Rights and Responsibilities of the Student

Academic Integrity

Integrity in teaching and learning is a fundamental principle of a university. UMUC believes that all members of the university community share the responsibility for academic integrity as expressed in the University System of Maryland Policy on Faculty, Student, and Institutional Rights and Responsibilities for Academic Integrity. This policy may be found in Section III, Academic Affairs, of the USM policies and procedures.

At UMUC, faculty members are expected to establish classroom environments conducive to the maintenance of academic integrity by promptly giving students a complete syllabus describing the course and its requirements, grading submitted work promptly and adequately, and arranging appropriate testing conditions, including having faculty members monitor examinations given in face-to-face (on-site) classes.

Students at UMUC are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that will contribute to the maintenance of academic integrity. Failure to maintain academic integrity (academic dishonesty) may result in disciplinary action.

Students are responsible for understanding and avoiding academic dishonesty and plagiarism, whether intentional or unintentional. The definitions of academic dishonesty and the procedures for pursuing complaints of academic dishonesty are described in UMUC policy 150.25 Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism, which can be found at www.umuc.edu/policy/aa15025.shtml and in Appendix H of the 2006/2007 Catalog (1.4 MB Adobe Acrobat *.pdf file).

Appealing a Grade

College and university students inevitably encounter faculty members who vary widely in teaching philosophy and demeanor and who use different teaching styles. Not only is teaching influenced by course content, there are also many ways of conveying the same material. It is only natural that students will like the style and personality of some faculty members more than others. Disagreement with a faculty member over demeanor and teaching style, however, is not grounds for a grade appeal. Students have the opportunity to express their opinions on these matters through the course evaluation forms they complete for every UMUC-Europe course. Regardless of teaching style, it may happen that a student believes a faculty member’s determination of a final course grade has been arbitrary and capricious. The phrase “arbitrary and capricious grading” is defined in UMUC Policy 130.80 (in Appendix F) as:

A final course grade assigned on some basis other than
performance in the course; or
A final course grade assigned by resorting to unreasonable
standards different from those that were applied to other students in that course; or
A final course grade assigned by a substantial,unreasonable, or unannounced departure from the faculty member’s previously articulated grading standards.

A student who believes his or her final grade to be the result of arbitrary and capricious grading should first confer promptly with the faculty member of the course. There is a time limit on appealing a grade; students who want to appeal
a grade must initiate the process within 30 days of the posting of the grade.

If the student has not been able to contact the faculty member after a reasonable effort, or if the student and faculty member cannot, after consultation, reach a satisfactory resolution, the student may file a written request with the appeal administrator (the associate dean, UMUC-Europe) asking how the final grade was calculated. A student may also ask the UMUC area director responsible for the base at which the course was offered for information on how to proceed. If the course was offered via distance education, the student may also ask the director, Distance Education for information.

Procedures for appealing a grade are detailed in UMUC Policy 130.80, “Procedures for Review of Alleged Arbitrary and Capricious Grading.” This can be found in Appendix F of the Catalog and at http://www.umuc.edu/policy/aa13080.shtml

Attendance

The student is responsible for attending all classes and any related activities regularly and punctually. Absence from class does not excuse a student from missed coursework. The student is responsible for obtaining detailed information about missed class sessions, including their content, activities covered, and any announcements or assignments. Failure to complete any required coursework may adversely affect the student’s grade. Faculty are not expected to repeat material that a student has missed because of the student’s absence from class.

In some courses in which active participation is integral to the learning process, faculty may base part of the final grade on class participation; those courses obviously require regular attendance. Faculty must announce any such requirement at the beginning of the term.

Courses offered online have their own policies on attendance. The requirements expected for participation are specifed in all courses offered online.

Code of Civility

To promote a positive, collegial atmosphere among students, faculty, and staff, UMUC has developed the following Code of Civility:

Respect
Treat all students, faculty, and staff with respect and in a professional and courteous manner at all times and in all communications, whether in person or in written communication (including e-mail).

Kindness
Refrain from using profanity, insults, or other disparaging remarks.

Truth
Endeavor to cite only the truth and not knowingly misrepresent, mischaracterize, or misquote information received from others.

Responsibility
Take responsibility for our own actions instead of blaming others.

Cooperation
Work together with other students, faculty, and staff in a spirit of cooperation toward our common goals of seeking and providing quality education.

Privacy
Strive to uphold the right to privacy and not talk about others.

Nondiscrimination
Respect the differences in people and their ideas and opinions and reject bigotry.

Code of Student Conduct

Students are subject to the UMUC Code of Student Conduct. Violations of the code are considered to be violations of UMUC policy and are grounds for discipline by UMUC. UMUC’s Code of Student Conduct can be found in Appendix G of the 2005/2006 Undergraduate Catalog (1.4 MB Adobe Acrobat *.pdf file) or online at http://www.umuc.edu/policy/stud15100.shtml.

Important Reminder About Illegal Downloading

Examinations

Students are responsible for obtaining information about quizzes and examination schedules and policies. Final examinations are usually given during the last scheduled class meeting.

Make-up examinations and tests may be given to students who for valid reasons are unable to take exams at the scheduled time. Faculty are not required to offer makeup examinations because of a student’s absence unless the student can present evidence that it was caused by unavoidable circumstances or occurred on a religious holiday. In such cases, an examination may be rescheduled at the mutual convenience of the student and faculty member and must cover only the material for which the student was originally responsible. Such a rescheduling must not cause a confict with the student’s other classes. A student who must be absent from a course excessively should confer with the faculty member; if it is necessary to withdraw from the course, an Application for Withdrawal(137 KB Adobe Acrobat *.pdf file) must be filed at the education center. GoArmy Ed students must follow the procedures for withdrawal described in the GoArmyEd Portal. UMUC Policy 51.00, Religious Observances, may be found in Appendix D and at www.umuc.edu/policy/aa05100.shtml.

Nondiscrimination

UMUC subscribes to a policy of equal educational and employment opportunity and does not discriminate against or harass any person because of race, religion, color, creed, gender, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, political afiliation, veteran status, mental or physical disability, or sexual orientation. All inquiries regarding UMUC-Europe’s compliance with statutes and regulations should be addressed to the Equal Opportunity Offcer, via e-mail at eddiversity@ed.umuc.edu. Additional information may be found in Appendix C.

Student Grievance Procedures

The procedures necessary to file a formal complaint concerning the actions of members of the UMUC faculty or administrative staff are detailed in UMUC policy 130.70, “Student Grievance Procedures,”. Students who wish to seek redress for the acts or omissions of a faculty or staff member must first request a conference with that person and attempt to resolve the complaint informally within 14 days of the alleged act or omission.

Transfer of Credits Within UMUC

Transferring from one part of UMUC to another is simple and free! If a student wishes to transfer from UMUC Europe to UMUC Stateside, s/he need only visit UMUC-Europe’s web site, click on “Relocation Stateside” and complete the short Relocation Request form The student’s records will then be automatically forwarded to UMUC Stateside just prior to the term selected on the form. If a student wishes to transfer from UMUC-Asia or UMUC-Stateside to UMUC-Europe, s/he need only e-mail the Office of Student Affairs in Heidelberg at: edstudent_svc@ed.umuc.edu. The director, Student Affairs can then facilitate the transfer of the student’s records to UMUC-Europe.

Transfer of UMUC Credits to Another Institution

To have credits transferred which were earned through UMUC, each student must obtain authoritative guidance from the destination institution (including other institutions in the University System of Maryland). Only the destination institution can answer specific questions about its own residency and degree requirements or about the applicability of UMUC courses to its curricula. Specific policies dealing with transfer students may be found in Appendix A and in Appendix B of the Catalog.

Writing Standards

Students should understand that the quality of their writing will affect their grade point average. It is UMUC policy that all courses, with the possible exception of mathematics courses, should involve some form of written work.

Acceptable college-level writing expresses thoughts in a logical, well-organized form, using proper grammar, complete sentences, and correct punctuation and spelling. No student will be awarded an A (outstanding scholarship) on assignments when ineffective writing creates an obvious failure to communicate. For guidance, UMUC has an Effective Writing Center that may be accessed on the Web www.umuc.edu/writingcenter.

Last updated: 2 August 2007