Academic Progress Policy
Last update: February 20, 2024
Grading and Evaluation Procedures
Successful course completion in a Contemporary Technology University course depends on routinely following the instructions and guidelines provided in the course syllabus. The student’s responsibility is to check and become familiar with the course syllabus and requirements at the beginning of each course.
The University awards letter grades in recognition of academic performance in each course. Grades are based upon formative and summative assessments as described in the study process below. The course instructor’s academic judgment as to whether the student has demonstrated a specified level of performance is based on objective and subjective evaluations. Students are graded according to their individual performance in the course.
All of the grading criteria listed are subject to the specific course syllabus. Criteria for awarding grades as described in the course syllabi may include but are not limited to
- Quality of assignments
- Sufficient participation in the discussion forums (according to the requirements laid out in the course syllabus) and the quality of the postings
- Attendance
- Performance on course final projects
Each course is based on a total of 100 maximum points.
The final grade will be based on 3 credits as follows:
| Description | Points |
| Assignments, Discussions, and Attendance | 60 |
| Course Final Project (Report and Presentation) | 40 |
| Total Points Possible | 100 |
Late Work Policy
Please be sure to always meet the deadlines. There will be no makeup assignments or quizzes, or late work accepted unless there is a serious or compelling reason and the instructors’ approval.
Timely Feedback
Instructors will always let students know when they will receive feedback about their assignments.
The “standard” time for providing feedback for course activities is 5 business days. But instructors should be sure to be explicit and reaffirm this with students. Posting a note about the expected feedback schedule is also a good opportunity to change this timeframe if the schedule requires such an adjustment.
Standardized Rubrics
The university uses the following standardized rubrics at each course:
- Rubric for Subject Content Knowledge
| Indicators | Level of Achievement | Score | |||||
| 1 | 2(*) | 3 | 4(**) | 5 | |||
| 1 | Investigate and research | Little inquiry; limited knowledge shown | Explores topic with curiosity; adequate knowledge from variety of sources displayed | Knowledge base displays scope, thoroughness, and quality | |||
| 2 | Examine and identify | Does not identify or summarize the problem or question accurately, if at all | The main question is identified and clearly stated | The main question and subsidiary, embedded or implicit aspects of a question are identified and clearly stated | |||
| 3 | Analyze and synthesize | No supporting data or evidence is utilized; separates into few parts; detects few connections or patterns | Evidence is used but not carefully examined; source(s) of evidence are not questioned for accuracy, precision, relevance and completeness; facts and opinions are stated but not clearly distinguished from value judgments | Evidence is identified and carefully examined for accuracy, precision, relevance, and completeness; facts and opinions are stated and clearly distinguished; combines facts and ideas to create new knowledge that is comprehensive and significant | |||
| 4 | Construct and interpret | Combines few facts and ideas; needs more development; conclusions, implications; consequences are not provided | Accurately identifies conclusions, implications, and consequences with a brief evaluative summary; uses perspectives and insights to explain relationships; states own position on the question | Accurately identifies conclusions, implications, and consequences with a well-developed explanation; provides an objective reflection of own assertions | |||
| Total | |||||||
(*) Student exhibits most characteristics of “1” and some of “3”
(*) Student exhibits most characteristics of “3” and some of “5”
- Rubric for Written Communication
| Indicators | Level of Achievement | Score | |||||
| 1 | 2(*) | 3 | 4(**) | 5 | |||
| 1 | Content and Development | Topic is poorly developed, support is only vague or general; ideas are trite; wording is unclear, simplistic; reflects lack of understanding of topic and audience; minimally accomplishes goals of the assignment | Occasional errors do not interfere with writer’s ability to communicate purpose; generally appropriate format; in text and ending documentation are generally clear, consistent, and complete; cited information is somewhat incorporated into the document | Control of conventions contribute to the writer’s ability to communicate purpose; free of most mechanical errors; appropriate format; In text and ending documentation are clear, consistent, and complete; cited information is incorporated effectively into the document | |||
| 2 | Organization | Disorganized and unfocused; serious problems with coherence and progression of ideas; weak or nonexistent thesis | Generally organized and focused, demonstrating coherence and progression of ideas; presents a thesis and suggests a plan of development that is mostly carried out | Clearly focused and organized around a central theme; thesis presented or implied with noticeable coherence; provides specific and accurate support | |||
| 3 | Language | Displays frequent and fundamental errors in vocabulary; repetitive words and sentence types; sentences may be simplistic and disjointed | Competent use of language and sometimes varies sentence structure; generally focused | Choice of language and sentence structure is precise and purposeful, demonstrating a command of language and variety of sentence structures | |||
| 4 | Convention | Errors interfere with writer’s ability to consistently communicate purpose; pervasive mechanical errors obscure meaning; inappropriate format; in text and ending documentation are generally inconsistent and incomplete; cited information is not incorporated into the document | Occasional errors do not interfere with writer’s ability to communicate purpose; generally appropriate format; in text and ending documentation are generally clear, consistent, and complete; cited information is somewhat incorporated into the document | Control of conventions contribute to the writer’s ability to communicate purpose; free of most mechanical errors; appropriate format; In text and ending documentation are clear, consistent, and complete; cited information is incorporated effectively into the document | |||
| Total | |||||||
(*) Student exhibits most characteristics of “1” and some of “3”
(*) Student exhibits most characteristics of “3” and some of “5”
- Rubric for Oral Communication
| Indicators | Level of Achievement | Score | |||||
| 1 | 2(*) | 3 | 4(**) | 5 | |||
| 1 | Subject Knowledge | Provides irrelevant or no support: explanation of concepts is unclear or inaccurate | Main points adequately substantiated with timely, relevant and sufficient support; accurate explanation of key concepts | Depth of content reflects thorough understanding of topic; main points well supported with timely, relevant and sufficient support; provided precise explanation of key concepts | |||
| 2 | Organization | Lack of structure; ideas are not coherent; no transitions; difficult to identify introduction, body, and conclusions | Clear organizational pattern; main points are made clearly; smooth transitions differentiate key points | Effective organization well suited to purpose; main points are clearly distinct from supporting details; transitions create coherent progress toward conclusion | |||
| 3 | Connection to Audience | Topic seems irrelevant to audience needs and interests; no attempt made to connect to audience | Some relevance of topic to audience needs and interests; expresses an understanding of their target audience; some attempt to capture audience | Connection of topic to audience needs and interests is stated; captures audience’s attention | |||
| 4 | Delivery | Reads speech; avoids eye contact; poor body language; poor voice quality; poor fluency (e.g., long pauses, poor pronunciation, excessive use of vocal fillers) | Unobtrusive use of notes; some eye contact made; body language supports key points; voice rate and volume allow audience to follow message; adequate fluency (e.g., clear pronunciation, few minimal pauses, some use of vocal fillers) | Inconspicuous use of notes; effective eye contact with audience; body language is dynamic, natural and comfortable; voice rate, pitch and volume are varied to maintain audience interest; high fluency (e.g., strong and confident delivery with purposeful pauses and few vocal fillers) | |||
| Total | |||||||
(*) Student exhibits most characteristics of “1” and some of “3”
(*) Student exhibits most characteristics of “3” and some of “5”
Letter Grade Assignment
The University awards letter grades in recognition of academic achievements in each course. Grades are based upon formative and summative assessments as described in the study process below and the course instructor’s academic judgment if the student has demonstrated a specified level of performance based on objective and subjective evaluations.
Based on students’ individual performances in each course, the final letter grades are given according to the table given below.
| Letter Grade | Numerical Grade | Percentage | Performance |
| A | 4.00 | 93-100% | Excellent Work |
| A- | 3.67 | 90-92% | Nearly Excellent Work |
| B+ | 3.33 | 87-89% | Very Good Work |
| B | 3.00 | 83-86% | Good Work |
| B- | 2.67 | 80-82% | Mostly Good Work |
| C+ | 2.33 | 77-79% | Above Average Work |
| C | 2.00 | 73-76% | Average Work |
| C- | 0.00 | 70-72% | Failed |
| D+ | 0.00 | 67-69% | Failed |
| D | 0.00 | 60-66% | Failed |
| F | 0.00 | 0-59% | Failed |
| W | – | – | Withdrawal (Withdrawal from a course without academic penalty. Issued based on a student-initiated withdrawal.) |
| I | – | – | Incomplete (Work incomplete, due to circumstances beyond the student’s control, but of passing quality. If the work is not completed within a year, the grade of incomplete converts to failure (F) one month after issuance.) |
- The University considers a B (3.0) overall grade point average (GPA) as the minimum for the student to graduate.
- A grade of C- or lower is not considered a passing grade for any course.
- If a student receives a grade of C- or lower for any course, this failed course must be repeated in order for the student to graduate.
- Only the grade of the repeated course will be used to calculate the student’s cumulative grade point average (GPA) for graduation but both the original and repeated course grades will appear on the student’s official transcript.
- A student may not repeat a failed course more than two times. If a student fails a course three times, he/she will be dismissed from the program.
- Any student not achieving this minimum grade will have to repeat the course in order to complete the program. “Pass” indicates completion of the course duties with academic work equal to a C (2.0) grade.
Course Repeat
- “Fail” indicates completion of the course duties with academic work with a grade below C grade.
- An Incomplete (I) may be awarded upon the recommendation of the instructor when the student has completed 80% of the coursework but cannot finish the remainder due to illness or some other serious reason. The student must complete the work and the instructor has to submit a change of grade to the Director of Education within four weeks. Failure in doing this will result in a grade of 0.0 for the course.
- Withdrawal (W): Withdrawal from a course will appear on the student’s official transcript and is included in attempted credits when monitoring satisfactory academic progress, but not included in the calculation of the Grade Point Average (GPA).
Grade Point Average (GPA)
- All course credits in which a letter grade is received will be used to calculate the student’s Grade Point Average, with the exception of a W grade, and Pass/Fail grades.
- The Grade Point Average (GPA) is determined by dividing the number of grade points achieved by the number of units attempted. The total grade points achieved for a course equals the number of grade points assigned times the number of course units.
Standards of Academic Achievement
A student must earn the minimum standards of academic achievement and successful course completion while being enrolled at Contemporary Technology University. The student’s progress will be evaluated at different time intervals to determine satisfactory academic progress. Contemporary Technology University forbids students to remain enrolled who are not meeting the standards of satisfactory progress.
Maximum Degree Program Duration
The maximum time to complete any degree program is one and a half times the program length unless exceptional circumstances exist. The normal length of each academic program is indicated in the curriculum description for the academic programs in the catalog.
Grade Reports
At the end of each term of study, the student receives a communication that provides detail on grades achieved.
Grade Appeal Procedure
- The University permits students to appeal their final letter grade of any course if they feel it is unfair or unjustified. As the initial step in the Grade Appeal Procedure, the student must seek a discussion with his or her course instructor. This must be done within a week of the grade posting. This discussion is intended to provide the instructor an opportunity to explain the reason for the grade and to provide the student with an opportunity to indicate possible errors or misjudgments in the assignment of the grade. Frequently, a discussion with the instructor resolves the appeal.
- If the Instructor accepts the appeal, he or she must inform the education coordinator and then send the corrected grade to the Student Affairs for rectification of the student’s academic results. If the discussion between the student and the instructor does not resolve the issue within 3 weeks of the grade posting and if the student still believes that an unfair grade was awarded, the student must request a Grade Appeal Form from his or her instructor. The completed Grade Appeal Form with the instructor’s comments on the request must be submitted by the student to the Student Affairs no later than a month after the grade posting or it will not be accepted and the grade will stay as originally recorded.
- Appeals regarding grades will be investigated by the Academic Affairs Committee, which consists of the program heads and head of Student Affairs. The committee may come to the decision that the given grade should stand, or that the grade received is unfair or unjust, in this case, the committee will determine the appropriate mechanism for awarding the final grade. Students submitting a Grade Appeal Form will be informed in writing of the committee’s decision on their appeal in a timely fashion. Decisions reached by the committee are final and binding. Documentation of the final decision and all related materials will become part of the student’s official academic record. Students appealing a grade should note the following:
- For a change in grade to be recommended, a student must prove that the grade originally given was unjust or unfair.
- The education coordinator will not place his or her judgment over the instructor except in clear and solid cases.
- The burden of proof in challenging a grade is the responsibility of the student.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
- Students’ academic progress is evaluated at the end of every semester (after completion of courses 3, 6, 9, and the Capstone Project course). For each evaluation point, a minimum standard of satisfactory academic progress (“the Academic Standards”) is defined in each of the following three parameters:
- Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA)
- Credits earned
- Completion rate (i.e. credits earned divided by credits attempted)
- Students must meet or exceed the Academic Standards in all of the three parameters listed above in order to stay enrolled as regular students. A student will be put on Academic Warning at the first evaluation point in which he or she doesn’t meet or exceed the Academic Standards.
- A student that is under Academic Warning and in the consecutive evaluation point he or she meets or exceeds the Academic Standards will be returned to a status of a regular student. If the student under Academic Warning doesn’t meet or exceed the Standards in the consecutive evaluation point, he or she will be put on Academic Probation.
- A student that is under Academic Probation and in the consecutive evaluation point he or she meets or exceeds the Academic Standards will be returned to a status of a regular student. If the student under Academic Probation doesn’t meet or exceed the Academic Standards in the consecutive evaluation point, he or she will be dismissed from the University.
- If at any evaluation point it can be determined by the University that it is mathematically not possible for a student to meet the Academic Standards, he or she will be dismissed from the University.
- The University reserves the right to place a student on Academic Warning or on Academic Probation and the right to remove a student from Academic Warning or on Academic Probation based on his or her academic development, notwithstanding the Academic Standards. Student Affairs department will send emails to students notifying them that they failed to meet the Academic Standards within 30 days of every evaluation point.
- Students on academic or disciplinary probation will not be allowed to graduate.
Academic Freedom
The primary objective of the University is to provide quality education to its students. The University is committed to the free pursuit and dissemination of knowledge. Faculty members are encouraged to explore, discuss, and create thoughtful teaching and learning experiences that examine differing perspectives. As professionals, they should be honest, responsible, and respectful of others and their opinions. Faculty are expected to support the University’s objectives and to differentiate between their own viewpoints and those of others, including professionally accepted views in a discipline. Faculty should present data and information fairly and objectively.
Academic Integrity
True learning can take place only when students do their own work honestly without copying from other students or other sources. Contemporary Technology University enforces the highest standards of academic integrity, both to preserve the value of the education offered and to prepare students to become productive members of the workforce and society.
It is the instructor’s responsibility to report any reasonable suspicion of academic dishonesty to the appropriate academic official.
For Contech’s Student Integrity and Academic Dishonesty Policies see https://contech.university/student-integrity-and-academic-honesty-policies/.