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Academic Information

Cape Cod Community College provides a variety of resources to assist students in successfully completing their educational objectives. Upon admission to the College, students take skills assessments in English, reading, and mathematics to determine their level of proficiency. Developmental courses are available for students who need to improve their basic skills. Academic advisors assist students in choosing appropriate courses and meeting program requirements based on assessment results and individual circumstances.

Audit

A student may register to audit a course with the permission of the course instructor. Audit forms are available at the Registration Office. Students are required to pay all tuition and fees. Financial aid does not cover the cost of audited classes.

Attendance requirements for audit students shall conform with the instructor's policy for the class as a whole, unless other arrangements are made between the auditing student and the instructor. Participation in the course is by agreement between the student and the instructor. The student or the instructor has the prerogative to request the agreement be in writing. Upon satisfactory attendance and fulfillment of the agreement between the student and instructor, a status of AU will be recorded; no credit will be awarded. A status of Z (ABS-absent) will be recorded at the end of the course should the attendance and/or agreement not be fulfilled. The student may officially withdraw from the audited course according to the withdrawal policy.

Change of status in a course from audit to credit may be made only during the add period. Change of status in a course from credit to audit may be made only during the first ten weeks of classes subject to the above mentioned requirements.

A course taken for audit does not count toward a student's full-time status unless the student is required to audit the course with the approval of the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs. A prerequisite cannot be satisfied by an audit.

Challenge of Courses for Credit

Any student who wishes to earn college credit for lifetime experiences by demonstrating proficiency in the content of a course may request a course challenge through the faculty advisor or counselor according to the policy listed below. Challenge Exam forms are available at the Registration Office. Please note that Developmental Education courses, independent studies, and courses for which College Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests are available will not be challenged.

1. The student's request must indicate:
a. the name and number of the course;
b. whether the course satisfies a requirement of the major program, satisfies a core requirement, or is an elective; and
c. the reasons for believing there is already a mastery of the material, appropriate evidence, and supporting documentation.

This request will be presented, together with an advisor's recommendation, to the appropriate Divisional Dean after payment of a fee.

2. A faculty expert will be identified by the Divisional Dean in consultation with Department Chair and/or Program Coordinator.

3. The faculty expert will examine the applicant's subject matter competence, will chose an appropriate evaluation process, and will his/her recommendation for credit or no credit.

4. The expert's recommendation and process of evaluation will then be reviewed by the department at a regularly scheduled meeting to insure uniformity of treatment.

5. After being reviewed by the department, the challenge will be recorded at the end of the term. If successful, the course, its credits, and a "P" for pass will be recorded.

6. Credit for any successfully challenged course will not be included in the College degree requirement that thirty credits must be earned at Cape Cod Community College.

CLEP and Advanced Placement Credit

Through the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), credits will be awarded to matriculated students who achieve a predetermined score, up to a maximum of thirty (30) credit hours. An official score report must be sent to the Registrar of the College. Cape Cod Community College requires the English Composition with Essay CLEP Examination in order to earn three semester hours of credit equivalent to ENL101. Freshman College Composition is required to earn three semester hours of credit equivalent to ENL102. Cape Cod Community College's academic departments determine which CLEP subject examinations are equivalent to department offerings (required or elective) and the credits awarded for successful completion.

Students who score three (3) or better on the College Board Advanced Placement Examinations may be granted college credit. An official score report must be sent to the Registrar of the College.

For further information, call 1-508-362-2131, ext. 4542 or stop by the Assessment Center in the Grossman Commons building. CLEP registration bulletins are available in the Assessment Center.

Developmental Education

The College recognizes that students come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, thus making each student's educational plan different. To assure student success in college-level courses, a variety of developmental courses are available for students to help build skills necessary for college-level work. Developmental education credits cannot be counted in the 60 credits (minimum) required for the A. A. and A. S. degrees. For more information on developmental education, refer to the Developmental Education course listings.

Distance Learning

The Office of Teaching and Learning Technologies offers a variety of e-courses which allow flexible schedules. Class lectures are viewed via the Web, assignments are submitted by fax, mail or over the Internet, and testing is scheduled on a flexible basis. Some materials for online courses or courses with online components may be available from the Web via Cape Cod Community College's Learning Management System.

It is the responsibility of the student to pick up materials from the Teaching and Learning Technologies Office at the beginning of the semester. The Teaching and Learning Technologies Office is located in the Wilkens Library, LGC-13.

Any student taking online courses or courses with online components will be responsible to have access to both the Internet and a computer running Internet Explorer v5.5 or higher. Students with disabilities who believe they need accommodations in e-courses are advised to contact the O'Neill Center for Disability Services in South 222 as soon as possible, or call 1-508-362-2131, ext. 4337.

Honors Courses and Options

The Cape Cod Community College Honors Program is designed to meet the needs of highly motivated and capable students who wish to pursue the highest level of academic achievement possible at the College. The program provides challenging and exciting educational opportunities designed to foster high levels of independent inquiry and creativity, written and oral communication skills, interdisciplinary approaches to education, and the ability to work with others in a collaborative environment. As a result, honors students will be better prepared to continue advanced studies at colleges and universities throughout the country and to bring their academic talents to the attention of future employers.

Qualified students may enroll in honors options, honors courses, interdisciplinary seminars, and learning communities. Honors options comprise the majority of honors work completed at the College. Honors options require a contract between the student and faculty member for additional activities such as independent research, tutorials, service learning, and/or special projects. All contracts need approval from the Honors Program Director. Successful completion of honors courses and contracts will be noted on students' transcripts with a special notation of distinguished academic work.

Students engaged in honors work have access to specialized advising and support services from the chair of the Honors Program Committee as well as access to the available resources in the honors program office and study center. Students will also receive assistance and encouragement to participate in student research conferences and student honors organizations.

For further information, call 1-508-362-2131, ext. 4658.

Independent Study

A student may pursue an independent study project for credit. The project must be approved by the student's faculty advisor, as well as by the faculty member who will present the project to the appropriate department. An interdisciplinary project may be planned requiring approval from more than one academic department. Projects will be planned and approved in advance whenever possible.

Learning Communities

In an effort to provide the best learning environment for college students, several learning communities have been developed. Learning communities differ from traditional course offerings in that students enroll in two or three complementary courses during a single semester. This team-teaching, interdisciplinary approach enables students to transfer and apply the skills learned in one course to the other(s). In addition, learning communities help strengthen the connection of students to the College and one another.