Adult and Online Studies provides a variety of academic programs for working adults looking to build on their education and to enhance their career opportunities.

Additional information is available in the Tusculum University Catalog.

ACADEMIC CALENDAR

The academic year at Tusculum University includes a fall and a spring semester and several accelerated terms offered during the summer. Fall semester begins in August and ends in December. Spring semester begins in January and ends in May. The summer session includes several accelerated terms which commence after the conclusion of the spring semester and end before the beginning of the new academic year.

CLASS PARTICIPATION / COURSE ENGAGEMENT

The student is expected to engage fully in every enrolled course, participating in all aspects of a class. He or she is responsible for all assignments in the course, regardless of course add date. Online course participation/engagement is determined by timely submission of assignments including posts to discussion boards. Failure to participate/engage in a course is not excused. This includes participation in university-sponsored events. All students must be attending in order to be considered for a refund of any Financial Aid monies, if a refund is due.

COMPUTER ACCESS

Students who enroll in Adult and Online Studies programs are responsible for having access to a computer, email capabilities and Internet connectivity capable of linking to the Tusculum University Web site. Tusculum University provides for computer/Internet accessibility at its instructional sites. If any students are unable to obtain access to the Internet connectivity and e-mail capabilities either on their own or through the use of University -supplied facilities, the University will assist them in identifying other convenient Internet access locations.

Students in the Adult and Online Studies consistently use computers to complete assignments throughout the curricula. It is strongly recommended that students entering their respective programs be proficient in executing the following skills: (a) typing, (b) file management (open, save, delete, move, copy, create folders, save file in specified folder), (c) familiarity with windows (maximize, minimize, close), (d) using and installing software (open programs; use spell check; cut, copy, and paste within a document; insert graphic image; and, change font and font attributes), and (e) basic Internet usage (navigate in browser, send and receive e-mail).

COURSE LOAD

An Adult and Online Studies student is charged on a tuition per semester hour rate based on the program degree they are seeking and classified as. This includes any summer courses. Undergraduate student registrations exceeding 19 semester hours require approval from the Dean of the respective college. International students must take 9 hours of face-to-face lecture courses per semester.

ADDING AND DROPPING CLASSES

• Add – Students may add classes the first week of the semester.
• Drop – Students may drop classes the first two weeks of the semester without penalty.
• Late Adds and Drops require approval of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
• A student is allowed to withdraw from a class with a “W” as long as the student remains full-time (12 semester hours) after the withdrawal.
• Any student who does not attend class by the last day to drop a class will be administratively dropped from the class for non-participation.
• Dropping a course after the drop period without authorization automatically results in a grade of “F” if any course meeting is attended.

LOCATIONS

The Greeneville campus and all off-site locations provide instructional support and educational services that meet the needs of adult students. All locations are approved by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and meet federal guidelines. In addition to the services and resources provided at each location, students have access to all resources (e.g. library, career counseling, tutoring) via the Internet or by phone. Computers with Internet access are available at each location to ensure access to these resources. The Morristown location, Greeneville, and the Knoxville Regional Center have computer labs that are available to students. An extension of the Library on the Greeneville campus is housed at the Knoxville Regional Center.

Directions to our campus locations are available here

GRADE APPEALS

If a student believes a course grade or academic misconduct charge is an unfair reflection of his or her performance in a given class, he or she may request a review of the coursework upon which the grade in the course was assigned. If an appeal is made, it must be made within 30 days of the date the grade in the course was assigned and must reach a conclusion by the end of the semester following the semester in which the appeal began. Students are strongly encouraged to begin the appeal process as quickly as possible. It is highly recommended that students consult with their advisors when preparing grade and academic misconduct appeals.

The appeal begins with a conference with the professor of the course. If the professor’s explanation of the grade or academic misconduct citation is satisfactory to the student, then the matter is resolved. If not resolved in the student/professor conference, the student must file a formal written appeal (including relevant documentation) to the chair of the department in which the class was offered. If the appeal is not resolved at the Department Chair level, it moves to the School Dean. If the student is not satisfied with the recommendation from the School Dean, then the student may request that the appeal be forwarded, with accompanying documentation and additional commentary, if any, to the Admissions and Standards Committee. The Admissions and Standards Committee will render an opinion on such an appeal at the first scheduled meeting following receipt of the appeal. Decisions made by the Admissions and Standards Committee regarding appeals are final.

PLAGIARISM AND ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT

Cheating and plagiarism are violations of Ethics of Social Responsibility—one of the outcomes that has been identified as essential to the Civic Arts. Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty. It consists of knowingly presenting in writing or in speech the intellectual or creative work of others as if it were one’s own. This includes:

1. Failing to identify direct or word-for-word quotations by use of appropriate symbols and reference to the source.
2. Restating in your own words the work (ideas, conclusions, words) of another without reference to the source.
3. Presenting as your own the creative work (for instance, music or photographs) of another without proper acknowledgment.
   Besides plagiarism, other forms of academic dishonesty include the following:
4. Submitting the same work in two or more courses without significant modifications or expansion and without the approval of the instructors involved.
5. Submitting purchased, borrowed, copied or specially commissioned work as if it were one’s own.
6. Knowingly permitting others to submit your work under their names.
7. Copying the work of others during an examination or other academic exercise.
8. Knowingly allowing others to copy your work during an examination or other academic exercise.
9. Using “cheat sheets” or any other unauthorized form of assistance during an exam, quiz or other academic exercise.
10. Manipulating or fabricating data to support erroneous conclusions. NOTE: AUTHORIZED HELP is encouraged and includes:
    • attendance at help sessions.
    • tutoring received with your instructor’s knowledge (responsible tutoring does not provide answers to specific assignments but focuses on general principles, concepts, rules and information, as well as on skills development).
    • work with Academic Resource Center staff done with the knowledge of your instructor.

The effect of cheating within a community is to destroy the environment of honesty and trust on which the community depends. A dishonest performance diminishes the achievement of those who have worked hard and demonstrated real mastery of a subject. For this reason you are encouraged to confront peers who violate the standard of honesty by any form of cheating or plagiarism and, if necessary, to report their behavior to an appropriate authority (instructor, director or authorized university agency or body). No one but you can know if you should take the kind of action just described.

SANCTIONS:

Stage 1—In a case of unintentional or doubtful plagiarism, the student receives a written warning
from the faculty member. Whether the student receives an “F” for the assignment is up to the faculty member.

Stage 2—This stage is for an offense after warning or for a first offense in which the student knowingly and willfully engages in academic misconduct. The penalty is automatically an “F” in the course. The action is reported to the Admissions and Standards Committee. The student is warned in writing of the consequences of a future Stage 3 offense.

Stage 3—Depending on where the student started (with unintentional or intentional violation), Stage 3 is for a second offense in cheating or a second or third offense in plagiarism. The penalty is an “F” in the course and suspension or dismissal from the University – a matter that is recorded on the student’s transcript.

Final decisions on suspension or dismissal are made by the Admissions and Standards Committee. Most students suspended for academic misconduct may not be readmitted until one calendar year from the date of their suspension. Most accredited institutions will deny admission to a student currently on suspension.

REPEATING COURSES

Students may repeat courses. All attempts taken at Tusculum or accepted as transfer credit will be recorded on the permanent record along with the grades received. For all repeated courses, only the last attempt will be used to determine GPA and hours earned for graduation. An “R” will be placed on the transcript by all courses that have been repeated. To avoid repeating coursework taken at another institution, by CLEP/DSST exams or other sources, the student MUST seek prior approval from the Tusculum University Registrar.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Charges are due at the beginning of each semester and are payable in full. The Business Office will issue bills for the appropriate tuition to registered students approximately four to six weeks prior to the start of each semester. Failure to receive a bill does not exempt a student from the timely payment of charges. Students are responsible for the communication of billing information to all parties involved. Students are also responsible for keeping their account information current by submitting revisions of addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers, etc. to the Registrar’s Office.

A student who is awarded financial assistance under federal, state, institutional and/or private programs approved by the University may use documentary evidence of such award as a condition for registration. This privilege, however, does not relieve the student from completing payment in full when actual funds are received and a balance remains. Continued participation in a registered semester will be allowed if non-payment occurs. However, accounts of students who have balances past due will be placed on hold, and students will not be allowed to register for future classes. All students on hold or with a balance on their student account will not receive a diploma, grades and transcripts.

For non-financial aid students, payment for each semester is due in full prior to the start of each semester. Continued participation in a registered semester will be allowed if non- payment occurs. However, accounts of students who have balances past due will be placed on hold, and students will not be allowed to register for future classes. All students on hold or with a balance on their student account will not receive a diploma, grades and transcripts.

Students or parents who prefer to pay educational expenses in monthly installments may want to consider a monthly payment plan. Tusculum University offers an interest free payment plan which is intended to help students pay the cost of their higher education during all terms of the academic year. A non-refundable enrollment fee is required per each payment plan and is due at the time the application is submitted to the Business Office. In case of default or delinquency in this payment plan, a late charge will be assessed against each late payment. Failure to pay by the final end date will result in the following: 1) the student will continue to attend current classes but will not be able to receive formal grade reports or transcripts. 2) The student will not be able to register for future semesters/terms. 3) The student will not receive a diploma. 4) The outstanding debt may be referred to a collection agency. 5) The student may have to pay collection costs and/or attorney fees. If a student withdraws, is expelled or dismissed from the Institution for any reason, the entire unpaid amount shall immediately become due and payable. In addition, the student’s account will be placed on “hold” and will not be permitted to register for future semester or receive a copy of the academic transcript until the obligation is paid in full, including penalties.

Upon the occurrence of non-payment, all students are responsible for reasonable attorney’s fees, collection fees and court costs if the account is referred to an outside source. Tusculum University reserves the right to report the status of any outstanding balance owed to a credit reporting agency.

The University accepts payments via cash, checks, money orders, VISA, MasterCard, American Express and Discover card.

ADJUSTMENT OF CHARGES FOR DROPPING A COURSE

There is no tuition adjustment for dropping a course after the census date has passed. Formal withdrawal from the University consists of submission of a written request to withdraw from Tusculum University. The withdrawal is effective upon the University’s receipt of the written request to withdraw and upon approval by appropriate administrative offices. For reporting purposes, the last day of the academic activity will be determined by the University. The distribution of any refunds and/or repayments will be made to the source(s) from which the payment was received.

Course fees and textbooks will not be refunded after the first day of classes for the term. Room charges will be pro-rated if a withdrawal occurs prior to the census date (14 days, not including Sundays). This pro-rated amount will be refunded for the portion of the semester that is remaining from four full weeks from the date of the withdrawal. After the census date the room charges for the entire semester is nonrefundable. Board/meal charges will be refunded for the portion of the academic term remaining from four full weeks from the date of the withdrawal.

In case of formal withdrawal from the University, the semester’s financial aid awards will be refunded as follows. For students receiving federal student aid, the semester’s Title IV awards will be calculated in accordance with the “Return of Title IV Funds” regulations. A copy of the policy is available in the Financial Aid Office upon request.

For both Traditional and Adult and Online Learners who formally withdraws from the University, the semester’s tuition will be refunded in accordance with the following schedule:

• A full tuition refund will be granted if a student officially withdraws prior to the start of the academic semester (room and board charges will be pro-rated based on usage).
• A 75% tuition refund will be granted if a student officially withdraws prior to or on the official census date of the academic semester.
• A request for tuition, room or board refunds will not be considered after the census date has passed.

No refund will be granted to a student suspended or expelled for disciplinary reasons.

For an active student who drops below the enrollment status on which financial aid was awarded, grants and/or aid will be reduced and may cause a balance on the student’s account.

RESEARCH ASSIGNMENTS AND LIBRARY RESOURCES

To ensure that AOS candidates become fluent and competent users of information, faculty develop assignments that incorporate research that requires using the information resources available in the Garland Library or from the Garland Library website:  http://library.tusculum.edu.    Librarians are available to candidates in their research.  Several of the online resources may also be accessed from home with a username and password provided by library staff.  For more information, contact the following:

• Greeneville:  Crystal Johnson, Education Librarian NE, and Library Webmaster (423) 636-7320 cjohnson@tusculum.edu
• Knoxville: Knoxville Library Administrator, (865) 693-1177