Online Learning Course Policies
Access to the Course
Online courses are available to enrolled students from 12:00 am the first day of class until two weeks after the course is over. Access to individual course sites is only for the students enrolled in that section. Just as in a campus-based course, anyone not enrolled in the class must have the permission of the instructor to log in, send email, post discussions, or otherwise participate in the course. Your student identification number and password are private. Giving someone else this information to allow them to log in to FRCC's online learning management system (D2L) is a violation of FRCC's computer usage policy and the Student Code of Conduct.
Appropriate Behavior in Online Courses
Online courses have stricter standards of behavior than public blogs or social networking sites on the Internet. Civil discussion relevant to course content is essential and encouraged, but inappropriate behaviors such as personal attacks and monopolizing (or others as determined by the instructor) will result in some form of corrective or disciplinary action. If a post or thread in Discussions seems to be distracting the class or off topic, the instructor will ask you to continue it elsewhere.
Interact with people in an online class with the same courtesy you would in a traditional classroom, and remember that humor and sarcasm often do not translate clearly in the digital world. Be considerate of tone and inflection when composing email and discussion messages. For instance, typing in CAPITALS implies that you are shouting what you are writing and can be seen by others as aggressive behavior. Occasionally, italics or quotation marks can be used instead to emphasize something you are trying to say. For more information on the basic rules of “netiquette,” see an excerpt from Virginia Shea’s book Netiquette: http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html
Actions considered violations of The Student Code of Conduct can be reviewed at http://www.frontrange.edu/docs/default-source/Being-a-Student/code-of-conduct.pdf.
If you have questions or concerns, please email your instructor directly.
Attendance and Participation
Students establish attendance in an online course by completing any academic activity based on course content before the “drop for non-attendance” deadline. Examples include participation in a content-related discussion, quiz, or assignment. (Simply logging in to the course site does not count as attendance, nor does introducing oneself to the class.)
Online instructors begin reporting non-attending students beginning at 6 p.m. on the deadline date; students who have not participated by this time will be dropped.
To re-enroll, a student must go through the late add appeal process, which includes securing the signatures of the instructor, Instructional Dean, and Vice President. It is unlikely you will be re-enrolled if you have not participated in class.
Online students are required to continue participating in their online courses several times each week for the duration of the course. Failure to meet the individual course attendance requirements as listed in the course syllabus may result in grade reductions as defined by the instructor. The last date of attendance is reported to Financial Aid for students who do not pass the course; students who have not been in attendance may experience significant financial aid ramifications.
Campus Closure Procedure
Should Front Range Community College or one of its campuses close due to inclement weather or other emergency, online courses will proceed unless the emergency affects Desire2Learn, which is unlikely. Assume that your course will continue without interruption, and if you have questions, please ask your instructor.
Cheating Policy
Students are expected to uphold the school's standard of conduct relating to academic honesty. Students assume full responsibility for the content and integrity of the academic work they submit. The guiding principle of academic integrity will be that a student's submitted work, examinations, reports, discussions, and projects must be that of the student's own work and unique to the course. Students are guilty of violating the honor code if they:
· Represent the work of others as their own (this includes copying material from the Internet for discussion postings or other assignments without proper citation)
· Use or obtain unauthorized assistance in any academic work.
· Give unauthorized assistance to other students.
· Modify, without instructor approval, an examination, paper, record, or report for the purpose of obtaining additional credit.
· Misrepresent the content of submitted work.
The penalty for violating the honor code is severe. Any student violating the honor code is subject to receive a failing grade for the course and will be reported to the Office of Student Services. If a student is unclear about whether a particular situation may constitute an honor code violation, the student should contact the instructor to discuss the situation.
Collaboration
Unless otherwise instructed, all work submitted is to be done individually by the student. This means you should not be working in pairs or in a group to write discussion posts, complete assignments or take quizzes and other assessments unless specifically asked to do so by your instructor.
Plagiarism / Dual Submission
Plagiarism, whether intentional or accidental, is academic dishonesty and may incur disciplinary action ranging from receiving a zero on an assignment or failing a course to more severe consequences. Plagiarism means
· Using someone else’s ideas and not correctly citing that use. This means that if you put someone else’s work into your own words, put it in your work, and do not correctly document it, the idea is plagiarized.
· Using someone else’s words without quotation marks and not correctly citing that use.
· Using someone else’s images or other works (such as from the Internet) without correctly citing that use.
· Submitting work that has been turned in for credit in another class or at another institution unless specifically permitted by your instructor.
Students may be required to submit work that is evaluated for originality by Turnitin.com, a plagiarism detection software program that checks for certain forms of plagiarism.
Incomplete Grades
The “Incomplete” grade is a temporary grade and is designed for students who, because of documented illness or circumstances beyond their control, are unable to complete the coursework within the semester, but have completed at least 75% of all course assignments and tests in a satisfactory manner with a grade of "C" or better. Documentation of the circumstances must be presented to the instructor by the student. (Please see the FRCC Course Catalog for more details.)
Technical Difficulties
Equipment failure of your computer or problems with internet access will not be considered valid excuses for missed or late exams and/or assignments. All students have access to campus based computer labs or public library computers. It is the student’s responsibility to arrange for alternate means of accessing the course materials in the event of technical difficulties or to contact the instructor without delay. If at any time Desire2Learn is down, faculty and staff are informed at the earliest possible date with the exact times this occurred and make reasonable adjustments as needed. For technical assistance, contact the 24 X 7 Help Desk at http://help.cccs.edu; 888-800-9198 (toll free)
Course Concerns
If you have any questions or concerns about the course, please discuss them with your instructor as soon as possible. Direct oversight of online courses is provided by online lead faculty with expertise in each discipline area. Contact information for your instructor and the online lead are included in the syllabus, or you can contact the online learning office.
Online Student Success
FRCC is committed to helping you succeed in your online courses. If you have questions or concerns about issues related to services for students, or the student code of conduct, please contact the Director of Online Student Success, Chico Garcia at 303-678-3627 or email or call Online Learning at 970-204-8250 or 303-404-5513.
Required Orientation to Online Learning
All students who are taking their first online class here at FRCC are required to complete the “Orientation to Online Learning” tutorial. The Orientation to Online Learning is listed under the “My Courses” heading on your D2L home page. The Orientation to Online Learning home page has a video and written instruction explaining how to complete it. If you have any questions, call the Online Learning Department at 970-204-8250 or 303-404-5513, or email them at
11/2014