UCAP MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of Ursuline College's Accelerated Program (UCAP) is to uphold the College's tradition of excellence in education by providing a quality, accelerated adult educational program in a practical learning environment. The UCAP Program will enable students to grow intellectually and professionally and will promote lifelong learning for the enrichment of their own life as well as the lives of others.

LEARNING METHODOLOGY
This is an accelerated learning, time intensive course designed for adults. The design of this course recognizes that adults learn most effectively and most rapidly through a process of self-discovery and self-learning. The design of the course further recognizes that each adult brings both life and work experiences to the course that can be a learning resource to the other students in the class.

Shared-learning happens in the classroom through discussion, participation, sharing and self-disclosure. It enables each participant to learn from the life and professional experiences of others. Self-learning happens before class through reading and preparation of assignments. It ensures that each student can contribute in a meaningful way to group discussions and be an effective resource in shared-learning.

Each adult learner in this class must participate. The student takes primary responsibility for his or her learning and secondary responsibility for the learning of others, through sharing life and work experience. The principal responsibility of the facilitator is to guide the learning process, not to teach the technical content of the course. The facilitator is a technical expert in the field and will skillfully guide the course direction to meet the stated learning outcomes, but the primary responsibility for learning belongs to the student. Ordinarily the facilitator will not lecture for extended periods of time, though will answer questions beyond the competence of the participants in the course.

Each UCAP class has a course module. This module contains the course description, course learning outcomes, and a list of required materials. In addition, it describes the learning outcomes, activities and assignments for each class session, including an assignment which must be completed prior to the first night of class. The module provides the framework for the course, and ensures that basic requirements are met each time the course is offered. Individual facilitators may supplement or build on the module, and will distribute a syllabus the first night of class that outlines specific policies or requirements in addition to the course module.

ETHICS STATEMENT
An integral component of courses in the UCAP Program is student and facilitator self- disclosure (the use of personal experiences) for the purpose of facilitating course work. Students enrolled in the UCAP Program are expected to honor confidentiality as it pertains to student disclosure. No shared information, comments or opinions expressed by another student or the facilitator during the course of classroom discussion should ever be used in a manner in which is intended to humiliate, embarrass, harass, damage or otherwise injure other students in their personal, public, or business lives. In addition, confidentiality must be upheld by not disclosing any information which would identify any particular individual.

An additional integral component of higher education is challenging your own perceptions and beliefs regarding course content and integrating information, as well as understanding opposing perceptions and beliefs. Thus, you have the right to choose how much you will disclose, and you must accept the responsibility of respecting disclosure of other students and facilitators.

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS AND WORKLOAD
An important component of most classes is the completion of written assignments. These may take place in or out of class. The Writer's Brief Handbook by Rosa, available in the College Bookstore, may be helpful to students.

Facilitators will expect written work to conform to established standards of written English. The grade you earn on papers will reflect your demonstrated ability to use these standards. The Learning Resource Center on campus (Mullen M312, 440/646-8123) offers assistance for those students who wish to polish their skills.

The highly accelerated pace of UCAP requires students to take a great deal of responsibility for their own learning. Expect to devote a minimum of 15 hours per week to study, homework assignments, and/or group projects. Facilitators give regular updates on student progress. In an accelerated program it is especially important to stay on target. When you have questions, contact your facilitator.

ACADEMIC/DISABILITY SUPPORT
Students with documented disabilities, including those with learning disabilities, may be entitled to reasonable accommodations for this course. If you would like to request testing or other accommodations because of a disability, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible to discuss your situation and possible needs. Effective and timely communication will allow us to work with Ursuline College's Office of Academic Support and Disabilities Services (Mullen 312, 449-2049), if necessary to arrange for appropriate accommodations.

UCAP ATTENDANCE POLICY (revised 10/07)
UCAP is committed to a style of learning that is facilitative and participatory. Meaningful interaction of student with student and student with facilitator is the heart of the program. Due to the accelerated nature of the program, the minimum of 20 contact hours is required for accreditation purposes. The commitment to this educational model shapes the UCAP attendance policy.

Attendance of all class meetings is mandatory.

Should an emergency situation arise which requires an absence from all or even part of a class, the student must contact the facilitator at the earliest possible time. Leaving a message with another individual or on answering machines does not fulfill this obligation. Absences will have a negative effect on student's grades. Absences due to emergency situations will be dealt with on a case by case basis by the facilitator.

If a student has one (1) absence (regardless of the circumstances) ONE or more of the following
action(s) may be taken by the facilitator (at his or her discretion):

A. The facilitator can ask a student to drop the course based on the subject matter or amount of missed course material. The student must withdraw from the course before week #4 (for a 5-week class) or before week #7 (for a 10-week class) or the student will receive the grade earned for the class. B. The student shall be required to complete make up work that must be equivalent to the four hours of missed class time. C. The students' final course grade may be lowered up to one full letter grade.

In addition, if a student misses two (2) classes - the instructor must notify the UCAP office immediately and the student will be dropped from the class. If the student misses two classes and it is beyond the withdrawal deadline, the student will receive an "F" for the course.

UCAP TARDINESS POLICY
Due to the importance of timeliness in both the academic and workplace settings, being tardy will have a negative impact on class performance. If a student is tardy to class, one (1) or more of the following actions may be taken (regardless of circumstances) by the facilitator (at his or her discretion):

A. The student's attendance and/or participation points may be lowered. B. Homework may not be accepted by the facilitator. C. Test/Quiz time may not be made up. D. Make up work for class time missed may be required.

Generally, tardiness beyond 30 minutes will be considered an absence and the UCAP attendance policy will apply (see above).

UCAP INCOMPLETE POLICY
Incomplete grades are granted at the discretion of each facilitator and are normally only given in extenuating and serious circumstances, such as severe illness. In addition, incompletes should only be granted to students who have already completed the majority of work in the course, with the exception of a final project or exam.

The deadline for completing coursework is 3 weeks after the last day that the course ends. It is the student's responsibility to contact the facilitator who will determine the work to be completed and the three week deadline date.

If the student fails to complete the assigned requirements in by the three week deadline, the "I" Incomplete will automatically turn into an "F" grade the day after the three week deadline.

UCAP PREREQUISITE POLICY
Many courses offered by Ursuline College Accelerated Program (UCAP) require the completion of prerequisite courses taken at Ursuline College, or the equivalent taken at another accredited institution. The UCAP Course Schedule lists prerequisites after each course title when applicable.

A prerequisite is a requirement that must be completed prior to the registration of a course. For instance, BU 230 (Organizational Behavior) must be taken before BU 330 (Human Resource Management). BU 230, in this case, is the prerequisite for BU 330.

The student is responsible for meeting prerequisite(s) wherever listed. Until a prerequisite equivalent is established, the student will be unable to register for the class. All course registrations are checked for appropriate prerequsities and must be approved by UCAP Academic Advisor. If the appropriate prerequsities are not met, the student may not register for the course. In addition, if a student has an "I" (incomplete grade) pending or has failed the prerequisite course, the student cannot proceed to take the next course until a "D" grade or above has been achieved.

In the event of a course scheduling conflict which would prevent a student from graduation, the student can petition the Director of Faculty and Curriculum for a prerequisite waiver. A prerequisite waiver would allow the student to take courses out of sequence, but the student would still be required to take all of the courses listed on his/her degree plan required for graduation. The student who petitions for a prerequisite waiver must be able to provide documented experience in the course subject matter in which s/he is petitioning.

EVALUATING COURSE PERFORMANCE
While grading criteria varies from course to course, certain standards apply across the curriculum. The "Course Performance Criteria" and the UCAP definition of grades are at the back of your module. "Writing Evaluation Guidelines" and "Characteristics of Writing" at the end of this module will help students prepare written assignments and we encourage facilitators to use these guidelines in evaluating assignments. Any deviations from these standards should be included in the syllabus handed out the first night of class.

Many classes also include "class participation" in assessing the final grade. Participation requires the student to make contributions to the class that are relevant, insightful and that show adequate preparation. It also requires active listening to other students and the facilitator by asking questions and refraining from monopolizing discussions.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY, PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING
Ursuline College expects that all course work will be fairly and honestly completed by the student.

Plagiarism consists of any intentional or known representation that the work, or opinions of another, are those of the student. Most often plagiarism takes the form of failure to properly acknowledge sources when using exact wording, or paraphrased material or factual information that is not a matter of common knowledge. Plagiarism may also take the form of partial or wholesale use of another's paper, project or presentation.

Cheating consists of the use of or attempt to use unauthorized material or information or another student's answers during a quiz or exam.

The determination of whether or not plagiarism or cheating has occurred rests with the instructor. At her/his discretion, the instructor may assess one of the following penalties:

The instructor will notify both his/her Dean and the student of the situation and will document the event by filling out a Student Offense form found in the Office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Ursuline College reserves the right to assess additional penalties, over and above any assessed by the instructor, up to and including dismissal from the College, of any student who has been found guilty of cheating and/or plagiarism on more than one occasion.

Students who have been charged with plagiarism or cheating may seek redress according to the academic appeals procedures stated in the Ursuline College Student Handbook/Planner.

COURSE PERFORMANCE CRITERIA
In general, the performance criteria or expectation for each letter grade is as follows:
Grade Requirements:

A

B

C

D

F

URSULINE COLLEGE DEFINITION OF COURSE LETTER GRADES
As they relate to mastery, each of the letter grades has the following meaning:

CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE WRITING

Main Idea
The paper is focused, meets the expectations set up by the writer, and makes these expectations clear to the reader. The paper shows a clear sense of purpose. Usually it has a thesis statement or main question explicitly stated near the beginning of the paper. The topic is not too broad or too narrow to be adequately addressed in the assigned length.

Well-Organized
The paper is clearly developed. It has an introduction, statement of the thesis (or question), supporting material and summary or conclusion. Transitions are clear from sentence to sentence and paragraph to paragraph. In other words, the writer has not simply made a series of unrelated or vaguely related statements. Rather, each sentence and paragraph carries the reader closer to an understanding or appreciation of the writer's goal.

Support
The writer provides specific, concrete and appropriate information from memory, observation, reading, interviewing or other sources. The paper is well developed with examples, details, illustrations, anecdotes or similar material.

Style
Sentences and paragraphs are varied, and word choices are accurate. There is an absence of "clutter" or "padding." Phrasing is clear and direct. It uses simple, clear sentences. Tone is handled consistently; sentence length and word choice are appropriate to the audience and purpose of the piece.

Mechanics
Punctuation, grammar, spelling and aspects of format are handled correctly. The writer has prepared the paper carefully with attention to appearance and other details. Opening, closing and title are strong and contribute to the purpose, focus and unity of the writing.

While proofreading your paper, ask yourself the following questions:
1. Is my major point or question clear and appropriate?
2. Is the structure apparent and easy to follow?
3. Have I supported generalizations, opinions and conclusions with specific examples or arguments?
4. Have I avoided using unnecessary words and clichés, or overly complex sentences?
5. Does my paper have spelling, punctuation and typographical errors?