semester hours must be arranged to cover a period of at least 10 weeks.
   5. Other completion requirements (including but not limited to outside reading, journals and logs, written assignments, progress and exit interviews) may be imposed at the discretion of the faculty sponsor or the program faculty. In all cases, the completion requirements of the learning experience shall include documentation, readings, or other assignments adequate to support evaluation for credit by the faculty.
   6. A maximum of 18 semester hours of CIFE/CAFE credit may be presented for graduation as part of general degree requirements. A maximum of 27 semester hours may be presented for graduation when approved by program faculty for inclusion in an area of concentration as a cooperative education placement.
   7. Approval: Contracts for CIFE/CAFE for inclusion in an area of concentration must bear the signatures of the student, the site supervisor, the supervising faculty member, the program chair, and the Academic Advisement Director. Credit may only be applied to meet general education requirements on the approval of the General Education Committee, in which case the signature of the board chair substitutes for that of the program chair. No approvals required in this section may be granted retroactively.
   8. Faculty sponsors must secure the prior approval of the jurisdictional dean, unless sponsorship duties have been arranged in the faculty member's contractual load or otherwise delegated by the dean. Approval to serve as sponsor must be secured before internship arrangements are made with the site.
   9. Registration: An approved CIFE/CAFE contract must be presented together with the student's registration form or change of course petition, as an authorization to register for a CIFE or CAFE. The Registrar's Office will forward a copy of the internship contract to the jurisdictional dean who approved the faculty member's sponsorship. The dean will in turn prepare a supplemental contract to be forwarded to the Provost for approval.
   10. Timetable for internship registration: Students consult with potential faculty sponsors during the first five weeks of the term preceding the term in which an internship is to begin. Approval of the jurisdictional dean for a faculty member to sponsor an internship must be obtained no later than the end of the fifth week of the term preceding the internship term. All other approvals must be obtained by the student, and the student must complete registration for the internship no later than the ninth week of the term preceding the internship term. Earlier deadlines may be established by individual programs.
   11. Evaluation: CIFEs/CAFEs are graded on the CR/NCr system only. Assignment of CIFE/CAFE grades is the sole responsibility of the faculty sponsor as the faculty member of record for the learning experience, who will consult with and consider the evaluations of the student and the site supervisor in determining the final grade.
2. Practica: Field practicum courses may be developed and offered by any credit-bearing program of the University as a required or selected course offering included in an area of concentration, certificate, or credential program.
   1. Practica bear the departmental prefix of the program and are assigned course numbers in accordance with the numbering scheme employed by the program. Titles and catalog descriptions of these courses shall include terms such as "practicum," or "field" to indicate clearly that the course is conducted through this type of experiential instructional model.
   2. Practicum credit is included in maximums established under the general academic regulations for total credit from given departments or divisions that may be presented for graduation. Within such limits, all requirements, minimums, and maximums for practicum credit within a program are established by the program faculty.
   3. Prerequisites for enrollment in practica including but not limited to GPA, prior coursework, declaration of major, and special skills or fitness are determined by the controlling program and summarized in the catalog description, which shall also reference the source of the full program regulations pertaining to the practicum offering.
   4. All practica are under the academic supervision of program faculty assigned by the program chair and approved through the normal mechanism for approval of faculty teaching assignments in the academic unit. The supervising faculty determine completion requirements and instructional design, monitor student progress, serve as the liaison between the University and the site, and are responsible for summary evaluation and grading of students enrolled in practica.
   5. Contact hours and duration shall be determined by the program faculty but shall not be less than 145 clock hours per 3 semester hours credit.
   6. Grading systems for practica are determined by the program faculty. Completion requirements and evaluation methods must support the grading system chosen for a practicum.
   7. Registration: Students register for practica as part of the normal registration process for other coursework. Controlling programs are responsible for handling pre-practicum application procedures, if any. The signature of a program advisor or designee on the student's registration form or change of course petition is required for registration.
   8. Monitoring and reporting requirements: Programs incorporating practica in their offerings are responsible for establishing faculty committees or other mechanisms that may be required to meet internal or external monitoring, screening, certification, or reporting requirements.
3. Administrative Procedures and Information regarding Internships
   1. Students wishing to participate in the internship/cooperative education program should obtain a checklist and blank contract form from the Academic Advisement Office and arrange to meet with an academic advisor or, in cases where the credit is to be applied toward the major, with the chair of the student's major program.
   2. Information about potential placement sites that is received by the Career Services Office or other central administrative offices is disseminated to program chairs based on apparent appropriateness of a particular site for students in that program. Program chairs or their designees are responsible for filing information on sites that may be appropriate for their majors.
   3. Normally, a program faculty member or other academic advisor will determine the appropriateness of a particular site or placement and then either arrange the initial contact between the student and the site or provide contact information for the student to arrange an interview. Students who have learned of potential sites through other channels must review the site with the program chair or academic advisor before initiating contact with the site.
   4. Once a faculty member has agreed to serve as a student's sponsor, the faculty member must secure approval from the jurisdictional dean to serve as sponsor, before proceeding with arrangements with the internship site.
   5. Students are expected to prepare for site interviews as they would for formal job interviews. Contact the Career Services Office for assistance in preparing a resume. Workshops to develop effective interviewing skills are also available.
   6. Students pay normal tuition for internship, cooperative education, and practicum placements. Students are responsible for other expenses associated with placements (travel, texts or reference materials, special clothing, insurance required by the site, etc.).

Posted: 11 March 2002