Academic Policies

Academic Dishonesty & Plagiarism

Any form of academic dishonesty is subject to the disciplinary actions set forth in the Student Code of Conduct. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other misrepresentation of work is prohibited. Students who are found to be in violation of this standard may receive severe sanctions, including a failing grade in their respective course and depending on the circumstances, possible expulsion from Eastern Florida State College.

In general terms, plagiarism is the adoption or incorporation of another’s ideas without proper attribution of the source. It is more simply defined as taking the writings of another person or people and representing them to be one’s own. Please note that access to or obtaining information/copying assignments provided from sources like CHEGG, Course Hero, Accounting Tutor, or any other online applications that purport to offer the answers to exercises or instructor materials for courses, may be considered cheating, and any instances that can be substantiated will be treated as such.

Students who have any questions or concerns regarding plagiarism need to ask their instructor or Collegewide Chair or Dean for assistance before a plagiarism problem arises.

To avoid plagiarism, students should always credit the sources used when writing an essay, research paper, or other assignment and in accordance with the appropriate style manual or format required in your course. Confirm with the instructor the appropriate format to use. If you are directed to use the MLA or APA format, please visit this link. 

Types of actions defined as plagiarism include but may not be limited to:

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1. Cutting and pasting to create a written document from a single or various sources.
2. Citing a source with false or inaccurate information (Bibliographical or URL).
3. Quoting less than all the words copied or paraphrasing a source without proper citation or notation the document has been altered.
4. Submitting papers, assignments, exams, or forums that were completed by someone other than yourself.
5. Working in a group or otherwise colluding with other students to prepare and submit work without prior acknowledgment and approval from the instructor.
6. Receiving or giving outside help without prior written faculty consent; this includes assistance from tutors, websites, or other online resources.
7. Sharing assignments, exams, or discussions with other students.
8. Selling or purchasing (or copying) papers, assignments, or exams from any website that buys or sells them and submitting them as your work, in whole or in part.
9. Using a quotation without proper quotation marks and citation.
10. Preparing a draft for final paper for another student.
11. Submitting a paper, assignment, quiz or exam that you submitted in a previous and/or concurrent class without requesting and receiving in writing prior permission from your instructor(s). This could also apply to “revising” papers, assignments, quizzes or exams that were previously submitted in any course.
12. Copying a non-text material such as: image, audio, video, spreadsheet, PowerPoint presentation, etc., without proper citation and reference.
13. Altering any information on forms, electronic attachments or emails after the original has been submitted.
14. Presenting statistics, facts, or ideas that are not your own, or is not common factual knowledge either by the general population, or commonly known within the particular discipline, without citation, even if you view them as common knowledge in your own educational background.

The instructor may choose to remove the student from class by withdrawing the student with a grade of “WF,” which will appear on the student’s transcript as the grade of “F”.

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Plagiarism Detection

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For some courses, students should submit all of their writing assignments through a resource called Turnitin. Turnitin is an online tool available to EFSC instructors as an integrated service available in all EFSC Canvas classrooms. The OriginalityCheck detects and prevents plagiarism by checking submitted student papers. Grademark enables instructors to provide rich feedback as well as online grading directly on the student's paper. PeerMark enables students to evaluate each other’s work. For more information on Plagiarism and information on proper citation please visit the Writing Center website.

Academic Freedom

The concept of academic freedom provides students and faculty the right to pursue knowledge, to conduct research, to publish, to seek truth, to probe, to examine, to question, to disagree and to state opinions without fear of condemnation or reprisal.

Academic Integrity

If it is determined that persons other than the student are accessing a student's records in the Canvas classroom, the student will be removed from the class and receive a final grade of "F.” While students may have provided written consent for a third party to receive information regarding their educational records, that consent does not permit any other person besides the student to complete or access coursework within the classroom or online setting.

Academic Responsibility

The concept of academic freedom must be accompanied by an equally demanding concept of academic responsibility that properly includes activities both within the classroom and outside the academic environment. As a representative of an educational institution and a person of learning, a faculty member, staff member or student representative occupies a special place in the community, yet such community status imposes special obligations. Faculty (and other employees and representatives of an educational institution) must realize that the public may judge the institution based on their interactions within the community.

Academic Second Chance

Academic Second Chance allows qualified students to petition for up to two (2) semesters of Eastern Florida coursework to be excluded from the student’s cumulative GPA. All quality points from the courses within the Academic Second Chance semester will be removed from the academic record and any passing grades will not be used for degree completion. Coursework eligible for Academic Second Chance must be at least five (5) years old and the student must have completed a minimum of 12 credits with a “C” or better since re-enrollment. Students inquiring about Academic Second Chance petition procedures and qualifications should meet with an academic advisor.

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Academic Status: Academic Standing and Satisfactory Academic Progress

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Academic Standing is a set of standards imposed by the College relating to a student's progress toward degree completion and Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards are imposed by the U.S. Department of Education relating to a student's financial aid eligibility.

At the end of each semester, student records are flagged progressively as Good Standing, Academic Warning, Academic Probation, Continued Academic Probation or Academic Suspension. This is originally based on the student’s cumulative grade point average (GPA), with subsequent action taken based on the term GPA. To maintain satisfactory academic progress at Eastern Florida, students must achieve a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 each semester.

Please Note: For students whose major is a bachelor's degree, Academic Standing is calculated based on the GPA for only the upper-division courses (3000 and 4000 level).

Please consult with an advisor on any campus for detailed information regarding academic standards, sanctions and appeal procedures. Also click here to view Academic Support options.

See below for an explanation of each step in the Academic Standing progress — the quick links will advance the page to your topic. Information regarding Satisfactory Academic Progress can be viewed in the Financial Aid web section.

Good Academic Standing

Students who have a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA in their declared major at the end of the term will be considered in Good Academic Standing.

Academic Warning

The first term the cumulative GPA falls below 2.0, the student will be placed on academic warning.
Actions:
• Student will be notified by e-mail
• An informational hold will be placed on a student's record that will prevent registration
• Student must meet with their Academic Advisor to be allowed to register
• Students on Academic Warning are limited to 12 credit hours
• If a student's term GPA is a minimum of 2.0, the student will return to “Good Academic Standing" for the next term. If the student's cumulative GPA remains below 2.0 after that next term, the Academic Warning cycle will start over

Academic Probation

If the term GPA remains below 2.0 at the end of the next term, the student on Academic Warning will be placed on academic probation.
Actions:
• Student will be notified by e-mail
• Hold will be placed on student's record that prevents registration
• Student must meet with a Student Success Advisor to complete a “Student Success Plan” and discuss resources available to assist them in meeting their educational goals before they will be allowed to register
• Students on probation are limited to 9 credit hours
• If a student's term GPA is a minimum of 2.0, the student will return to “Good Academic Standing" for the next term. If the student's cumulative GPA remains below 2.0 after that next term, they will be placed on Academic Warning

Continued Academic Probation

If the term GPA is below 2.0 at the end of the next term, the student on Academic Probation will be placed on Continued Academic Probation.
Actions:
• Student will be notified by e-mail
• Hold will be placed on student's record that prevents registration
• Student must meet with their Student Success Advisor to review their Student Success Plan and discuss resources available to assist them in meeting their educational goals before they will be allowed to register
• Students on Continued Academic Probation may register for a maximum of 6 credit hours
• If a student's term GPA is a minimum of 2.0, the student will return to “Good Academic Standing" for the next term. If the student's cumulative GPA remains below 2.0 after that next term, they will be placed on Academic Warning and the cycle starts again

Academic Suspension

If the term GPA is below 2.0 at the end of the next term, the student on Continued Academic Probation will be placed on Academic Suspension.
Actions:
• Student will be notified by letter and e-mail
• Hold will be placed on student’s record; this hold will stop registration
• Student must meet with the Coordinator, Campus Advising
• Student may request a waiver of suspension through the Coordinator, Campus Advising. If approved, the student may register for no more than six credits. Continued enrollment under the status of “Suspension Status Waiver” will be determined based on the student’s success.
• Student may not be allowed to register for EFSC credit courses for one semester. If already registered, the student may be dropped from classes.
• Students who are placed on academic suspension a second time will not be permitted to register for EFSC credit courses for one year
• Student may not apply for transient status at another institution during a suspension
• When a student’s cumulative GPA returns to a minimum of 2.0, the student will be on “Good Academic Standing”

Reinstatement from Suspension Status

The student may request approval to re-enroll after suspension by contacting the Coordinator of Advising on the campus. If permitted to return, the student will be readmitted on Academic Probation as outlined above. Criteria for reinstatement will include a commitment by the student to adhere to the guidelines set forth by the subsequent professors in the classes they are to be enrolled. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:
• Maintaining proper adherence to the professor’s attendance policy
• Completing all assigned work in a timely fashion
• Discussing with faculty if/when academic difficulties arise
• Other academic success strategy requirements as determined and communicated, in writing, by the Coordinator, Campus Advising
• Routine meetings with the student’s assigned advisor to monitor and assist in the student’s academic progress

Appeal of Academic Suspension or Refusal of Reinstatement

Students have the right to appeal an academic suspension decision by filing an appeal with appropriate documentation with the office of the Coordinator, Campus Advising. The decision of the Coordinator is final. 
• If a student’s appeal is approved, the student will be permitted to enroll with a status of “Suspension Status Waiver” for one semester and is expected to complete all classes with a minimum semester GPA of 2.0 and have earned credit in one-half of the total hours attempted
• The student must request approval to continue enrollment in the status of “Suspension Status Waiver” each semester by meeting with the Coordinator, Campus Advising
• Continued enrollment under the status of “Suspension Status Waiver” will be determined based on the student’s success

Class Participation Guidelines

Regular class participation is required at Eastern Florida State College. Students are expected to attend all classes and actively participate and complete all assigned course work for all courses for which they are registered. In order to obtain credit for a course, a student must demonstrate continued classroom participation as identified by the faculty to meet the competencies of the course.

Students who are reported as never attending a course will be withdrawn from the class. Financial Aid and Veterans benefits will be adjusted or rescinded accordingly.

Only registered students may attend class sessions; unregistered persons may not attend class sessions (this includes but is not limited to children/spouses/relatives/friends of registered students attending class sessions with or in place of registered students), except in circumstances where SAIL has approved an accommodation.

Clock Hours Class Attendance

No more than 10% of class time may be considered excused absences that are not required to be made up. An instructor may follow a stricter policy in his/her class. If a student needs to make up hours beyond the 10% excused absence policy, make-up clock hours must be completed under instructor supervision by the last published class date for the completion period. Make-up hours must be recorded, signed by the instructor, and submitted to financial aid on the approved form.

Online Class Participation

Online students within the Census Reporting period must complete an academic activity such as submit an assignment, take an assessment or quiz, post to a discussion board, or initiate contact with the instructor to explain circumstances if unable to complete such activities to maintain active classroom participation for census reporting as specified in the instructor’s syllabus. Logging in and out of an online course does not constitute active participation. Students who have not actively participated during the Census Reporting period will be withdrawn for non-participation by the Office of the Registrar. After the Census Reporting date has passed, students will not be withdrawn by instructors outside of the Disruptive Student Behavior or Academic Violations policy. It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw from a course if they no longer want to continue in the course. At the completion of the withdrawal process, students will no longer have access to the Canvas classroom.

Collegiate Representatives

A collegiate representative is defined as a student who represents the college extramurally as a student-athlete, student-performing artist, student government member, or student academic competitor or award winner. These four categories are defined in the following manner;

1. Student-athlete defines an individual who engages in any Eastern Florida State College (EFSC) sponsored intercollegiate sport.
2. Student-performing artist defines an individual who engages in any EFSC sponsored performing arts events.
3. Student government member defines an individual who has been elected to the executive board of the campus based, EFSC Student Government Association and reports directly to the staff of the Office of Campus Student Activities.
4. Student-academic competitor defines an individual who has been invited to present his or her works at a recognized, academically-based conference, is academically competing (e.g. Brain Bowl), or participating in educational training (e.g. OUR workshop, rehearsal, scholarship auditions)
5. Student-Award winner defines an individual who receives a non-athletic award and the student is approved by EFSC to represent the college.

Students as defined in the section below are expected to attend all scheduled classes unless excused according to one of the criteria outlined below.

1. Student-athlete who is sponsored by EFSC and is participating in an athletic competition against another institution. Practices are not excused absences.
2. Student-performing artist who is sponsored by EFSC and is participating in an exhibition or recital, as part of a performing arts event. Practices are generally not considered an excused absence, but in the case of a dress rehearsal or ensemble rehearsal, it would be considered an excused absence.
3. Student government member who is sponsored by EFSC and is attending a mandatory training conference as part of the requirements for his or her elected position.
4. Student-academic competitor who is representing EFSC and has been invited to present his or her works at a recognized academically-based conference, is academically competing (e.g. brain bowl) on behalf of EFSC, or participating in EFSC approved educational training (e.g. OUR workshop, rehearsal, scholarship auditions).
5. Student-Award winner who receives a non-athletic award and is approved by EFSC to represent the college.

A student anticipating the need for an excused absence must notify the instructor in writing with documentation from the appropriate EFSC representative within the first week of the start of the term. A student anticipating a need to be excused from assignments due in an online course must provide documentation from the appropriate EFSC representative that the student’s attendance at such college sponsored event prevented the student from performing work online. This documentation should reflect that the student did not have access to a computer and/or an internet connection for a specified period of time. In the case of a student-academic competitor, award winner, invitation to present at a conference, invitation to perform, or student-athlete invited to participate in a playoff series, the notification to the instructor must be made within three business days from the time of receipt of the invitation. The notification letter must originate from the appropriate EFSC representative, e.g. coach or sponsor, be written on EFSC letterhead, include the student’s name, B-number, the student’s category, and a list of anticipated absentee dates. The student is expected to complete all missed classroom and homework assignments within the timeframe designated by the instructor.

Special Note:

These parameters are not limited to those in specialized programs, but exist for the entire college community. In instances where a student fails to communicate his or her travel plans or extenuating circumstances in regards to this policy in a timely manner, the student will not be allowed to make up any missed work because of the time constraints of the course calendar.

It will be at the instructor’s discretion to allow the student the opportunity to make up an assignment that will adversely affect his or her grade.

Instructor-Specific Attendance Guidelines

Faculty members shall publish and distribute a class syllabus at the beginning of each course, unless state or federal law or rule requires an earlier publication and distribution. The syllabus includes the Satisfactory Academic Participation definition, special circumstances under which students' absences/lack of participation may be excused, and their stipulations for making up work and exams missed during instructor-excused absences/period of lack of participation.

In cases of disruptive students, instructors have the option to request a student be administratively withdrawn through the Disruptive Student Behavior or Academic Violations policy. Students wishing to appeal for reinstatement following an administrative withdrawal must first contact their instructor to discuss the withdrawal. If the issue is not resolved, the student can file a formal student appeal including documentation to support reinstatement to the College-wide Chair. Students will not be withdrawn by the Office of the Registrar at the request of the instructor outside of Census Reporting or the Disruptive Student Behavior policy. It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw from any course by the published withdraw deadline on the academic calendar.

Satisfactory Academic Participation

Instructors may elect to fail students who are not academically participating. Satisfactory academic participation is defined as completing coursework, even if a passing overall grade is not maintained, AND completing mandatory College-level Communications & Computational Skills assignments outlined in the syllabus. Face-to-face attendance policies for campus-based courses may vary by instructor but must be outlined in the course syllabus. Additionally, instructors may elect to fail students who do not submit ANY assignments for more than two consecutive weeks in a 16-week distance learning course. Shorter term semesters, such as 12-, 8-, or 6-week terms, may, at the discretion of the instructor, include more stringent participation requirements requiring students to go no more than 1/8 of the term length without submitting ANY assignment. Missed assignments cannot be counted cumulatively but must instead be counted consecutively. If a student has satisfactory academic participation as outlined in this definition, the instructor cannot fail the student based solely on academic participation. This does not preclude instructors failing students who do not achieve an overall passing grade based on submitted course work as outlined in the syllabus at the end of the term.

Military Service

Any College student who is called to or enlisted in active military service shall not incur academic or financial penalties by virtue of performing military service on behalf of our country. Such students shall be given the options of either completing the course(s) at a later date without penalty, or withdrawing from the course(s) with a full refund of fees paid. If the student chooses to withdraw, the student’s records shall reflect the non-punitive grade of “W6”, indicating that the withdrawal is due to active military service.

Student will provide a copy of military orders to the Collegewide Chair.

1. If student chooses to complete the course(s) at a later date, the Collegewide Chair will request the instructor(s) to create an “Incomplete Grade” contract that outlines student’s course progress to date and outstanding assignments.
   • Instructor will award a final grade of “I – Incomplete” at the end of the term, and then submit a grade change when the course is finished.
2. If student chooses to withdraw, student will complete a Course Withdrawal form and submit to the Collegewide Chair .
   • The Collegewide Chair will process the withdrawal and submit a request for tuition refund to Accounting
3. The Collegewide Chair will document the decision on the student’s record and retain all documentation.

Religious Observances

In accordance with federal and state statutes, students enrolled in credit or certificate courses may be granted excused absences from classes that are scheduled during a religious holiday. The student must request from the instructor approval for the absence, in writing, the first week of class. Students are held responsible for material covered during their absence. Absences due to religious holidays are excluded from all absence calculations. In case of such absences, the instructor shall provide equivalent assignments or the opportunity to make-up missed work without penalty.

Students excused for religious observances will be expected to meet the class requirements for those days without undue delay.

Nationally recognized religious holidays shall be acknowledged plus any significant day of religious observance as recognized by the highest governing body of that particular religious faith. Students may be required to provide information or proof the religious holiday if such holiday is not generally known.