Course substitutions must be approved by the student’s academic advisor, the appropriate Program Head, and the Vice President of Instruction and Student Services. Course substitutions will be very limited and must be of a special nature. The College reserves the right to substitute courses whenever necessary and in the best interest of the students or the College. Course substitutions may not exceed 25% of the credit hours required for graduation/program completion. For more information on the Course Substitution Policy, please see Policy 5.2.8 [Direct link: https://montgomerycommunitycollege.diligent.community/home/policies/policydoc/76d2768a-6c8e-4cdc-9c83-73fce3d0d301].
The College may award Credits for Prior Learning (“CPL”) as designated by law and stat regulations for the following prior learning methods:
- Apprenticeship
- State or Industry Recognized Credentials/Continuing Education to Curriculum Credit
- Courses listed in high school to community college articulation agreements
- Military education and training
- Standardized examinations
- Challenge exams/Proficiency
- Portfolio assessment
- Public Safety Training (“PST”) prefix courses
The College may award curriculum CPL when the documentation of prior learning meets or exceeds a demonstration of learning outcomes at the College’s standards for awarding credit for the corresponding curriculum course. The College shall award CPL in a manner consistent with State Board regulations (Policy 5.2.9).
To be eligible to receive CPL, students must:
- Meet all admission requirements for the program of study,
- Be enrolled in a curriculum program to which the credit will directly apply, and
- Request a prior learning assessment consistent with Procedure 5.2.9.1
For more information on Credit for Prior Learning, see Policy 5.2.9 [Direct link: https://montgomerycommunitycollege.diligent.community/home/policies/policydoc/eed271de-e1ce-497c-a4d7-09c90d81b8ee].
Advanced placement is offered to students, who, because of their demonstrated abilities, are qualified to accelerate their studies. To earn advanced placement, a student may take a proficiency examination in most subject areas which demonstrates a mastery of theory and practical application. Information on courses and/or subject areas that are not suitable nor allowable for proficiency exams may be obtained from the Student Services office. To learn more about credit by examination, see Policy 5.1.3 [Direct link: https://montgomerycommunitycollege.diligent.community/home/policies/policydoc/ee0c9d17-0021-4d77-867f-ae3700d1368e].
Blended Instruction- College Curriculum or continuing education course in which less than or equal to 50% of the instruction is delivered online. Class format will be delivered in a seated in person face to face format where attendance is required, with less than or equal to 50% of the class requiring online engagement. These classes are designated in the course schedule with an X, ex. CIS-110 01X
Online Instruction- College Curriculum or continuing education course in which 100% of the instruction is delivered online, no seated in person face to face instruction will occur in this class. These classes are designated in the course schedule with an W, ex. BUS- 153 W1.
Hybrid Instruction- College curriculum or continuing education course in which greater than 50%, but less than 100% of the instruction is delivered online. Class format will include some seated in person face to face component but will mostly occur online. These classes are designated in the course schedule with an R, ex. BUS- 153 R.
Hyflex (Hybrid Flexible)- A multi-modal instructional delivery method where the college has the option to deliver the online portion of a curriculum course, synchronously, asynchronously, or both as long as 100% of the instruction is offered face to face with the instructor. Students may choose to attend the regularly scheduled in-person sessions or the online option on a session by session basis. These classes are designated in the course schedule with an HF, ex. BUS- 153 HF.
Traditional Instruction- College curriculum or continuing education course in which 100% of the instruction is delivered face to face with the instructor.
Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes for which they are registered. Although special circumstances may cause a student to be absent, regular attendance is essential to satisfy regular course objectives. Students who anticipate an absence should contact the instructor before the class meets. Should prior notice to the instructor be impossible, the student should expect to explain the absence upon return to class. All work missed during absences must be made up. Failure to make up work which is missed will adversely affect the student’s final grade for the course.
To receive credit for most courses, a student must attend 80% of class and 80% of lab hours. When absences total more than 20% of the total contact hours for the course, a student will be unofficially dropped from a class. If extenuating circumstances exist, the student may submit an appeal and request readmission to the class. The Vice President of Instruction and Student Services will review the appeal and make the final determination concerning readmission. When students are absent from class excessively, the instructor should initiate follow-up procedures by (1) contacting the student, and (2) notifying the Counselor/Success Navigator prior to the student missing 20% of the class. Some programs may have more specific policies due to clinical and lab hour requirements.
Additionally, instructors must notify Student Services in writing (Unofficial Drop Form) when dropping a student from their class. Some programs/courses have stricter attendance requirements than the 80% mentioned above. Details about attendance requirements for a specific course or program are available on the course syllabus, from the instructor, or from the head of the program area.
Withdrawal from Courses (Policy 5.2.2)
Procedure to Withdraw
I. Student Unofficial Withdrawal from Course(s)
- Ten Percent (10%): Date a student may drop or withdraw (drop during the designated drop/add period or withdraw prior to the 10% point) from a course for a partial refund on or before the official ten percent (10%) date of the semester. For more information on tuition/ fee refunds, see Policy 6.1.4 – Tuition/Fee Refunds. In the case of withdrawal on or before the official ten percent date (10%) date of the semester, the dropped course(s) will not be included on the transcript.
- Seventy Five Percent (75%): Date any point prior to the seventy five percent (75%) date of the course, a student may voluntarily withdraw from his/her courses. Students will not be allowed to voluntarily withdraw from courses past the seventy five percent (75%) date. All applicable deadlines will be published in the College’s official calendar. It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw from course(s) if he/she cannot meet the requirements of the course. The student should first consult his/her instructor or advisor before requesting to be withdrawn from a course. Students receiving financial aid should also consult a financial aid advisor before requesting to be withdrawn from a course. Withdrawing from a course could substantially delay the completion of the student’s program of study and may have impacts on future financial aid eligibility. To officially begin the withdrawal process, the student must notify the instructor of his/her intent to withdraw from the course and complete the required Withdrawal Form, obtain all required signatures (student, instructor(s) and Financial Aid) and return the completed Withdrawal Form to the Office of the Registrar. Admissions, Registration, and Graduation Students must officially withdraw from any course they stop attending in order to ensure that they will not receive a final grade of “FA” or “U” in the course. In the case of an official withdrawal, the student will receive a “W” which will not be included in the grade point average but will appear in the student’s official transcript. If a student does not complete the official withdrawal process and is administratively withdrawn, the grade of “FA” will be awarded, which is the equivalent of an “F” in terms of college grade point average.
- Exception to Seventy Five Percent (75%) Date: The Vice President for Instruction and Student Services (“Vice President”) may make exceptions in cases of extenuating circumstances (such as medical issues, relocation, family issues), based on the recommendation on the instructor, and award a grade of “W” during the final twenty five percent (25%) of the academic term.
II. Student Withdrawal from Course(s)
- Students who register for a course and do not attend classes prior to ten percent (10%) will be marked as Never Attended by the instructor and purged from the course(s).
- Any student who accumulates absences in excess of twenty percent (20%) total or ten percent (10%) consecutively of the course contact hours or assignments/work may be administratively withdrawn from the class at the instructor’s discretion. In such cases, the student will receive a grade of “FA”.
- Students may be involuntarily withdrawn from courses for disciplinary reasons subject to the student discipline policies.
Notice: Students receiving Federal Title IV Funds (Pell Grant, FSEOG, etc.) who officially withdraw or are administratively withdrawn from all of their classes prior to the 60 percent point of the semester and/or students receiving State Funds (NCCCG, NCELS, etc.) who officially withdraw or are administratively withdrawn from all of their classes prior to the 35 percent point of the semester will be required to return all or a portion of their Federal Title IV/State funding. All students should go by the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from classes to determine their financial obligation, if any.
WE – Withdrawal Emergency The intent of the Withdrawal Emergency “WE” grade is to document the student impact of COVID-19 on enrollment and completion and to provide options for associated college processing. The withdrawal grade of “WE” is non-punitive and holds no GPA weighting. As with a normal withdrawal, students will repeat the course following normal enrollment policies and procedures. As normal, the student would be charged the regular tuition or registration fee which the college may provide student aid using CARE Act HEERF funds or other available alternatives to ensure the student does not incur costs to repeat the course.
Readmission to Course After Withdrawal: If a student wishes to return to class after having been withdrawn, they may be readmitted only with the permission of the instructor and completion of readmission paper work with Student Services To be officially readmitted, a student must follow these steps: 1. Meet with the instructor; 2. Appeal to the Vice President of Instruction and Student Services in writing and obtain his or her permission; 3. Complete any missed work; 4. Complete readmission form. Students may not attend class again until they have been officially readmitted. Special circumstances regarding online students: if permission to re-enroll is granted to an online student, provisional readmission with access to Blackboard will be granted to enable the missed work to be made up. (Policy 5.3.6)
Grading System (Policy 5.2.4)
Montgomery Community College uses a grade-point system to determine each student’s academic standing. This standing is determined by the Grade-Point Average (GPA). To determine the GPA, numerical values called “grade points” or “quality points” are assigned to each grade. Grade points are assigned for each letter. A letter grade is used to indicate the quality of a student’s work in a course. The grading system is listed below.
| Grade | Explanation | Quality Points per Credit Hour |
|---|---|---|
| A (90-100) | Outstanding | 4 |
| B (80-89) | Above Average | 3 |
| C (70-79) | Average | 2 |
| D (60-69) | Passing | 1 |
| F (Below 60) | Failure | 0 |
| FA | Failure Due to Non-Attendance | 0 |
| AP | Advanced Placement | 0 |
| AU | Audit of a Course | 0 |
| CR | Credit (DMA/DRE courses) | 0 |
| CE | Credit by Proficiency Exams | 0 |
| CT | Credit by Transcript | 0 |
| I | Incomplete | 0 |
| IP | In progress | 0 |
| NG | No Grade Issued by Instructor | 0 |
| P | Passing (DMA/DRE prefixes) | 0 |
| P1 | Passing Tier 1 transition course | 0 |
| P2 | Passing Tier 2 transition course | 0 |
| P3 | Passing Tier 3 transition course | 0 |
| R | Repeat (DMA/DRE prefixes) | 0 |
| RA | Repeat (non-attendance of DMA/DRE courses) | 0 |
| S | Satisfactory Progress | 0 |
| SR | Senior Citizen Adult | 0 |
| TP1 | Transfer credit of Tier 1 transition course | 0 |
| TP2 | Transfer credit of Tier 2 transition course | 0 |
| TP3 | Transfer credit of Tier 3 transition course | 0 |
| U | Unsatisfactory | 0 |
| W | Official Withdrawal; | 0 |
| WE | Official Withdrawal-Emergency | 0 |
An asterisk (*) immediately following a grade indicates that the course is not applicable to the student’s current program of study or is a developmental course. These grades are not included in the totals for GPA calculations. Although quality points are not awarded for marks of AP, CE, and CT, students receiving these grades do earn the appropriate credit hours according to the course’s assigned value. A grade of Incomplete (I) will be given when circumstances justify the additional time to complete the course. Any incomplete grade not removed by the end of the succeeding term will be changed to a grade of F unless additional time is granted by the instructor. A grade of Incomplete will not be considered for credit hours attempted until the grade is changed by the instructor or is reverted to a grade of F due to lack of proper action by the student. The student will be informed of variations in the grading system during the first week of class. Exception: Special Credit students may be given a grade of W (withdrawal) on the course(s) without officially withdrawing.
Grade Contesting Policy (Policy 5.2.5)
All students enrolled in classes at Montgomery Community College have the right to contest grades assigned to them. The following procedures should be followed:
- Students should schedule an appointment to discuss the matter with the instructor who has assigned the grade and request that the instructor review the basis for the grade. If the disagreement about the grade is resolved in this discussion, grade change action, where needed, should originate through the instructor.
- If not resolved here, the student may present his/her case in writing to the appropriate Dean.
- A final review may be made by the Vice President of Instruction and Student Services in consultation with all individuals involved. If the grade is declared invalid and set aside, the student may be given a comprehensive examination by the department involved to establish a grade. The right to contest a grade expires at the end of the term following the one in which the grade was assigned. The time limit will be waived only in unusual circumstances. When a student contests a grade assigned by an instructor no longer employed by the college, Step One above does not apply. The Grade Contesting Policy should be followed to prevent future academic probation or suspension action. This is the first step in the appeals process for academic probation and suspension policies.
*The right to contest expires at the end of term following the one in which the grade was assigned. The time limit will only be waived in unusual circumstances.