Students are assigned academic advisors when they first enroll at Fairmont State. Those students who are not ready to select a major upon entrance will be assigned to the Office of Exploratory Advising. Students wanting to change their major fields of study may obtain a Major/Minor/Concentration Update Form from Enrollment Services. That form needs a signature from an advisor in the new major. Students should discuss problems relating to degree requirements, registration, and withdrawals from class or college with their advisors.

Office of Exploratory Advising

317 Turley Student Services Center
(304) 367-4709
advise@fairmontstate.edu

The purpose of the Office of Exploratory Advising is to provide Undecided students, Pre-Nursing students, and undergraduate Non-Degree Seeking students with interpersonal professional support. A concerted effort is made to address any academic concerns that may impede the student’s successful completion of degree requirements and to assist the student in the selection of an academic program.

Services:

• Formalized advisor-advisee conferences scheduled by appointment throughout the semester for undecided students.
• Academic assistance and guidance during posted walk-in hours for students with general advising concerns or questions.
• Academic advising for all new, transfer, and readmitted undecided students at Orientation.
• Workshops sponsored by the Office relevant to maximizing academic success and to improving advising processes.
• Referral assistance to campus and community services.

Fairmont State employs a variety of assessment processes to inform students of progress in courses and clinical experience and toward degrees, to analyze programs in order to make appropriate curricular changes, and to determine institutional effectiveness. The university follows policies of the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, the WV Higher Education Policy Commission, policies of specific academic and professional accrediting bodies, and its own governing board.

In addition to regular course examinations and presentations, assessments used include field tests of proficiency in the major; electronic portfolios; capstone projects; internships; clinical practice reviews; and juried performances. Some programs, such as nursing and teacher education, also require nationally normed entrance and exit examinations. All degree programs analyze and review their effectiveness every five years, reporting this information to the WVHEPC and the Fairmont State Board of Governors. Programs also engage in an annual review process to assess the effectiveness of academic programs and learning experiences. The institution reports its overall progress to the HLC every ten years.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

Students who wish to obtain credit by examination should check with the Center for Workforce Education for test availability by calling (304) 367-4920 or (304) 367-7254.

Placement Testing

The procedures outlined below must be followed in sequence by the student who believes their grade to be unfair for the above reasons, although the deadline dates may be accelerated with consent from both parties at the departmental level. Failure of the student to meet any of the deadlines in this process voids the appeal. 

1. Student Contacts the Instructor

The student must contact the instructor of record within 15 days after the final grade was posted by the Registrar’s Office to discuss the grade on an informal basis and determine whether a grade change will be made. Summer term grades may be appealed within the 15 days after final grades are posted. Errors in evaluation or misunderstanding of the grading system of the instructor may be resolved in this way. If the instructor finds no grade change is justified, the student can move to the next step of the appeals process.  

If, for some unforeseen reason, the instructor is unavailable in that period, the Department Chair is then charged with contacting the instructor to attempt a resolution or act as the instructor of record.  

2. Appeal to the Department Chair

The student must notify the Chair of the Department in writing of their intent to appeal within 15 school days following the instructor’s decision. If the student fails to contact the Chair within 15 school days following the instructor’s decision, the instructor’s grade award shall be considered final. If the instructor is also the Chair, the appeal notice shall be sent to the College Dean, who shall take the Chair’s part in the resolution. 

The student’s grade appeal to the Chair must be in the form of a written memo or letter and include information below.  

• Course Information (course number and title, course instructor, final grade); 
• Grade the student believes they earned in the course;  
• Specific reason for the appeal (mechanical error, inconsistent grading practices, prejudice on part of the instructor, etc.); and  
• Statement and physical evidence available to support the appeal (e.g., course syllabus, exam or assignment scores, blackboard screen shots, email communication).  

Upon receiving the appeal, the Chair shall review the appeal file. The appeal process may be done in person or in writing and may require the submission of additional information, all at the discretion of the Chair.  

If the Chair holds a hearing involving the instructor and student desiring a grade change, the meeting should be scheduled within 15 days, except for extraordinary circumstances, in which case it would be as soon as possible. At this meeting, in an informal conference, the Chair should try to resolve the issue between the student and instructor. All pertinent information must be presented to the issue. 

In the event the instructor is also the Chair, this notice of appeal shall be sent to the Dean who may take the Chair’s part in resolving the case or appoint a delegate to act on behalf of the Chair.  

Appeal Decision

Written notification of the appeal decision shall be sent immediately to the student, instructor, and College Dean within 15 days of receiving the student’s appeal. This            correspondence should specify the next possible step in the appeal process and the exact deadline date of any further appeal (15 days following this notification).  

Both the student and instructor have the right to appeal the Department Chair’s decision to the Dean of the College in which the course was taught.  

• If the Chair determines a change in grade is warranted, and the instructor agrees with the decision, the instructor shall file a change of grade form with the Office of the Registrar within 15 days of the date of the decision. 
• If the Chair determines a change in grade is warranted, but the instructor does not consent to the change, the Chair shall automatically forward the appeal file to the College Dean in which the course is taught.

3. Appeal to the Dean

If the student or instructor is not satisfied with the decision of the Chair, an appeal may be made to the Dean of the College within the specified deadline period. The appealer must send written notice of intent to appeal within 15 days of the email date of the Chair’s decision. The Dean will review the appeal file and may schedule a meeting with the student and instructor to hear the case. Subsequently, a decision will be made to either uphold the Chair’s decision or reverse it. 

In the event of the absence of the Dean, the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs shall serve as the administrative officer and act in this capacity. 

Appeal Decision

Written notification of the appeal decision will be sent to the student, instructor, Chair, and the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs. This correspondence shall also outline the next possible step in this process and specify the exact date deadline of any further appeal (15 days following this notification). 

Both the student and the instructor have the right to appeal the decision of the Dean to the Associate Provost.  

• If the Dean determines a change in grade is warranted, and the instructor agrees, the instructor shall file a change of grade form with the Office of the Registrar within 10 school days of the date of the decision. 
• If the Dean determines a change in grade is warranted, but the instructor does not consent to the change, the Dean shall automatically forward the appeal file to the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs.  

4. Appeal to the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs

If the student or the instructor is not satisfied with the decision of the Dean, an appeal may be made to the Associate Provost within the specified deadline period. The appealer must send written notice of intent to appeal within 15 days of the email date of the Dean’s decision. The Associate Provost will review the appeal file and may schedule a meeting with the student and instructor to hear the case. Subsequently, a decision will be made to either uphold the Dean’s decision or reverse it. 

Appeal Decision

Written notification of the appeal decision will be sent to the student, instructor, Dean, and Academic Appeals Board of the Faculty Senate. This correspondence shall also outline the next possible step in this process and specify the exact date (15 days following this notification) of the next appeal deadline.  

Both the student and the instructor have the right to appeal the decision of the Associate Provost to the Academic Appeals Board.  

• If the Associate Provost determines a change in grade is warranted, and the instructor agrees, the instructor shall file a change of grade form with the Office of the Registrar within 10 school days of the date of the decision. 
• If the Associate Provost determines a change in grade is warranted, but the instructor does not consent to the change, the Dean shall automatically forward the appeal file to the Academic Appeals Board of the Faculty Senate.  

5. Appeal to the Academic Appeals Board of the Faculty Senate

If either the student or the instructor is not satisfied with the decision of the Associate Provost, an appeal may be made to the Academic Appeals Board of the Faculty Senate. The procedures of the Academic Appeals Board are available in the Faculty Handbook. 

• The Chair of the Academic Appeals Board shall preside at appeals except where he/she is challenged by on of the parties to the appeal, of is a party to the appeal, or otherwise unavailable.  
• At the start of each case, both the student and the instructor are entitled to dismiss two Board members from hearing their particular case. Board members may recuse themselves from hearing a particular case with permission of the Board Chairperson. 
• At least five Board members must be present for a formal meeting of the Board. 
• Both student and instructor shall submit a written statement to the Board no later than five school days in advance of the hearing. Each statement shall be made available to the other party. 
• Each party may have one advisor (faculty or student) from the Fairmont State University campus community and may call witnesses to present information directly related to the appeal case. 
• The Board shall conduct its hearing and deliberation in private. 
• The Board shall record the information presented by the parties involved. This recording shall then be submitted to the President of the University to be stored in a secure place until final resolution. 
• The written decision of the Academic Appeals Board is final and shall be sent to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Associate Provost, the College Dean, the Department Chair, and the instructor and student involved. 

Plagiarism is defined here as the submission of the ideas, words (written or oral), or artistic productions of another, falsely represented as one’s original effort or without giving due credit.

Freshman…………..0-29 credit hours
Sophomore………. 30-59 credit hours
Junior………………..60-89 credit hours
Senior……………….90+

Deans List: Students who register and receive letter grades for 12 or more hours taken at Fairmont State (excluding credit or audit marks), in any given term, and receive a grade point average of 3.4 or better are considered honor students and are named to the Dean’s List.