Life happens but the clock keeps ticking

The last two weeks of any eight-week session can really create panic. Here it is, two weeks before the end of class and you find yourself way behind. It happens to the best of us because as working adult students, life happens. What should you do? First and foremost, communicate, communicate, communicate. As soon as possible contact your faculty member and let them know what is going on. This is paramount.

If you find yourself in this circumstance, you have the right to ask your faculty member for a grade of incomplete … but only if you meet certain criteria. An incomplete grade is only appropriate if you have completed a significant portion of the course work. But the College of Liberal Studies allows faculty certain leeway to decide what must be done to help you. If they agree to give you an incomplete grade, they also are empowered to set a time limit appropriate to the circumstance. Keep in mind that the time allowed to make up the work cannot exceed one calendar year. Whatever your faculty member tells you to do, be sure to do it. Meet the deadline. There can be serious implications to your financial aid if you don’t.

An “I” for “Incomplete” is not an alternative to an “F” so if you are failing a course you will not be able to receive an “I”. That said, if you have finished a majority, but not all, of the required coursework for the semester, you are eligible for an “I”.

Here is a rundown of the CLS incomplete policy.

Students must have:
1) Completed a significant portion, ideally at least 50 percent, of the course material assignments.
2) Contacted the instructor prior to the end of the course and have arranged to receive a grade of “Incomplete.” It will be at the discretion of the instructor to assign a grade of “I.” Although you may have submitted 50 percent of the course work, that is not a guarantee that the instructor will assign the student an “I” grade).
3) Agreed upon a timeline for completing outstanding assignments with your faculty member. You will have no more than one year from the date the grade is awarded to complete outstanding assignments. A faculty member may give you a much shorter time frame if they deem it appropriate to do so.

The “I” will become a permanent mark on your transcript if the calendar year goes by and you have not made up the remaining work. To receive credit for the course, you will then have to re-enroll for the same course and pay for it again.