Classification of Learners
Registration Status
- Full-time: *A learner registered for five or more credits per term at a center and/or in the Online Program.
- Half-time: A learner registered for three to four credits per term at a center and/or in the Online Program.
- Less than half-time: A learner registered for less than three credits per term.
* Full-time status can only be obtained through Center and/or Online Program enrollment. External Degree Program enrollment is always considered half-time or less for 3-12 credits.
* International Center Program Learners: Check local center for classification status.
Class Status
- Freshman: A learner who has earned fewer than 30 semester credits.
- Sophomore: A learner who has earned 30 to 59 semester credits.
- Junior: A learner who has earned 60 to 89 semester credits.
- Senior: A learner who has earned 90 semester credits or more.
Official Status
- Regular: A learner whose record and current standing indicate systematic pursuit of study toward a degree.
- Transient: A learner not admitted as a degree candidate.
- Auditor: A learner who registers on a noncredit basis.
Credit
The unit for all courses is the semester credit. For Center Program learners, each semester credit requires a minimum of 12 contact hours, and you can expect approximately two hours of out-of-class work for every one hour spent in class.
Online Program learners should expect to spend approximately 17-20 hours per week on course-related matters (per course). Learners should consider this when deciding how many credits to register for each term.
Course Loads
As a full-time learner with average to above average grades, you will normally enroll for six semester credits per term. Learners desiring to enroll in more than eight semester credits per term through Center, Online, and/or External Degree Programs must:
- meet the minimum GPA requirement. A cumulative minimum GPA of 3.0 is required to enroll in nine semester credits, and a 3.5 is required to enroll in 12 semester credits per term.
- have been a full-time learner with Upper Iowa University during a previous term; and,
- have the permission of the center coordinator/program director or academic advisor.
Learners will not be allowed to register for more than 12 semester credits a term in any UIU program.
Textbooks
Textbooks may be purchased through MBS Direct, UIU's textbook partner, or locally through other sources. Textbook titles and editions will be provided upon request by program staff.
To order, call MBS Direct at 800-325-3252, identify yourself as a UIU learner, and indicate your program and the course number.
You may also access the Virtual Bookstore at www.uiu.edu or www.mbsdirect.net. You may pay by Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express. No financial aid vouchers are available for purchase of textbooks. Orders will be shipped within 24 hours. Textbooks are delivered via UPS by one of three methods: Ground, Second Day Air, or Next Day Air. You pay the current UPS rate based on the weight of the package and where the package is being shipped. (FedEx and Priority Mail are also available). Textbook buy back is also available. Call MBS Direct or visit their website for a quote, buyback, or mailing label.
International Center Program Learners: Check local center for textbook purchase options.
Writing Style Guide
All Extended University learners are expected to buy and use an approved APA style guide. Learners are advised that individual faculty members will require use of APA style for their individual classes. An approved APA style guide is the required text for ID 498 – Senior Project.
Library Resources
As a learner of Upper Iowa University, you have access to the resources of the Henderson-Wilder Library on the Fayette campus. If travel to the campus is not feasible, you can access the library through the University's website. Go to: www.uiu.edu and click on Library. Library staff members are available to assist you with questions, including how to access the online resources available to you as a UIU learner.
Grading System
Upper Iowa University uses a standard grading system:
A = excellent, B = superior, C = average, D = passing, F = failure, I = incomplete, P = pass, W = withdrawal, AU = audit, AW = administrative withdrawal, NA = non-attendance.
- A - Excellent
- All work is excellent, shows exceptional understanding of materials; logical, clear, and insightful written and oral work; incorporates knowledge from other sources and moves easily to the next level of understanding; works well beyond minimum requirements.
- B - Superior
- Understanding of material is good to very good, demonstrates good grasp of material, good oral and written skills, produces more than the minimum requirements, quality of all work is high.
- C - Average
- Satisfactory understanding of the material, submits only the minimum requirements, communicates adequately in oral and written formats, displays an adequate understanding of all basic concepts.
- D - Passing
- Quality and quantity of written and oral work is below average and barely acceptable.
- F - Failure
- Quality and quantity of written and oral work is unacceptable.
The following grades are not used in computing the grade point average:
- I - Incomplete
- A grade of I is given only under extreme circumstances and is determined by the faculty member involved and the center coordinator/program director. After the grade of I is given, the work must be completed by the date agreed upon by you and your faculty member (before the end of the following term). If the work is not completed within that period of time, a letter grade (A-F) will be issued based on the work completed in relation to the total course requirements. External Degree Program learners see extension information on page 23.
- P - Passing
- A grade of P is assigned for credit granted for experiential learning, special training programs, credit by examination or for other types of nontraditional learning experiences. A grade of P is also assigned for satisfactory performance in an elective course taken on a pass/fail basis. Learners must request pass/fail grading in writing to their academic advisor or center coordinator/program director before the beginning of the term. A maximum of 12 credits may be earned at Upper Iowa University on a pass/fail basis as general electives.
- W - Withdrawal
- For Center or Online Program learners: the grade W is used to denote courses dropped (learner initiated) between the first and fifth week of an eight-week term. Courses no longer attended after the fifth week of an eight-week term will be issued a letter grade (A-F) based on work completed in relation to total course requirements.
For External Degree Program enrollments: if you wish to withdraw prior to the last day of the enrollment period, you must contact the External Degree Program Office by phone or in writing. A learner initiated withdrawal can occur at any time within the six-month enrollment period and a grade of W is applied.- AU - Audit
- The grade AU is given when a learner enrolls in a course without receiving college credit. See pages 18, 20 and 23.
- AW - Administrative Withdrawal
- The grade AW is assigned to courses in which the learner has been administratively withdrawn. See pages 18, 21 and 24.
- NA - Non-attendance
- The grade of NA is assigned when a registered learner fails to attend the first week (or comparable time frame) of class and fails to withdraw prior to the start of the course. Excessive NA grades may result in disciplinary actions.
You will receive a grade report when your grades have been processed following the conclusion of the term. You may request an evaluation of your progress toward your major program of study and degree completion at any time from your academic advisor.
Grade Appeal Process
The grade for any given course is based on your achievement or success as defined by the individual instructor. This may be a quantitative score or a qualitative and subjective decision. Grading standards are delineated on each course syllabus. The grade you received for a course is final unless the instructor makes a formal grade change.
If, under unusual circumstances, you wish to appeal a grade and attempt to have it changed, you must follow these procedures within eight weeks after the grade was earned:
- Contact the instructor to ensure the grade assigned was correct and/or to request an explanation of how the grade was calculated.
- Notify the instructor and center coordinator/program director in writing that you will appeal the grade received for a specific course.
- Request a grade change, in writing, from the Dean of the Extended University, PO Box 1857, Fayette, IA 52142 or email to euacademicaffairs@uiu.edu. Include the reason(s) you feel the grade received was unfair or inappropriate. If you are contesting a charge of cheating or plagiarism you are required to submit the document in question in an electronic format, i.e. by disk or as an e-mail attachment when making your request to the Dean. This document may be submitted to a plagiarism detection service.
- The Dean of the Extended University will review your appeal, contacting the instructor and any additional personnel as needed to discuss the conflicting issues.
- The Dean of the Extended University will render a written decision within sixty days of receiving the request for grade change.
- To appeal this decision a written request must be sent to the Senior Vice President for the Extended University, PO Box 1857, Fayette, IA 52142 within 30 days of the Dean's decision.
