Each online course has specific academic requirements which means it is important to thoroughly read and comprehend all of the course information provided by your instructor, such as the syllabus. The policies below are general academic requirements which apply to all EC Online courses.

Absenteeism

A student is considered absent when he fails to post one graded assignment during one full week of class. If you are absent, the Academic Office should be notified promptly by the Monday of the following week. Additional guidelines for absenteeism are listed below:

1) Absences are neither excused nor unexcused.

2) Attendance is recorded weekly.

3) If a student is absent for two consecutive weeks, the student will receive an administrative withdrawal from the course without the possibility of a refund (see the refund policy in the Tuition and Fees page of the EC Online web section at ecollege.edu).

4) Technical difficulty is not an acceptable reason for absenteeism.

5) Attendance is established by the posting of one weekly assignment (a substantive discussion post, a quiz, or an exam).

6) An email or a “checking-in” response in the discussion forum does not satisfy the weekly attendance requirement.

7) Students will be notified via email regarding their absentee status.

If you wish to withdraw from a class or program, you must submit this Withdrawal Form.  Your refund will be calculated according to the date this form is submitted.  Please contact your instructor with your questions about absences.

Withdrawing from a Class/Program

If you wish to withdraw from a class or program, you must submit this Withdrawal Form. Your refund will be calculated according to the date you submit this form.  A $25 withdrawal fee is assessed for each course withdrawn from.  This includes courses students are administratively withdrawn from. Please note that your amount of financial aid may be impacted in accordance with your withdrawal date.

Technical Difficulties

You will need daily access to a computer running Windows 2000, XP or Vista; or a Mac OS 10.4 (or higher) to access and succeed in your classes. It is also the student’s responsibility to ensure before enrolling in classes that he/she has dependable internet access.

Technical difficulties do not warrant a class extension, re-do or “incomplete.” If you experience technical difficulties of any kind that you cannot resolve within 24 hours by contacting tech support or your instructor, it is imperative that you contact EC Online Administration immediately. If you delay in contacting administration and do not complete the course work in the allotted time, you will receive a default grade of “F” and no refund will be awarded. You may take the class again at a later date, replacing the default “F” with your earned grade. In that event, the “F” would be completely expunged and would not affect your GPA. If you believe you have a special case and have supporting documentation, you may appeal to the Academic Committee by writing EC Online Administration.

Note: Be sure to keep ALL originals (back-ups) of your coursework in case of technical difficulties that may arise.

Academic Honesty

Violations will result in substantial penalties. All instances of cheating or plagiarism will be reported to the Academic Office. First time offenders will receive an “F” on the assignment or test; second time offenders will receive an “F” in the course and will be referred to the Vice President of Student Services for probationary and/or expulsion review. Even if the infraction is inadvertent, the assignment will receive a failing grade for the following errors:
1) Presenting anyone else’s work, ideas, or research as one’s own.
2) Omitting quotation marks or altering a quoted passage without using ellipses or brackets.
3) Substituting synonyms and following word order of the original passage when paraphrasing.
4) Failing to provide in-text citations when borrowing ideas or language from a source.
5) Citing sources in your paper without listing them on a Works Cited page, or vice-versa.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance

Ecclesia College will comply with the provisions of Title III of Americans with Disabilities Act, as a public accommodation, and will provide reasonable accommodation to persons otherwise qualified who fulfill the College’s ADA procedures, inasmuch as the reasonable accommodation does not constitute an undue burden or fundamental alteration for the institution.

Please note: If you have a disability as defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act, you must notify the Academic Office and the Student Development Office of your disability and complete the necessary steps to receive reasonable accommodation for your disability.

Information regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act is available through the Student Development Office. The First Year Program Coordinator is the designated ADA liaison for the institution.

Students who fail to register their disability(ies) with the Academic Office and the Student Development Office and complete the procedures as outlined in the ADA Policy (AMPAP 2:8.0) will not receive any accommodation for their disabilities. Reasonable accommodation begins when the procedures are fulfilled and are not retroactive to the period of time before the procedures were completed.

Attendance Policy

Regular and punctual attendance is required. Ecclesia College’s attendance policy requires that you be present every week in the online classroom. Please contact your instructor if you have specific questions regarding the Attendance Policy.

Classroom Ethics—Netiquette

Students are responsible for reading and understanding the EC Online Netiquette Policy. Please review the expectations for online discussions listed below:
1) Always be polite and positive.
2) Address the entire class as opposed to only one student. Be objective and open to new ideas.
3) Acknowledge and accept cultural differences.
4) Consider that your written words reflect your Christian values.
5) Use standard English. Omit slang and “chat” terms or symbols.
6) Do not use all capital letters as this indicates shouting.
7) Use complete-sentence format and proper grammar and mechanics.
8) Focus on solutions rather than problems.
9) Use titles that reflect the content of the comment.

Incompletes

Awarding a grade of incomplete is discouraged. A student must formally request an incomplete grade via email by the first day of the sixth week class and must have a good cause for the request—one that can be documented. To submit a petition for an incomplete, the student must be in good standing in the course with a passing score with no previous weekly absences.

Textbooks

It is the student’s responsibility to order his or her book in time to have received it before a given course begins. It may prove necessary at times (if the student is enrolled at a late date) to order your book 2nd or even 1st day mail.

Student Comments and Appeals

A student who has a comment, grievance, or an appeal related to an official policy, guideline, or disciplinary decision should follow this procedure for resolution:

1. Contact the person who has made the decision and request an explanation. If it is discovered there has been a misunderstanding, the problem can be resolved at this point.
2. If the appeal is not satisfactorily resolved, the student should speak with supervisor of the person who made the decision.
3. If the problem is not yet resolved, the student may then submit a written appeal to the EC Distance Ed Academic Committee within a week of the incident. The decision of the EC Distance Ed Academic Committee will include a written response and the decided action, if any, and will be communicated to the student within a week following the submission of the written appeal. To contact the EC Distance Ed Academic Committee, please send an email or call toll free: 1 (855) 208-1812.
4. If a student wishes to file a complaint with their home state agency, they may do so by contacting the proper personnel in their state. For a complete list of contact information for state agencies, please click here.

Inclement Weather Policy

On occasion, extreme weather conditions may lead to power outages for an extended period. If outages do occur and are documented by local media officials, due dates for assignments may be adjusted accordingly.

Continuation as a Student

Continuation of a student at Ecclesia College is not automatic. The college reserves the right to discontinue the program of any student who fails to do satisfactory work or does not cooperate with the policies of the college.  The Administration may request the withdrawal of a student at any time who, in its opinion, does not fit into the spirit of the institution, whether or not the student conforms to the specific regulations of the school.

Students should consult with their academic advisor /department chair prior to each semester of enrollment and secure written approval prior to enrolling in coursework for the following semester.

Academic progress is monitored by the academic mentor/advisor for each EC student; students are updated accordingly.  A copy of the student’s degree plan is available from the Registrar’s Office upon request.

Attendance at and graduation from Ecclesia College is understood to be a privilege. The College may request the withdrawal of any student at any time if he or she fails to comply with the standards and regulations of the institution or is not compatible with its honor code. It is imperative for the student to understand that attending and receiving a degree from EC is a privilege—not a right.

Transfer of Credit

Students planning to earn course credit at one college and  transfer to another are advised to research in advance the transfer of credits.

Graduate Degrees

The time limit for completing a master’s degree online is four years for full-time students and six years for part-time students from the date of matriculation. An extension may be granted by the Distance Ed Academic Committee of up to one year at a time for a maximum of two years. In extenuating circumstance, extensions beyond seven years may be granted. Extensions beyond seven years require approval from the Distance Ed Academic Committee. When requesting an extension beyond the allotted time, the students will need to demonstrate how their earlier coursework is current.