Class Standing
A student with 0 through 29 semester hours is considered to be of freshman standing. A student with 30 through 59 semester hours is considered to be of sophomore standing.
Method of Work
Traditionally, there are sixteen and eight weeks of instruction during the fall and spring semesters. A typical course yields three semester hours of credit. This represents three hours of instruction each week for sixteen weeks for a total of forty-eight contact hours. Work taken in summer school results in the same total contact hours, but it is completed in either a five, eight, or ten week period of time.
Course Numbers
Temple College is a participating institution in the Texas Common Course Numbering System. Courses designed for transfer have a standardized four-letter prefix followed by a four-digit number. The four-letter prefix identifies the subject area. For example, ENGL is the common prefix for English courses, while DRAM is the common prefix for drama/theatre courses. The four-digit number following the prefix identifies specific courses within the subject area. Each digit in the four-digit sequence gives additional information about the course. The first digit identifies the course as either freshman level (1) or sophomore level (2). The second digit identifies the number of credit hours students earn upon successfully completing the course. Most often this digit will be a 1, 2, 3, or 4. The final two digits serve to establish the sequence in which courses are generally taken. Thus, CHEM 1411 General Chemistry I is taken before CHEM 1412 General Chemistry II.
Developmental courses not designed for college credit or transfer have a zero as the first digit. Courses that are included in a certificate or an Associate of Applied Science degree are technical (terminal) courses and are not intended as transfer courses. The student should consult with the intended transfer institution to determine the transferability of technical courses. Course equivalency guides are available in the Advising office.
Normal Class Load and Maximum Load
The regular college year is composed of two semesters. Each semester is 16-weeks long. A student who registers for 12 or more semester hours of work will be considered full-time for the semester. Generally, to complete a degree in the usual two or four-year time period, the student must register for 15 semester hours.
A normal course load for a 16-week semester (fall and spring) is no more than 16 semester hours. If a student registers for an 8-week term, the normal course load is 6 semester hours. The maximum hours allowed are 18 semester hours in a 16-week term or 9 semester hours in an 8-week term. Students will be permitted to carry more than the maximum hours under the following conditions: 1) the student must take additional hours to be eligible for graduation or transfer at the end of the semester, 2) the student has successfully completed a large credit load semester with a GPA of 3.0 or above, and 3) the student has no excessive work or family obligations. Students must work with an advisor to start the approval process for registration in excess of the maximum load.
The summer semester is composed of three different session lengths, 10-week, 8-week, and 5-week. The maximum number of semester hours that a student will be approved to take at one time is 9 semester hours in a 10-week term, 6 semester hours in an 8-week term, and 6 semester hours in a 5-week term. Students will be permitted to carry more than the maximum hours under the following conditions: 1) the student must take additional hours to be eligible for graduation or transfer at the end of the semester, 2) the student has successfully completed a large credit load semester with a GPA of 3.0 or above, and 3) the student has no excessive work or family obligations. Students must work with an advisor to start the approval process for registration in excess of the maximum load.
Concurrent Enrollment
Approval may be granted for a student to be concurrently enrolled at TC and another institution at the same time. If granted, the student must not exceed the maximum amount of work permitted during any one semester as outlined above.
A person who has received permission for concurrent enrollment and is concurrently enrolled at another institution must submit an official transcript from that institution to the Admissions and Records office at TC at the close of the semester if he/she is planning to enroll at TC for a subsequent semester.
Adding and Dropping Courses
See Changes of Schedules and Withdrawals under Registration.
Auditing of Courses
When space is available, any person 18 years of age or older may, with the consent of the instructor, enroll as an auditor in a course. An auditor is entitled to the use of laboratory equipment and supplies and to participation in fieldwork. Students must pay any laboratory fees required whether they use such facilities or not. Students cannot audit applied music classes. The instructor is not obligated to accept any papers, tests or examinations from these students. An auditor is free from such course requirements as attendance, written work, and tests. Credit will not be granted for a course that has been audited, except by enrolling in the course at a later date and completing all of the required work. Those living in the College district will pay the regular in-district tuition and fees plus a special $15 auditing fee for each course audited. Those living outside the College district will pay the regular tuition and fees charged students who are not residents of the College district but who are residents of the state. They will also pay a special $15 auditing fee for each course audited. Once students pay tuition and fees, they may not change from audit status to credit status. Once students pay tuition and fees and enroll for a course for credit, they may not change from credit to audit status.
Procedures for auditing a course will be administered by the Director of Admissions and Records. No refunds of tuition and fees are made to auditing students who withdraw from class unless the class is cancelled by TC.
Auditing of Courses by Senior Citizens
In accordance with Texas Education Code - TEC 54.365(c) - Temple College may grant a student 65 years of age or older an exemption from tuition and fees to audit a class. The College must give preference to students paying tuition, and the discount is based on the availability of space in the class. The student requesting to audit a class should check with the instructor prior to enrollment to determine the amount of participation that will or will not be allowed by the person auditing the class.
Credit Course Enrollment by Senior Citizens
In accordance with Texas Education Code - TEC 54.365(b) - Temple College may grant a student 65 years of age or older an exemption from tuition (only) up to 6 credit hours for fall, spring, and/or summer semesters. The College must give preference to students paying tuition, and the discount is based on the availability of space in the class.
Grades
The standing of a student in his/her work is expressed by grades made up from class work and from examinations. There are eight grades: A (Excellent), B (Good), C (Fair), D (Pass), F (Failure), W (Withdrawal), XF (Failure due to academic dishonesty), and I (Incomplete). The grades of W and I are not counted as hours attempted in computing the student’s grade point average. A “W” grade is given for an instructor or student-initiated course withdrawal through the 12th week of the 16 week semester. During the summer semester, a W is given through the 4th week for the 6-week session, the 6th week for the 8-week session and the 9th week for the 12 - week session.
To pass a course it is necessary to secure a grade of at least a “D.” In some AAS degree programs a grade of “D” is unacceptable if earned in a major course. When a “D” grade is earned in such a course, the student must repeat that course and earn a grade of “C” or higher. In some AAS degree programs the grade of “D” is not given in major courses. Grades in those courses are: “A……B,” “C……F.” Students enrolling in a program where either of these policies are in effect are informed in advance of the departmental grading policy.
An incomplete grade not removed within 30 calendar days of the first class day of the subsequent term will become an “F.” An extension beyond this time frame may only be granted in exceptional circumstances. Approval for the extension must be granted by the instructor in writing and must be submitted to the Director of Admissions and Records for approval. Students who remove incomplete grades in courses that are required for graduation must do so within 30 calendar days from the graduation date in order to be considered a graduate for that term. Students who wait until the subsequent term to clear the incomplete will be considered for graduation in the term in which the incomplete was cleared. The student is responsible for completing a new application for graduation. This policy does not relieve students from meeting course prerequisites.
Any student who has an administrative hold in our system will not be able to view grades, receive financial aid disbursement, request transcripts or enroll for a consecutive semester. These administrative holds include, but are not limited to:
- Incomplete application
- Missing information
- Missing official transcripts
- Disciplinary action
- Temple College unpaid tickets
- Unreturned Library books
- Unpaid tuition
- Return in funds for Financial Aid
- Unreturned materials to Student Support
- Default on Institutional short term loans
- Default on Federal Student Loans*
*Must meet the lender arrangements and must provide proof to Temple College that student(s) has/have made six consecutive monthly payments.
Temple College Change of Grade Policy
Grades are subject to change under the following conditions:
INCOMPLETES: A grade of incomplete “I” will be changed to a letter grade. If a grade of “I” is not changed within 30 calendar days into the next semester, a grade of “F” will be assigned.
ERRORS: A grade calculated or recorded erroneously may be changed by the instructor to the grade actually earned.
DISPUTES: A disputed grade may be changed if the student appeals the grade given within one academic year from the term the grade was earned.
Grade Change Policy:
A change of grade will be accepted by the Director/Associate Director of Admissions and Records only if properly submitted by the instructor or by the department chair in the absence of the instructor. Grade changes will be accepted up to one calendar year from the original term of enrollment for the course. Grade change request forms can be submitted through TConnect.
Student Grade Appeal Procedure:
Academic appeals should be resolved informally with the instructor whenever possible. Any student has the right to question a grade he/she has received, but the student should recognize the difference between questioning a grade and charging an instructor with a violation of good teaching practices. The latter is a serious act and should neither be undertaken lightly nor should the desire to have a grade reviewed and changed be the primary motivation for initiating a grievance. It will be recognized that the burden of proof rests with the student.
A student who wishes to question a grade must discuss the matter first with the instructor of record as soon as possible, preferably no later than one week after the start of the next regular academic term after receiving the grade. If the student’s concerns remain unresolved after the discussion with the instructor, the student may submit a written request to meet with the appropriate Department Chair within one week of speaking with the instructor. If the matter remains unresolved after step two, the student will submit a written request within one week to the Division Director. If the matter remains unresolved after step three, the student will submit a written request within one week to the Vice President of Educational Services.
XF Grade Appeals Process
A grade of XF must remain on the student’s transcript for at least one year beyond the semester for which the grade was initially assigned.
After one year, and no more than 3 years from the end of the semester the XF grade was assigned, a student may petition, in writing, the faculty member who issued the “XF”, or the department chair (if faculty member is no longer employed by TC), to have the X portion of the grade expunged. The student must also meet with the faculty member/department chair to explain the request.
If a petition to change an XF grade has been made and denied, the student must wait at least one long semester from the date of denial to repeat the petition process. A student may petition until the maximum 3-year time limit has expired.
Once the petition is received and approved by the faculty member/department Chair, the petition will go to the Academic Integrity Committee (AIC) for final review. If the petition is approved by the AIC, the AIC will establish the conditions for expunging the “X” portion of the grade for each individual situation. Those conditions could include, but are not limited to:
1. Student must register for a course in ethics/integrity (specifically created by a committee for this purpose, containing objective questions and an essay – essay would be randomly selected from a bank of topics) several have suggested using existing ethics courses and informing student upon receiving XF to consult the petition process.
2. Upon completion of the course, the student must score 80 or above on an end of course exam.
Once the established conditions have been met, with the approval of the Vice President for Educational Services, the faculty member/department chair will submit a grade change request.
If the student is subsequently found guilty of a second violation of academic integrity, committed either before or after the original violation, the XF cannot be removed. For cases in which the second violation was not discovered until after the original XF was changed to an F, the XF grade is permanently restored for the course. The Vice President for Educational Services will provide information from Retention Alert and other sources pertaining to each petition for review.
A student may retake a course where a grade of XF was awarded to obtain a better grade for the course. However, the “XF” grade will remain on the student’s transcript until the student successfully petitions for its removal.
Grade Point Average
The grade point average (GPA) is computed on the following values for each semester hour of credit: A - 4; B - 3; C - 2; D - 1; and F - 0. Grade Point Averages are computed by dividing the total grade points earned by the number of semester hours attempted that are used in the GPA calculation.
Prior to the Fall 2002 semester, all transfer hours with a grade of “D” or above were calculated into the cumulative GPA. Transfer hours that were not required by the degree plan, but which counted as electives, also were included in the cumulative GPA. Temple College hours excluding developmental courses, also were calculated into the cumulative GPA. (Developmental hours were calculated into the semester grade point average only.)
Beginning with the Fall 2002 semester, Temple College will not include transfer hours in the cumulative GPA calculation. Temple College will accept transfer hours with a grade of “D” or above as transfer credit but the grades will no longer affect the Temple College cumulative grade point average. From Fall 2002 to Summer 2005, developmental hours were not included in the semester GPA calculation. Beginning with the Fall 2005 semester, developmental hours will be included in the semester GPA calculation.
Repeating of Courses
Beginning with the Fall 2005 semester, a student who wishes to repeat a course will only be allowed to repeat a course one time. If a student needs to repeat a college credit course for a second time (third attempt), the student must receive approval from an advisor. An additional fee will be charged for repeating the same course more than twice. If a student repeats a course, the credit hours and grade points earned from the attempt with the highest grade will be considered the grade of record and will be counted toward computation of an overall grade point average. The hours and grade points from the lower grade attempt will not be calculated in the overall grade point average. If the course repeated is identified in the catalog as a course that may be repeated for credit when the topics vary, then the topics must be the same before the course will be treated as repeated for replacement. However, a student may not remove an earlier punitive grade (F, I) by enrolling in that course again and finishing with a non-punitive grade (W). In this case, the first attempt will continue to be included in the overall grade point average calculation. The semester grade point average will be computed as it normally would be even if a course is repeated. All courses attempted during a given semester will be used in calculating a semester grade point average, even if a course is repeated at a later date.
Exemption
Students will not be exempt from final examinations.
Schedule and Syllabus Changes
Temple College reserves the right to modify the class schedule when necessary. Instructors maintain the freedom to modify course syllabi when appropriate.
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