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YAVAPAI COLLEGE CATALOG • 2015/16
ACADEMIC INFORMATION & STANDARDS
Assessment of Student Academic Achievement
As part of its stated mission regarding excellence in education, Yavapai College is committed to assessing student academic achievement. The purpose of assessment is to measure the degree to which students attain the educational goals and outcomes as prescribed by the individual aca- demic units of the college. In order to verify that these goals are being met, the faculty and staff of the college may require students to participate in research that will help the college determine the extent to which these goals are being met. This research may include, but is not limited to: classroom assessment projects, portfolio project review, nationally normed examinations, focus interviews and faculty developed exit examinations.
The college will use data obtained from the research to improve instruction and restructure curriculum and programs within the college; the college will not use this data to determine the graduation status of students.
Academic Load
Classes routinely require two to three hours of outside preparation for each hour spent in class. Some specialized academic programs may require additional outside preparation. To ensure that students have every opportunity for success in courses, academic loads must be carefully planned.
Full-time student status is defined as 12 credit hours per semester. A typical academic load for many programs is 15-16 credit hours per semester; the maximum academic load is generally 18 credit hours. Ordinarily, only a student with a grade point average of 3.00 or better of full-time work is allowed to carry more than the maximum load. A student not qualifying may petition the District Director of Academic Advising or designee for permission to carry an overload.
Students who are employed or who undertake many extracurricular activities will find it advisable to reduce their academic loads accordingly.
State Authorization
The U.S. Department of Education requires institutions that offer distance education in a state where it is not physically located meet individual state requirements. Arizona was approved as a State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) state effective November 11, 2014 and Yavapai College adheres to the Interregional Guidelines for the Evaluation of Distance Education Programs (Online Learning) for best practices in postsecondary distance education developed by leading practitioners of distance education and adopted by the Council of Regional Accrediting Commis- sions (C-RAC). This regulation applies only to distance education courses for students who reside outside the state of Arizona.
If a student has a complaint against a higher education state agency responsible for state au- thorizations, please see the Distance Learning Complaint Process for Out of State Students.
Further information on State Authorization: www.yc.edu/stateauthorization
www.yc.edu
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