Withdrawing From Courses - Continued

Student Initiated Withdrawal after the Drop/Add Period

Students are permitted a maximum of two withdrawals per course in college credit, vocational credit, or college preparatory courses; upon the third attempt in such a course, the student will not be permitted to withdraw and will receive a grade for the course (A, B, C, D, F, or P).

A student-initiated withdrawal must be submitted in writing on the appropriate form, signed, presented at the registration desk at any OWCC campus or center, and processed by the established deadline for the term of enrollment. If these conditions are met and the student has not exceeded the approved number of withdrawals, the student will receive a grade of "W" on his/her final grade report and transcript.

Withdrawals after the established deadline may be approved only under extraordinary circumstances; normally, late withdrawals will not be processed after the end of the current term. A written request, including justification and appropriate documentation, must be submitted to the Office of the Vice President for Instruction. If approved, a grade of "W" will appear on the student's transcript. Student initiated withdrawals are considered "attempts" for purposes of full cost and repeat course regulations.

Students receiving financial aid or veterans benefits should consult a financial aid advisor before withdrawing from a class.

Withdrawals for Non-Attendance

A student with excessive absences under the OWCC attendance policy may be withdrawn from class for non-attendance. Withdrawal for non-attendance prior to the established withdrawal deadline will appear as a "W" on the student's transcript. If the student incurs excessive absences beyond that date, he or she will be withdrawn from the class and the grade appearing on the transcript will be determined by the instructor according to the grading policies of the course; normally the grade will be an "F". Withdrawals under these circumstances will be counted as "attempts" for purposes of full cost and repeat course rules.

Directed Independent Study

Directed independent study provides opportunities for students to earn college credits in standard courses by working with an OWCC instructor on an independent basis. Students enrolling for courses under Directed Independent Study (DIS) are expected to accomplish the goals and objectives as specified in the course syllabus and are expected to attend such class meetings, group sessions, and working conferences as specified by the instructor. Courses are scheduled on a flexible basis as approved by the instructor, the department chair, and by the Vice President for Instruction with the understanding that final exams will be taken and grades awarded during the term in which they begin.

DIS course enrollments are authorized under the following conditions: (1) a documented need exists for the student(s) to enroll for the course immediately rather than taking an alternate course or waiting until the next semester in which the desired course would be offered; (2) the student is able to identify an instructor who is willing to teach the course as DIS; (3) the student understands the extensive burden which he or she is undertaking; (4) the student agrees to pay any applicable fee; (5) enrollment is approved by the Department Chair and Vice President for Instruction, and (6) when it is not feasible for the course/section to be scheduled concurrently and taught at the same time and locations as another course/section.

All regular fees apply to DIS courses in addition to the established DIS special fee.

Class Attendance

Students are expected to attend all of their scheduled classes. The effect of absences upon grades is determined by the instructor. Excessive absences incurred before the established withdrawal date may result in a "W" grade on the transcript. Excessive absences incurred after the established withdrawal date may result in a grade of "F" on the transcript. Arranging to make up work missed because of legitimate class absence is the responsibility of the student in cooperation with the instructor(s). Instructors shall not, however, authorize major blocks of class absences (e.g., 25% or more of the total class hours) without approval of the Department Chair and the Vice President for Instruction.

Attendance is recorded by the instructor who will report immediately to the Office of Enrollment Services each student who has accumulated three consecutive day class absences or two (2) consecutive evening absences from class or three absences in a month. Further, each time a student has been tardy three times in a class, it will count as one absence. Each set of consecutive absences will be reported. Veterans are subject to the same attendance requirements as all other students (see page 29).