Dec 05, 2024  
2023-2024 Catalog 
    
2023-2024 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Academic Policies & Procedures



Add/Drop

Students who need to add or drop courses after their initial registration and prior to the semester start may complete changes online through their Kish Self-Service.

Adding a course after the posted class start date requires the instructor’s written permission. The instructor’s permission is valid for 3 business days. Students may not add classes already in progress after five business days following the posted class start date. After this point, students may switch between sections of a class with written permission from the instructors and the Division Dean.

Students should:

  • Contact instructor in person or through Kishwaukee College student email to request permission to be added to course. The instructor is not required to allow late enrollment or override seat count.
  • If permission is granted, have instructor email you granting permission. Dated email is valid for three business days.
  • Forward email to onestop@kish.edu.

Students must make payment arrangements after they register.

Dropping a course during the first 12% of the course will result in no record of the dropped course on a student’s academic record. Final official withdrawal deadlines from a course, or courses, are set at the 85% completion point of each individual class. Students’ schedule/bills will reflect the actual calendar deadline dates for dropping and withdrawing for each course registered. Refunds of tuition and fees for dropped courses are processed according to the college refund policy.

Students who do not attend their class during the refund period will be dropped from the class roster and will be charged for the class. Reduced classes/credits will be reflected in your enrollment status and may affect eligibility for athletics, scholarships, financial aid and other programs. For online courses, logging into the class does not constitute attendance, as the student must be participating in a discussion or other class participation based upon the instructors discretion. For a full refund, a student is responsible to drop the course on their own during the full refund period. If a student is dropped from a course by faculty during the enrollment verification process after the refund period, no refund will be issued. For dates and deadlines visit www.kish.edu/importantdates.

Withdrawal

Any courses needing to be withdrawn after the drop refund deadlines must be completed in writing.

Withdrawing from a class can affect a student’s academic record including their financial aid, enrollment status, veteran benefits, or the amount owed to the institution if they are past the refund date. Prior to withdrawing from a course a student is required to contact their assigned academic advisor before the withdrawal can be processed. Academic advising will assist the student via appointment or email advising@kish.edu. The student may contact the Student Services Office by phone at 815-825-9375 or via email at onestop@kish.edu.

Administrative Withdrawal

Kishwaukee College reserves the right to administratively withdraw at midterm those students who are not actively pursuing course objectives as established by their instructors, or who are in violation of standards of behavior as outlined in Kishwaukee College’s Code of Student Conduct and Discipline. (For a copy of the student conduct policy, contact the Vice President of Student Services Office or refer to the code of student conduct in this catalog.)

Students also may be administratively withdrawn if they are not enrolled in courses consistent with placement testing and course prerequisite policies. Additionally, students may be administratively withdrawn from their classes if they are under any financial obligation to Kishwaukee College. Financial obligations include any debts owed to the College, as well as overdue library materials.

Athletic Eligibility

Student athletes are advised that eligibility for intercollegiate athletic participation is governed by the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Rules of Eligibility. These rules specify the number of credit hours for which a student must enroll each semester, as well as the credit hours earned, and the minimum GPA required to maintain eligibility for participation in athletics. For further information, contact the Kishwaukee College Athletic Department.

Auditing a Course

Recognizing student and community needs, Kishwaukee College allows audit enrollment in most courses. Audit enrollment allows a student to enroll in a course for the purpose of reviewing course material, exploring interest in a subject area, or becoming better prepared for future courses.

Students should register to audit a course during the regular registration periods. However, a student may not change from audit to credit or from credit to audit status after the first day of the class. Students may not register online to audit a class. Students taking a course for credit will have priority over students electing to audit a class.

For audited courses, the symbol of “AU” is assigned and reflected on the academic transcript. No hours attempted or earned are recorded; nor are audited courses included in GPA calculations or used to satisfy prerequisites. Tuition and fees for audited courses are the same as those charged for enrollment in the course for credit. An additional charge will be assessed to offset the loss in state reimbursement. Review your schedule/billing statement for additional costs.

Class Attendance

The student is responsible for prompt attendance and participation in all scheduled class meetings, including lecture, laboratory, and clinical sessions. Instructors may consider attendance in determining student achievement in their courses. Students should consult with their instructors and read course syllabi for any statements regarding attendance. However, absences caused by approved college activities (ex. course field trips; athletic, club, and student curricular organization competitions; required military service) are not counted in determining student achievement, standards by outside board or state agencies.

Students are advised to notify their instructors in advance of any absences they know will occur. No absence excuses students from making up missed assignments, including tests. Students are responsible for arranging with their instructors the completion of work missed due to absence. Student absences due to prolonged illness/hospitalization should be reported to the Vice President of Student Services Office.

Dean’s List

Students who complete a full-time course load (minimum of 12 credit hours of credit) and attain a credit grade point average of 3.500 or above in 100-200 level Kishwaukee College course work are honored by having their names placed on the Dean’s List. The Dean’s List is published at the end of each fall and spring semester.

Kishwaukee College releases the names of Dean’s List recipients to the local news media. However, for students who do not authorize the release of directory information from the College, no information regarding Dean’s List honors will be released.

Final Exams

A final exam week is scheduled at the end of each fall or spring semester as published in the appropriate college calendar. Students who miss a final examination for reasons beyond their control should petition the instructor in writing for a late examination. If the request is granted, the student will be notified of the time and place of the late examination.

VA Pending Payment Compliance Policy

Kishwaukee College will not take any of the following actions towards any student using U.S. department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Post 9/11 G.I. Bill® (Ch33) or Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Ch. 31) benefits, while the payment from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is pending to the educational institution:

  •  Prevent their enrollment
  •  Assess a late penalty fee to
  •  Require they secure alternative or additional funding
  • Deny their access to any resources (classes, libraries or other institutional facilities) available to other students who have satisfied their tuition and fee bills to the institution

In order to qualify for this provision, students must:

  • Produce the VA’s Certificate of Eligibility by the first day of class
  • Provide written request to be certified
  • Provide additional information needed to properly certify the enrollment as described in other institutional policies (see our VA School Certifying Official for all requirements)

Military Withdrawal

Kishwaukee College currently enrolled students who are called to active military service shall be allowed to complete any unfinished courses at a later date at no additional charge, unless course credit has already been given or the student received a full refund upon withdrawing from the course (in which case the student’s record shall reflect that the withdrawal is due to active military service). The student will be given priority over other students in reenrolling in the course or courses.

If called to active duty, the student should contact the Student Services Office as soon as possible. Proper documentation, such as a copy of orders, must be presented at the time the tuition credit and withdrawal is requested. To be considered for the refund, the student’s date of activation must occur within the same semester for which the refund is requested.

Students called to active duty may choose to inquire about their eligibility for an Incomplete (“I”) grade or a final course grade in each class based upon the amount of assigned work completed. Students denied an incomplete or receipt of a final grade (typically because the call-up date is too early in the semester) will retain the option of dropping the course for a refund. Students choosing to receive an incomplete or final grade (with instructor agreement) will not be entitled to a refund of tuition and fees.

Any incomplete grades not resolved by the deadline in the incomplete grade contract will be converted to non-punitive withdrawal (“W”) grades, in contrast to the standard policy of conversion to failures.

Online Student Information

Internet-Based Instruction

The most up-to-date information on Online Courses is located at the Online Course section of the College website at www.kish.edu

Registration Requirements for Online Students

Students registering for online courses must have appropriate English/Mathematics placement scores and/or documentation of any prerequisites.

Orientation Information for Online Students

It is recommended that all online students read through the “Getting Started with Online Learning” checklist located on the Online Courses homepage. This checklist guides a student through browsing the online/hybrid course schedules, registering, computer hardware and software requirements, online orientations, ID and password information, logging in, and technical support.

Online Course Attendance

Attendance and participation in online courses requires regular activity in the online course shell and other course software or systems (e.g. publisher courseware). Online activity may include submission of assignments, completion of quizzes, participation in discussion forums, or other assigned activity. 

Part-Time Student Honors List

Students who complete a minimum of six credit hours but less than twelve credit hours during the fall or spring semester and attain a semester grade point average of 3.500 or above in 100-200 level Kishwaukee College course work are honored by having their names placed on the Part-time Student Honors list. The Part-time Student Honors list is published at the end of each fall and spring semester.

Registration for Courses

All students who plan to attend Kishwaukee College must be accepted for admission, complete registration for courses, and pay tuition and fees before they will be considered officially enrolled.

SARA State Agreement - Online Learning

The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) is an agreement among member states, districts and territories that establishes comparable national standards for interstate offering of postsecondary distance education courses and programs. Kishwaukee College is not an approved SARA institution and online course offerings are only available to students in the state of IL.