Academic Integrity and Academic Dishonesty/Academic Issues
Pueblo Community College is committed to providing a superior educational experience for all students who attend the College. Ensuring academic integrity and honesty in all educational classrooms and programs is critical to providing this high level of education.
The College places a strong expectation on all students to act honestly in all situations. The College does recognize that some students will choose to commit acts of academic dishonesty, which places an expectation on all faculty and staff to confront these acts of dishonesty. When a student is suspected of committing an act of academic dishonesty, the College will follow the process listed below. The process is intended to uphold and respect the student’s due process rights.
What is “Academic Dishonesty”? “Academic Dishonesty is any action that results in students giving or receiving unauthorized assistance in an academic exercise or receiving credit for work that is not their own.” Academic dishonesty is a behavioral issue and considered an act of misconduct subject to the College disciplinary process as defined in the Student Code of Conduct, which is found in this Handbook and subject to the academic sanction as defined in an instructor’s course syllabus.
Students who violate Pueblo Community College (PCC) rules on academic integrity are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure or removal from a course, disciplinary probation and/or dismissal from the College.
No-show/Drop/Withdrawal Definitions and Effects
| |
Definition |
Initiated by |
Is the student charged? |
Does this show on Transcript? |
Effect on financial aid |
Effect on GPA |
| No Show |
Students will be dropped as a no-show if they do not attend any class sessions or submit any substantial work between the start of the course and the census date. Students should be reported as a no-show on or before the census date for the course. |
Faculty and Instructors |
No |
No |
If a student is not dropped as a no-show on or before the census date for a course and is dropped as a no-show at a later time, the student could receive a financial aid disbursement for which they are not eligible. When late drops occur, a student’s financial aid must be adjusted and the error could result in the student owing thousands of dollars to PCC. |
None |
| Drop |
Students can drop some or all of their courses prior to the census date for the course. Special length courses have different census dates. Please check the portal on the faculty tab and Important Dates |
Student |
No |
No |
Same effect as a No show |
None |
| Withdrawal |
A student may withdraw from any or all of their courses and receive a grade of “W”. They must withdraw by the last day to withdraw of their course. Special length courses have different withdrawal dates. Please check the portal on the faculty tab and Important Dates |
Student |
Yes |
Yes, as a “W” |
Students are held financially liable for the withdrawn course. Does count as credits attempted; financial aid does cover the cost of a withdrawn course |
None
Does count as credits attempted
|
*Students who stop attending class and do not drop or withdraw themselves will receive the grade that they earned at the end of the class. If the student receives a failing grade, the faculty/instructor must report the last date of attendance when entering the grade.
Drop for no-show
Students will be dropped as a no-show if they do not attend any class sessions or attend once but do not complete any academically related activity between the start of the course and the census date.
- Students should be reported as a no-show on or before the census date for the course.
Withdrawal
A student may withdraw from any or all of their courses and receive a grade of “W”. Students are held financially liable for the courses from which they withdraw, and the course withdrawal is recorded on their transcripts. It is now the student’s responsibility to withdraw themselves from their courses – instructors will no longer withdraw students due to poor attendance; however, speak with the instructor before withdrawing from any class. If students stop attending classes and do withdraw themselves, instructors should assign the students the grades they earned. If the grade is a failing grade, the instructor should report the last date of attendance.
Drop
Students can drop some or all of their courses prior to the census date for the course. If a student drops a course prior to its census date, the student is not charged for the course and the course does not appear on their transcripts. Consult with the instructor before dropping from any class.
If students stop attending their courses and do not drop themselves, instructors should assign the student the grade they earned. If a student receives a failing grade, the instructor needs to report the last date of attendance when entering the grade. A student should never be assigned a failing grade if they failed to attend a course and should have been dropped as a no-show. Students cannot receive financial aid for courses where they have not established attendance.
Impacts to Student’s Financial Aid
- If a student is not dropped as a no-show on or before the census date for a course and is dropped as a no show at a later time, the student could receive a financial aid disbursement they are not eligible for. When late drops occur, a student’s financial aid must be adjusted and the error could result in the student owing thousands of dollars to PCC.
Grading System
At the end of each semester, a student may access their grades or order a transcript online.
Letter Grades
At PCC, grades are expressed in letters which are equated to points used in calculating the cumulative grade point average. To calculate a grade point average (GPA), divide the total number of quality points by the total number of credit hours (the points associated with A, B, C, D and F grades). A “P” grade indicates that the quality of student work in the course is equivalent to “C” or better.” A “P” grade will count in attempted and earned hours, but will not carry any quality points and will not be included in the calculation of GPA. Before a student registers into a class, they may select a pass/fail grading scheme, please contact the registrar’s office to discuss this option. “P” grades may not be applied to any course in the Colorado Guaranteed Transfer Program for General Education (GT Pathways). With the exception of Physical Education courses, no course taken for a P/F grade may be applied to the AA or AS degree, and in that case, no more than two (2) credits may be applied to the AA or AS degree.
An “F” grade in the Pass/Fail mode indicates that the quality of student work in the course is equivalent to “Failure” in letter grade mode. An “F” grade may not be applied to any degree or certificate requirement.
| Letter Grade |
Quality Points |
| A (Excellent or Superior) |
4 |
| B (Good) |
3 |
| C (Average) |
2 |
| D (Deficient) |
1 |
| F (Failure) |
0 |
| P in P/F mode (Pass) |
0 |
| F in P/F mode (Fail) |
0 |
| S/A, S/B or S/C - Satisfactory Grade designation used only for Developmental Courses |
|
| U/D or U/F - Unsatisfactory Grade designation used only for Developmental Courses |
|
| I (Incomplete) - designation used to show that the coursework is not complete and an extension has been granted |
|
| AU - Grade designation used for courses that are audited |
|
| W - Designation used when a student withdraws from a class |
|
S/A, S/B, S/C
Satisfactory grades are assigned only in developmental courses. These will not be calculated for the grade point average but the credits earned in developmental courses will count toward the earned and attempted credits. The grades received in developmental courses will not be used in calculating academic honors like the President’s List, Vice President’s List and Dean’s List.
U/D, U/F
Unsatisfactory grades are assigned only in developmental courses. These will not be calculated for the grade point average but the credits earned in developmental courses will count toward earned and attempted credits. The grades received in developmental courses will not be used in calculating academic honors like the President’s List, Vice President’s List and the Dean’s list.
Incomplete Grades
A grade of Incomplete (“I”) is a temporary grade in a regular course. It indicates the following:
- Due to circumstances beyond the student’s control, you have not completed all course requirements but you have completed at least 75 percent of the coursework.
- You have a satisfactory record (“C” or better) in the work you have completed.
- You agree to complete all requirements for removing the incomplete grade, according to the description of requirements on the Incomplete Grade Agreement Form, within the next full-length semester after the class is offered (summer excluded).
- If you fail to complete the course work, a grade of “F” will be automatically posted to your transcript at the end of the next full-length semester.
It is your responsibility to initiate the request for an “I” grade with your instructor. If circumstances beyond your control prevent you from completing any coursework by the end of the term, you must immediately inform your instructor of those circumstances. Your instructor will determine whether you should be awarded additional time beyond the end of the semester to complete your coursework. If you and your instructor cannot reach a mutual agreement concerning an “I,” contact your department chair and then, if no agreement is reached, the instructional dean.
Before the instructor can assign an “I,” the following conditions must be met:
- You must present to your instructor the documentation of circumstances justifying an “I.”
- Your instructor will complete an Incomplete Grade Agreement listing the coursework necessary to finish the Incomplete and receive a grade in the class. You will receive a copy of the Incomplete Grade Agreement when the instructor submits it to the Records Office.
- Your instructor must record an “I” grade on the final grade roster at the end of the semester. If you receive an “I,” do not re-register for the course and do not pay additional tuition and fees. Instead, make arrangements with your instructor to complete the requirements of the class.
If you are in the military or emergency management and are required to go on temporary duty status before you complete 75 percent of a course, contact your instructor to arrange special consideration for an “I” grade. For special consideration, you must provide documentation of your official temporary duty orders. Your instructional dean must approve the special consideration.
Audit Grade
Please see Part-time/Full-time/Auditor Status in the Applying for Admissions section.
Grade Changes
Once a final grade is entered, it cannot be changed unless the instructor who assigned the grade submits a Grade Change Form to the Records Office.
It is your responsibility to request a grade change from your instructor if you believe one is justified. Normally, we process grade changes during the following term. After one calendar year, the college will not approve a change of grade. “AU” grades may not be changed.
Final Examinations
Final examinations must be taken during a regularly scheduled class period in the last week of class unless approved by the appropriate dean.
Course Repeats
All college-level courses may be repeated, with the following limitations:
The following guideline applies to all students taking for-credit courses.
- Students will be limited in the number of times that they can take the same course.
- Certain courses are exempt from the repeat course procedure due to the nature/offering of the course.
- If a student has taken a course and attempts to register for the course a second time, the student will receive an automated notification of possible financial aid implications, available support services and how to access those services.
- If a student has taken a course twice and attempts to register for the course a third time, the student will not be able to register for that particular course until an action plan is created and approval granted by the college-appointed advisor. Please note that the student is able to register for other courses without needing an action plan or approval as per college rules and regulations.
- If the college advisor does not feel that the registration is warranted, the student may appeal through the college’s designated appeal policy.
- If a student has taken a course three times and wants to register for the course a fourth time, the student must appeal through the college’s designated appeal policy.
Each registration for the course and each grade received will be listed on the transcript. On the transcript a notation will follow the course, indicating that the course was repeated and designating whether it will be included in the GPA. The highest grade will be used in the GPA calculation. There will be no limitations on course grades that are eligible for repeat. All credit hours earned for initial and repeated courses will be deducted from a student’s remaining COF stipend-eligible hours.
In the event that the same grade is earned two or more times for a repeated course, the most recent instance of the duplicate grade will be included in the term and cumulative GPA. All other duplicate grades will be excluded from the term and cumulative GPA.
Repeated courses may be applied only one time to a certificate or degree, except for variable credit courses and designated courses that may be repeated for professional or personal development. Developmental courses are eligible to be repeated. All developmental courses will appear on the transcript.
For financial aid purposes, students may take course once and repeat it once but may not receive aid for subsequent repeats.
Academic Probation & Suspension
PCC wants you to succeed and encourages you to make responsible academic choices. Therefore, your course load will be appropriately limited as defined in the course load policy (found in the Advising and Registration section of this catalog). In addition, you must maintain at least a 2.000 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) to remain in good standing.
Academic Standings:
Initial Standing – Student has completed fewer than 9 cumulative credit hours with a cumulative GPA greater than or equal to 2.00 for all classes completed.
Academic Alert – Student has completed fewer than 9 cumulative credits with a cumulative GPA less than 2.00 for all classes completed.
Good Standing – Student has completed at least 9 cumulative credit hours and has a cumulative GPA greater than or equal to 2.00 for all classes completed.
Performance Support – Student has completed at least 9 cumulative credit hours and has a cumulative GPA less than 2.00 for all classes completed. This value was previously referred to as “Academic Probation.” By the conclusion of the Performance Support term, the student must raise their cumulative GPA to at least 2.00. If this condition is met, the student returns to Good Standing. Otherwise, the student will be Performance Improving or on Academic Suspension as outlined below.
Returning Support – Student is returning from Academic Suspension. By the conclusion of the Returning Support term, the student must raise their cumulative GPA to at least 2.00. If this condition is met, the student returns to Good Standing. Otherwise, the student will be Performance Improving or on Academic Suspension as outlined below.
Performance Improving – If a student on Performance Support or Returning Support earns a term GPA of at least 2.00 for all classes completed during the term but fails to raise their cumulative GPA to at least 2.00 for all classes completed, the student will be allowed to attend the next term as Performance Improving. This value was previously referred to as “Probation Continuing.” As long as the student continues earning a term GPA of at least 2.00 during each term, they will be permitted to continue attending. The student will remain on Performance Improving until the cumulative GPA is at least 2.00, at which time they will return to Good Standing. If the student does not earn a term GPA of at least 2.00 while on Performance Improving, they will be placed on Academic Suspension.
Academic Suspension” – If a student on Performance Support, Returning Support or Performance Improving earns a term GPA of less than 2.00 for all classes completed during the term, the student will be suspended and will not be allowed to enroll at the College issuing the suspension for the next term unless an appeal is approved. The student may be dropped from all registered courses for an upcoming term at the College based on the College’s procedures.
Academic Suspension
All academic suspensions are for one term only. If a student who has served a suspension wishes to return, the student will be allowed to re-enroll only after meeting with an academic advisor. The student will be placed on Returning Support for their return semester.
Students suspended from one College are not suspended from other Colleges within the System. Summer term may NOT be used as a suspension term; however, Summer term may be used to improve the GPA in preparation to appeal a Fall suspension.
Note: Academic probation/suspension is different from financial aid warning/probation/ineligibility. Please see the Financial Aid section for information about that topic.
Academic Appeal
You may appeal an academic decision only if you believe it was based on illegal discrimination or arbitrary and capricious actions. For more information about illegal discrimination, refer to the Grievance Process , which you can find online or in hard-copy form in the Office of the Chief Student Services Officer. For information about arbitrary and capricious actions, contact the Office of the Chief Student Services Officer.
Academic Renewal
Academic Renewal is a program through which PCC can exclude previously earned “below average” grades from your cumulative GPA. Through this program, you have another chance to succeed without prior performance holding you back. You must meet the following six (6) conditions for Academic Renewal:
- A maximum of 30 hours can be excluded from the GPA.
- Courses and grades approved for Academic Renewal remain on the transcript but are excluded from the GPA calculations.
- Academic Renewal applies to “D” and “F” grades only.
- In order to apply for Academic Renewal, students cannot have been enrolled at PCC for at least two (2) calendar years from the last term being considered for Academic Renewal.
- Students must be enrolled and have completed at least six (6) hours with a 2.000 term GPA to be awarded Academic Renewal. For a Reverse Transfer Degree only, the student may fulfill this requirement by demonstrating enrollment in at least six (6) credit hours with a 2.0 term GPA during last semester of attendance at the four-year institution.
- Students can apply for Academic Renewal only once.
- The decision is not reversible.
- Academic renewals will be processed at the end of the term in which the student submitted the renewal.
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