Academic Policies

Students are expected to comply with all college policies and procedures at all times. Standards of conduct and rules and regulations are set forth primarily in this Catalog and the Student Handbook. Students are expected to read all pertinent materials so that they may make informed choices about their actions. Ignorance of policies is not an acceptable excuse for violating them.

Final Grades and Quality Points

Final grades are available approximately 10 days after classes end. These can be viewed on your unofficial transcript available through Student Planning in Basecamp.

You will receive one of the following grades for each course (unless officially withdrawn prior to the course census date):

Defining and Assigning Credit Hours

CMC uses the definitions of contact and clock hours from CCHE (Colorado Commission on Higher Education) FTE 2016 guidelines to assign credit.

Base Contact Hour

The faculty base contact hour represents a standard measurement of consumption of faculty resources by students. It consists of the number of scheduled minutes of instructional activity involving direct contact of faculty with students in a given term utilizing a particular method of instruction.

Contact Hour Semester System Term: One base contact hour = a minimum of 750 minutes. This translates to a minimum of fifteen 50-minute hours per semester

Base Clock Hour

An alternative method used for some student outcome-based activities is the base clock hour: the number of minutes the average student would invest in educational activity in a given term utilizing a particular method of educational activity. The standard measurement for a student base clock hour is:

Clock Hour Semester System Term: One base clock hour = a minimum of 750 minutes.

Minimum of 2.0 Base Clock Hours (1,500 minutes in a semester system) per credit hour. 

Practicum/Clinical Practicum: work-oriented instruction involving the implementation of classroom or laboratory experience under the direct supervision of a faculty member.

Minimum of 3.0 Base Clock Hours (2,250 minutes in a semester system) per credit hour.

Standard Measurement for Instructional Activities:

Lecture (LEC)

• Formal presentation/communication by faculty.
• Minimum contact hours per credit: 15
• Contact minutes: 750

Lecture/Laboratory Combo Vocational/Technical (LECLB)

• Instructional activities involving training for employment in a work like environment with active faculty teaching role.
• Minimum contact hours per credit: 22.5
• Contact minutes: 1,125

Laboratory: Academic/Clinical (LAB)

• Instructional activities conducted by the faculty requiring student participation, experimentation, observation or practice.
• Minimum contact hours per credit: 30
• Contact minutes: 1,500

Field Instruction (FIELD)

• Instructional activities conducted by the faculty and designed to supplement individual coursework.
• Minimum contact hours per credit: 37.5
• Contact minutes: 1,875

Internship: Practicum/Clinical Practicum (CLIN)

• Work-oriented instruction involving the implementation of classroom or laboratory experience under the direct supervision of a faculty member. Note: this is a CMC definition and not on the CCHE chart
• Credits: 30
• Contact minutes: 1,500

Internship/Clinical Internship/Cooperative Education (COOP)

• Credit hours for placement in business and industry environments that offer degree-seeking students professional-level experience and responsibility. To qualify for state support, the internship should be well supervised and carefully structured (i.e., based on learning objectives that are related to the student’s academic discipline and established in cooperation with the student, employer, and faculty advisor).
• Minimum contact hours per credit: 45
• Contact minutes: 2,250

Nursing Clinical (CLIN)

• Work-oriented instruction involving the implementation of classroom or laboratory experience under the direct supervision of a faculty member (based on the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing guidelines of 1:3).
  Note: This is a CMC definition, not on the CCHE chart.
• Minimum contact hours per credit: 45
• Contact minutes: 2,250

Study Abroad

• Credit for undergraduate experiences in which an R1 student enrolled at a Colorado public institution takes courses in a foreign or domestic exchange program. Any exchange program must follow the Colorado Educational Exchange CCHE Policy Section VI Parts J1 and J2.
• Institutions must have written institutional policies and records documenting how the credit hours are awarded.

Academic Renewal

Academic Renewal can be requested once to exclude up to 15 semester hour credits for the calculation of the cumulative GPA. To request Academic Renewal, students must meet the following criteria and must meet with their Student Success Team prior to submitting the Academic Renewal form.

The following criteria apply to Academic Renewal requests:

1. A maximum of 15 credits can be excluded from the GPA.
2. Courses and grades approved for Academic Renewal remain on the transcript but are excluded from the GPA calculations.
3. Academic Renewal applies to F grades only.
4. To apply for Academic Renewal, students must wait a minimum of two academic years from the last term being considered for Academic Renewal. If required for graduation and the student will have met all other requirements to complete the program, the Academic Renewal may be submitted in the same semester as intent to graduate, which may be prior to the two academic year timeline.
5. Students must be enrolled in CMC courses that apply to their program in the same semester they apply for academic renewal.
6. Students can only apply for Academic Renewal once, and it is not reversible.
7. Some academic departments do not accept Academic Renewal when making admissions decisions.
8. If planning to transfer to another institution, be aware that many schools will recalculate a student’s GPA to account for all classes taken at previous institutions.
9. In accordance with U.S. Department of Education regulations, all CMC attempted coursework is included to determine Financial Aid eligibility and determination of Satisfactory Academic Progress. Federal Student Aid Program regulations make no provisions for the concept of academic amnesty or academic renewal. No portion of an academic transcript can be excluded.
10. The approval of an Academic Renewal does not remove courses from the official transcripts. Credits are counted as attempted for financial aid grant and loan limits, Veterans Education Benefits and other agencies that limit credits attempted.

Students applying for Academic Renewal are responsible for investigating the impact of this process on their admissions at transfer institutions, financial aid grant and loan limits, Veteran Education Benefits, and other agencies that limit credits attempted.

Academic Expectations

In order to encourage and foster academic excellence, the College expects students to conduct themselves in accordance with generally accepted norms of scholarship and professional behavior. Because of this expectation, the College does not condone any form of academic misconduct. Academic misconduct includes but is not limited to plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, and knowingly or recklessly encouraging or making possible any act of plagiarism, cheating or fabrication. For more detailed information, please see the Student Handbook.

Academic Misconduct

Colorado Mountain College maintains high standards of academic behavior. All members of the Colorado Mountain College community are expected to exhibit honesty in their academic work. Students have a responsibility to familiarize themselves with and make use of proper procedures for writing papers, taking examinations and doing research. The principle of academic honesty applies to all student work, including papers, reports, computer work, quizzes and examinations. Colorado Mountain College reserves the right to suspend or dismiss a student whose conduct is found to be in conflict with the principle of academic honesty. For more detailed information, please see the Academic Misconduct Procedure. 

Academic Standing

Each semester, the registrar reviews the academic performance of students. This review determines a student’s academic standing. The following sections describe the criteria used to determine academic standing. Students are notified via their CMC email of their academic standing.

Academic Probation

Students who have attempted nine or more credit hours at Colorado Mountain College (AW, Administrative Withdrawal is, for this purpose, included as attempted) and who have earned a cumulative grade point average of 1.0 to 1.99 are placed on Academic Probation. Probationary status remains for the next semester of enrollment.

Students who are placed on Academic Probation have one semester of enrollment to bring their cumulative grade point average up to at least 2.0. If at the end of the next term of enrollment, a student’s cumulative grade point average is not 2.0 or better, they will be placed on Academic Suspension. If students are on meeting their academic plan with a term GPA of a 2.0 GPA or higher they may be reinstated without an academic appeal. Students should work with their Student Success Team to see if they qualify. 

Academic Suspension

Students who have attempted nine or more hours at Colorado Mountain College (AW, Administrative Withdrawal is, for this purpose, included as attempted) and earned a cumulative grade point average of less than 1.0 will be placed on Academic Suspension. Academic Suspension means you cannot register for classes and remains in place until the student appeals to remove the suspension. Suspensions usually remain in place for at least one semester. The summer term is excluded if the student was not previously enrolled at least half-time during the summer.

Students have the right to appeal the suspension during the suspended semester. In extenuating circumstances, the appeals committee may choose to reinstate the student in lieu of the suspended semester. Please contact your Student Success Team for instructions related to the appeal.

Students on academic suspension and returning to CMC after two academic years must meet with their Student Success Team to request reinstatement. An appeal is not required. 

Dean’s Honors List

Students with a declared program intent and who have earned six credit hours or more of evaluative grades (A through F, not including P, in college-level courses numbered 1000 to 4999) in the semester under review, and have earned a term grade point average of 3.5 to 3.99, are admitted to the Dean’s Honors List.

President’s Honors List

Students with a declared program intent and who have earned six credit hours or more of evaluative grades (A through F, not including P, in college-level courses numbered 1000 to 4999) in the semester under review, and have earned a term grade point average of 4.0, are admitted to the President’s Honors List.

Continuous Enrollment & Catalog in Force Requirement

Every program has certain program requirements as specified by the catalog year. When a student applies to CMC and declares a program, they will be assigned the current catalog year. This is referred to as the catalog in force. Students will be required to meet the program requirements of their catalog in force to graduate with that degree or certificate.

If a student maintains an enrollment of at least three registered credits, applicable to their degree, within every 12 month period (three semesters), they will remain assigned to their original catalog in force. This is referred to as continuous enrollment.

If a student does not maintain continuous enrollment, they will need to reapply to Colorado Mountain College as required by state law. Once readmitted, they will be assigned the latest catalog year, where the program requirements may have changed from the original catalog with which they had started.

When graduating, a student who has maintained continuous enrollment has the option of selecting their catalog in force, the catalog in force at the time they petition to graduate or a catalog between these years.

In situations of extenuating circumstances, please contact your Student Success Team for assistance. 

Please contact the Colorado Mountain College Registrar’s Office with any questions concerning the continuous enrollment or catalog in force policy at  registrar@coloradomtn.edu.

Incomplete Agreement

The Incomplete grade is a temporary grade, agreed upon by the instructor, indicating that the student has a satisfactory record of work completed but, for exceptional reasons, was unable to complete final assignments due to unexpected events. Unexpected events may include but are not limited to: illness/hospitalization, military deployment or death of an immediate family member.

If circumstances beyond your control at or near the end of the semester prevent you from completing the course, consult with your instructor immediately. The student is responsible for initiating the request for an Incomplete grade from the instructor. The instructor will determine whether you have a reasonable chance of satisfactorily completing the remaining activities.

In order to be eligible for an Incomplete, the student must have completed a majority of the course work (approximately 75% of the total course made up of assignments, tests, papers, lab work, outdoor field experience, etc.) in a satisfactory manner (C- grade or better).

The student must also provide documentation indicating why they were unable to complete their coursework within the semester.

• The instructor will provide evidence to their instructional supervisor that the student has completed approximately 75% of the total semester coursework at a C- level or higher.
• The instructor should be confident that if the student completes the outstanding coursework, they can pass the class with a grade of C- or better.
• The instructor may allow the student a maximum of one additional semester (not including summer) to complete the course objectives. Examples of allowable time frames are from the spring semester until the end of the fall semester in the same calendar year or from the fall semester until the end of the following spring semester.
• An Incomplete Agreement must be submitted on or before the current semester’s grade deadline as published in the Academic Calendar .
• A description of the work that needs to be completed in the allotted time is required on the Incomplete Agreement form.
• An academic dean or assistant dean of instruction is also required to sign the Incomplete Agreement.
• Both the instructor and the student must acknowledge this written contract and keep a copy of the Incomplete Agreement.

NOTE: You are encouraged to let the instructor know as soon as possible if you are having difficulties with any part of the course. Incomplete grades are granted at the discretion of the instructor and are not automatic. The instructor’s decision to authorize or not authorize an Incomplete grade is final. At no time will the Incomplete grade be used as entrance into another current or future course section. 

The instructor must submit a Grade Change form to change the Incomplete grade to the final grade, whether the work is completed by the student or not. F grades will require a last date of attendance. The Grade Change form is due on or before the grade due date of the agreed additional semester. Incomplete grades not changed by this date become an NG (no grade); an NG is a temporary grade that can negatively impact both the instructor and the student.

Grade Appeal

Evaluating student academic performance and assigning grades is one of the main professional responsibilities of the faculty. The student may, however, appeal an assigned grade if they have evidence indicating the grade was awarded in an inconsistent manner. Inconsistent grading is defined as one or both of the following:

• The faculty member used criteria other than performance in the course.
• The standards used to assign the final grade deviated substantially from the standards announced and/or were not uniformly applied to others in the class.

Please note that simple disagreement with the subjective judgment of the instructor does not support a charge of inconsistency.

Students wishing to appeal a grade must first discuss the grade assignment with the instructor. If the matter is not resolved, students may submit a Grade Appeal Request. This notice of appeal must be received within 30 days after the first day of classes for the following term.

Class Cancellations

Colorado Mountain College reserves the right to cancel any of its classes or programs. Reasons for cancellation include but are not limited to lack of enrollment, instructor withdrawal, inability to gain needed insurance coverage, loss of facilities needed to conduct the class, and inability to acquire or retain specialized equipment needed to conduct the class.

The College may conduct the first session of a class in anticipation of enrollment sufficient to meet required minimums. If the necessary enrollment is not reached, the class may be canceled prior to its second session. The College retains the right to alter time schedules or make other changes as necessary.