Sep 28, 2023  
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog

General Academic Regulations


 

 

 

Academic Advising System

Academic Advising System

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.
         

Academic Regulations

The Student Handbook contains information concerning student rights and responsibilities, attendance, absences, and matters of academic dishonesty. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with these policies.

    

Assessment of Student Academic Achievement

Assessment of Student Academic Achievement

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

In order for you and your advisors to create a schedule that best meets your academic abilities and prepares you for the academic requirements of your program, you may be required to take certain assessments in math and/or English. Your test results may require that you enroll in one or more corequisite courses. Completing these required courses in your first semester(s) will help to ensure your greatest chance of success in college. All assessments are free of charge. For information regarding placement testing, please contact the Tutoring Center.

Core Academic Skills for Educators Test (CORE)

Students must earn passing scores on all three sections (reading, mathematics, and writing) in order to be admitted to Teacher Education. Other requirements exist for admission to Teacher Education. Applicants must register for a test administration date online at: www.ets.org/praxis. Information is available in the Teacher Certication Office at 345 Education Building. You can also contact Joyce Rose.

PRAXIS II Specialty Area Exams and Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) Tests

Students graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education are required to take these tests and to achieve the minimum acceptable score for each teaching specialization and developmental level in order to be recommended for licensure. Students normally should take the Specialty Area Exams during the semester prior to their student teaching semester. The PLT exam should be taken during the final semester of their senior year. Applicants must register for a test administration date online at: www.ets.org/praxis. Information is available in the Teacher Certification Office at 340 Education Building or by contacting Joyce Rose.

   

Email Account Policy

The Fairmont State e-mail address assigned to a student will serve as the official email address used by the institution for all correspondence including invoices, financial aid notifications, and information from the Student Services Center. Students are responsible for all information sent from these and other official offices of the institution. Failure to read e-mail messages will not constitute an exception. The Admissions Office will send an official admission letter informing students of their email account and Unified College Account (UCA) and how to activate the UCA. The Admissions Office will also notify students of our institution’s policies regarding the use of Fairmont State email for all major institutional correspondence. No other email addresses will be included when emails are sent. Other email addresses may be provided by completing the Email Billing Form in the Office of Student Services. Invoices will be sent to those addresses in addition to the student.

   

Academic Dishonesty

All students and faculty members are urged to share in the responsibility for removing every situation which might permit or encourage academic dishonesty. Cheating in any form, including plagiarism, must be considered a matter of the gravest concern. Cheating is defined here as the obtaining of information during an examination; the unauthorized use of books, notes, or other sources of information prior to or during an examination; the removal of faculty examination materials; the alteration of documents or records; or actions identifiable as occurring with the intent to defraud or use under false pretense.

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.

For the application of the Academic Dishonesty Policy go to: http://www.fairmontstate.edu/publications/CampusHandbooks/studenthandbook/default.asp

   

Student Classification

Students are classified according to the number of credit hours earned as follows:

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

   

Presidents and Deans List

Presidents 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 attain a grade point average of 4.0 join a select group of individuals and are named to the President’s List.

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.