scott@gitpyr.UUCP (Scott Holt) (11/20/85)
Hello out there...you wanted some topics for discussion, well I have a few
for you.
I am on the Academic Priorities committee of our SGA here at Tech and over
the past quater we have brought up several academic issues which I think
might be of interest to the net. I am interested in finding out what kind of
policies and requirements other schools have in the following areas:
1) Drop policy - what are the rules and regulations
reguarding withdrawls from classes and
who sets them ( ie. the major school or
the institute ). Here it varies from
very restricted to free and unrestricted,
depending on the major school. For most
of us, we are allowed to drop any class
without penalty before the end of the 4th
week of classes.
2) Pre-registration advisement - Are you required to have it
and if so, how helpfull is it. Some schools
require it, some don't. Some schools put
effort into it, some don't.
3) Physical Education requirements - What kind do you have.
We are required to take a drown-proofing
course and some people don't like that.
4) Use of GTA's as instructors, especialy in upper division
classes.
5) Computer Based registration systems - We are moving from
a op-scan form batch processing system to
an online terminal based system. We are
interested in finding out what other schools
have.
If you have any ideas on these subjects, send me mail or post it to the net if
you feel it would make a good discussion.
- Scott Holt.
--
---------
I'll stop procrastinating tommorow.
Scott Holt
Georgia Tech Po Box 36199
Atlanta, GA 30332
USENET: scott@gitpyr
BITNET: CCASTSH AT GITVM1gerber@mit-amt.MIT.EDU (Andrew S. Gerber) (11/23/85)
In article <1054@gitpyr.UUCP>, scott@gitpyr.UUCP (Scott Holt) writes: > I am on the Academic Priorities committee of our SGA here at Tech and over > the past quater we have brought up several academic issues which I think > might be of interest to the net. I am interested in finding out what kind of > policies and requirements other schools have in the following areas: > > 1) Drop policy - what are the rules and regulations > reguarding withdrawls from classes and > who sets them ( ie. the major school or > the institute ). Today is Drop Date at MIT. There are less than three weeks to the last day of class. Dropping a class at this point is the same as droping a class at any other point in the term -- it doesn't show up on your record. It is the same for any department. MIT, I think, is pretty unique in this respect. If you are obviosly failing a course, you normally drop it. After 11 weeks, you have had at least two tests, many problem sets/projects etc. Many people at MIT register for more courses than they would normally take, and then drop the ones they have not done well in. It gives people a "way out" of problem situations. If you drop too many credits, you can go below the "normal load" level, and be placed on warning for that. Are there any other schools with a drop date this late? Oh - also at MIT you can add a course (with the permission of the instructor -- there's usually no reason for them to object) up until the 5th week of the term. -Andy -- +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Andrew S. Gerber MIT '87 Systems Manager, Visible Language Workshop | | gerber@mit-athena.MIT.EDU, gerber@mit-amt.MIT.EDU, gerber@mit-mc.MIT.EDU | | {decvax, mit-eddie}!mit-amt!gerber {decvax, mit-eddie}!mit-athena!gerber | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
reuling@Navajo.ARPA (11/25/85)
In article <43@mit-amt.MIT.EDU> gerber@mit-amt.MIT.EDU (Andrew S. Gerber) writes: >In article <1054@gitpyr.UUCP>, scott@gitpyr.UUCP (Scott Holt) writes: >> I am on the Academic Priorities committee of our SGA here at Tech and over >> the past quater we have brought up several academic issues which I think >> might be of interest to the net. I am interested in finding out what kind of >> policies and requirements other schools have in the following areas: >> >> 1) Drop policy - what are the rules and regulations >> reguarding withdrawls from classes and >> who sets them ( ie. the major school or >> the institute ). > >Today is Drop Date at MIT. There are less than three weeks to the >last day of class. Dropping a class at this point is the same as >droping a class at any other point in the term -- it doesn't show up >on your record. It is the same for any department. >... >Are there any other schools with a drop date this late? At Stanford you have until 24 hours before the final exam to drop any course. It won't appear on your transcript. That's why VERY FEW people ever get anything worse than a "B" or a "C" here. This is California, after all! -John :-) -- John Reuling reuling@su-score.arpa Stanford University reuling@score.stanford.edu Computer Science Dept fc.jar@stanford.bitnet Stanford, CA 94305 USA glacier!navajo!reuling
thoma@reed.UUCP (Ann Muir Thomas) (11/25/85)
Reed's last drop date is today (the 25th of November) I think; however, if one drops a class during the two weeks prior to this date, one gets a "W" (Withdrew) on the transcript. So far, I've managed to get by with only one of these. We have our finals right before winter break, and there is a 5-day reading period between the end of classes and finals. We also have Fall Break. Ann Muir Thomas
svn@sdchema.UUCP (Sameer Nadkarni) (11/26/85)
In article <275@Navajo.ARPA> reuling@Navajo.UUCP (John Reuling) writes: >In article <43@mit-amt.MIT.EDU> gerber@mit-amt.MIT.EDU (Andrew S. Gerber) writes: >>In article <1054@gitpyr.UUCP>, scott@gitpyr.UUCP (Scott Holt) writes: >>> I am on the Academic Priorities committee of our SGA here at Tech and over >> the past quater we have brought up several academic issues which I think >>> might be of interest to the net. I am interested in finding out what kind of >>> policies and requirements other schools have in the following areas: >>> >>> 1) Drop policy - what are the rules and regulations >>> reguarding withdrawls from classes and >>> who sets them ( ie. the major school or >>> the institute ). >> >>Today is Drop Date at MIT. There are less than three weeks to the >>last day of class. Dropping a class at this point is the same as >>droping a class at any other point in the term -- it doesn't show up >on your record. It is the same for any department. >>... >>Are there any other schools with a drop date this late? > >At Stanford you have until 24 hours before the final exam to drop >any course. It won't appear on your transcript. That's why VERY FEW >people ever get anything worse than a "B" or a "C" here. > >This is California, after all! > >-John :-) > At UC San Diego our drop deadline (without any record of having taken the course) is the end of the 4th week-- in a 10 week term. Perhaps San Diego isn't in California after all :-) or is the (very) late drop policy just "one of those things" that the "better" schools use to keep flunk-out rates minimal? Sameer "I hate California-- how do I get to San Francisco?" :-)
kurtzman@uscvax.UUCP (Stephen Kurtzman) (11/26/85)
In article <275@Navajo.ARPA> reuling@Navajo.UUCP (John Reuling) writes: >At Stanford you have until 24 hours before the final exam to drop >any course. It won't appear on your transcript. That's why VERY FEW >people ever get anything worse than a "B" or a "C" here. > >This is California, after all! > > John Reuling reuling@su-score.arpa > Stanford University reuling@score.stanford.edu > Computer Science Dept fc.jar@stanford.bitnet > Stanford, CA 94305 USA glacier!navajo!reuling It is very noble of you to admit that Stanford has the easiest grading policy in the state of California.
jrc@ritcv.UUCP (James R. Carbin) (11/27/85)
In article <43@mit-amt.MIT.EDU> gerber@mit-amt.MIT.EDU (Andrew S. Gerber) writes >Today is Drop Date at MIT. There are less than three weeks to the >last day of class. Dropping a class at this point is the same as >droping (sic) a class at any other point in the term -- it doesn't show up >on your record. It is the same for any department. > Evidently Massachusett Higher Education Policy differs from that of New York State. In N.Y.S. the length of time for a student to drop a course is limited without any record appearing on a student's transcript. At most schools, this is known as a "drop" and is generally restricted to a week or two. After that time, a student is allowed to "withdraw" from of a course depending upon the policies of the particular school, BUT an entry is made on the student's transcript. This is both logical and fair. Logical since not recording the withdrawal from the course after several weeks is akin to "changing history." From a student's transcript, it can not be determined just what courses the student took during that quarter. An extreme case: A student could withdraw from all courses and it would appear that they were never even at school. It is fair to the other students who successfully complete the course. I don't know of any recent instances, but 20 or so years ago, professors were called into court to testify whether or not a particular student was in class on a particular day. (These were often paternity suits.) N.Y.S. Higher Education Regulations may have been changed in recent years, and if so, I apologize for broadcasting misinformation. I should add that for whatever rationale, N.Y.S. Higher Education Regulations appear to be violated from time to time by various institutions without any apparent repercussions. I would also add that I strongly feel that students should not be allowed to withdraw from a course after a few weeks without any record made of it. A student's transcript is not only a record of achievements, but also an historical document which records the student's association at a particular institution of higher education. j.r. (allegra,seismo}!rochester!ritcv!jrc "We're number two, so we try harder!"
matt@srs.UUCP (Matt Goheen) (11/27/85)
>>> 1) Drop policy - what are the rules and regulations >>> reguarding withdrawls from classes and >>> who sets them ( ie. the major school or >>> the institute ). >> >> Today is Drop Date at MIT. There are less than three weeks to the >> last day of class. Dropping a class at this point is the same as >> droping a class at any other point in the term -- it doesn't show up >> on your record. It is the same for any department. >> ... >> Are there any other schools with a drop date this late? > > At Stanford you have until 24 hours before the final exam to drop > any course. It won't appear on your transcript. That's why VERY FEW > people ever get anything worse than a "B" or a "C" here. At RIT, which has four 10 week quarters per year, you get two whole weeks from the BEGINNING of the term to drop a course w/o it showing on your transcript. After that, you can WITHDRAW from a course up through the end of the 7th week. However, a withdrawl from a course puts a nasty "W" on your transcript. This means you have to drop a course before you even get to take the first exam (and sometimes, before the first quiz, homework, etc. (i.e. grade)). RIT, where the fun is... Matt Goheen RIT (SRS - dual major)
lenoil@mit-eddie.UUCP (Robert Scott Lenoil) (12/02/85)
In article <9075@ritcv.UUCP> jrc@ritcv.UUCP (James R. Carbin) writes: >I would also add that I strongly feel that students should not be allowed >to withdraw from a course after a few weeks without any record made of it. >A student's transcript is not only a record of achievements, but also >an historical document which records the student's association at a >particular institution of higher education. I agree with James on his first point: a student that gets a 4.0 (5.0 at MIT) by getting A's in everything he takes is a cut above a student that gets a 4.0 by dropping those courses which he/she was not doing A-level work in, and the transcript should reflect this difference. However, I must disagree with the "historical document" argument. A transcript merely shows what courses a student took, when they were taken, and what grades were received. It by no means describes the full picture of a "student's association at a particular institution of higher education." This picture also includes extracurricular activities and character attributes such as personal integrity. I would object to being evaluated solely on the basis of my transcipt; it is but one (albeit important) indicator of my college career.
gerber@mit-amt.MIT.EDU (Andrew S. Gerber) (12/02/85)
In article <603@mit-eddie.UUCP>, lenoil@mit-eddie.UUCP (Robert Scott Lenoil) writes: > In article <9075@ritcv.UUCP> jrc@ritcv.UUCP (James R. Carbin) writes: > >I would also add that I strongly feel that students should not be allowed > >to withdraw from a course after a few weeks without any record made of it. > >A student's transcript is not only a record of achievements, but also > >an historical document which records the student's association at a > >particular institution of higher education. > > I agree with James on his first point: a student that gets a 4.0 (5.0 at > MIT) by getting A's in everything he takes is a cut above a student that > gets a 4.0 by dropping those courses which he/she was not doing A-level > work in, and the transcript should reflect this difference. However, I > must disagree with the "historical document" argument. A transcript > merely shows what courses a student took, when they were taken, and what > grades were received. It by no means describes the full picture of a > "student's association at a particular institution of higher education." I heartily agree. What I've done at MIT up to this point is about 60% school and 40% other. This includes many jobs, two UROPS (Undergraduate Research Opportunitiess Program -- lets an undergrad work in a lab, often under a professor, helping with research work), being active in the school paper......etc An employer who only would care about your transcript is not one I would want to work with. I have spoken to several after-college employers for engineers. Their feeling was similar: Rather a 3.1 (4.0 MIT) who can interact with others, than a 4.0 (5.0 MIT) who can't communicate. A friend of mine who was doing interviewing brought a circuit to examine with him. He only gave it to two candidates -- both who had 4.0 (5.0 MIT) aves, but he saw couldn't fill their 30 minutes of interview with interesting conversation. Neither were hired. A much more important skill than ability to get straight A's is one's ability to get along with others, to do diverse activities to learn more about other things than your major. Of course straight A's help. But other things are just as good, if not better. -andy -- +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Andrew S. Gerber MIT '87 Systems Manager, Visible Language Workshop | | gerber@mit-athena.MIT.EDU, gerber@mit-amt.MIT.EDU, gerber@mit-mc.MIT.EDU | | No Domain Server: use gerber@mit-athena.ARPA, gerber@mit-mc.ARPA | | UUCP: decvax!mit-eddie!mit-amt!gerber decvax!mit-eddie}mit-athena!gerber | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
rrr@milo.UUCP (Richard Rush) (12/02/85)
> In article <1054@gitpyr.UUCP>, scott@gitpyr.UUCP (Scott Holt) writes: > > I am interested in finding out what kind of > > policies and requirements other schools have in the following areas: > > > > 1) Drop policy - what are the rules and regulations > > reguarding withdrawls from classes and > > who sets them ( ie. the major school or > > the institute ). > > ... Dropping a class at this point is the same as > droping a class at any other point in the term -- it doesn't show up > on your record. It is the same for any department. > > MIT, I think, is pretty unique in this respect. Perhaps not as unique as you think. We at CWRU (Case Tech flavor) have a virtually (as well as logically and physically) identical policy for with- drawal. In fact I would be hard pressed to think of a school that is different. > (...many students at) MIT register for more courses than they would normally > take, and then > drop the ones they have not done well in. It gives people a "way out" > of problem situations. ...And this is the reason at CWRU also. > Are there any other schools with a drop date this late? Oh - also at > MIT you can add a course (with the permission of the instructor -- > there's usually no reason for them to object) up until the 5th week of > the term. Yes, at Case we can drop until the end of the third week before finals. also you can add up until then also, (I think) as long as you have been attending class etc. We are pretty flexible about that kind of stuff here. Richard Rush (on CO-OP at Allen Bradley)
larsen@utah-cs.UUCP (L. Mark Larsen) (12/05/85)
Here at the University of Utah, you can drop up to the second Friday
of the quarter and not have it appear on your transcript. After that,
a minimum of a "W" will appear. There are other possibilities such as
"WF" for withdraw failing, "WP" for withdraw passing and some others.
Recently the university "improved" its credit/no credit policy. Now
you can opt to take a course CR/NC by submitting a form before the
second Friday of the quarter. Then, anytime before exam week (or
was it dead week?), you can opt to change it back to a graded course
if you feel like it. Of course, CR/NC is usually only accepted
as satisfying departmental graduation requirements on courses not
directly related to your major requirements.
-lml
--
-----------
Ma faute! Comment cela? L. Mark Larsen
UUCP: {decvax|ihnp4|hplabs|seismo}!utah-cs!larsen
ARPA: oper.larsen@utah-20
USnail: 4602 So. 600 E. Salt Lake City, UT 84107showard@udenva.UUCP (showard) (12/06/85)
In article <1054@gitpyr.UUCP> scott@gitpyr.UUCP (Scott Holt) writes: > 3) Physical Education requirements - What kind do you have. > We are required to take a drown-proofing > course and some people don't like that. > >Scott Holt >Georgia Tech Po Box 36199 >Atlanta, GA 30332 > >USENET: scott@gitpyr >BITNET: CCASTSH AT GITVM1 Here at DU, arts and science majors are required to take three quarters of phys. ed. courses and NOBODY likes it. (except all the "sports science" [PE] majors who teach the courses) For some reason that no one has ever explained to me, business majors are not required to take any P.E. Like most people, I had to take P.E. all through grade school, jr. high, and high school and I resent being told that I have to take it in college, too. Of course, with the new core curriculum requirements, DU is getting more and more like high school anyway ... --Blore
tmoody@sjuvax.UUCP (T. Moody) (12/06/85)
[]
Here at St. Joseph's U., students are allowed to drop a course only until
the midterm period. After that, "extraordinary reasons" are required, and
it *does* remain on the record that the student withdrew. After midterm,
requests to withdraw are routinely denied.
Todd Moody | {allegra|astrovax|bpa|burdvax}!sjuvax!tmoody
Philosophy Department |
St. Joseph's U. | "I couldn't fail to
Philadelphia, PA 19131 | disagree with you less."andrew@grkermi.UUCP (Andrew W. Rogers) (12/09/85)
In article <1054@gitpyr.UUCP> scott@gitpyr.UUCP (Scott Holt) writes: > 3) Physical Education requirements - What kind do you have. > We are required to take a drown-proofing > course and some people don't like that. PHYSICAL EDUCATION??? I thought that sort of crap was scrapped for good in the early 70's! (Oh, sorry - I forgot that we were going "back to basics" after all that "permissiveness"! :-) ) Anyway, I spent my senior year of high school cross-registered at the local community college (my advice to anyone else who may be considering this: DON'T!) and had to take Phys. Ed. to satisfy the HS requirement (which, in my opinion, is exactly where such requirements belong.) Anyway, I satisfied the requirement by taking Golf. The amazing thing is that for about 80% of the course we were herded into a gym for calisthenics; the 20% devoted to golf consisted of watching filmstrips on how to play! We actually only picked up a club once - to whack away at golf balls tethered by about 50' of fishing line! To top it all off, we had a *final exam* of multiple-choice questions covering the filmstrips we slept through - things like selection of irons & woods for various lies, penalties, etc. Weird! AWR "Which of the following does not belong: a) Arnold Palmer b) Jack Nicklaus c) Tony Lema d) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?"
bobm@hp-pcd.UUCP (bobm) (12/11/85)
I went to a small school (New Mexico Institute of Mining and
Technology, ~1000 students). Our drop date was anytime up to
the final. I even had a freshman physics class in which the
professor told us to write the minimum class grade that we
would accept on the final. If your final grade worked out to
be less than the minimum, he gave you a 'W' instead of the grade.
Bob May
HP Portable Computer Division
hplabs!hp-pcd!bobm
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From: bobm@hp-pcd.UUCP (bobm)
Newsgroups: net.college
Subject: Re: Topics for Discussion
Message-ID: <8900001@hpcvlo.UUCP>
Date: 11 Dec 85 17:27:00 GMT
Date-Received: 19 Dec 85 10:51:38 GMT
References: <1054@gitpyr.UUCP>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard - Corvallis, OR
Lines: 13
Nf-ID: #R:gitpyr:-105400:hpcvlo:8900001:000:443
Nf-From: hpcvlo!bobm Dec 11 09:27:00 1985
I went to a small school (New Mexico Institute of Mining and
Technology, ~1000 students). Our drop date was anytime up to
the final. I even had a freshman physics class in which the
professor told us to write the minimum class grade that we
would accept on the final. If your final grade worked out to
be less than the minimum, he gave you a 'W' instead of the grade.
Bob May
HP Portable Computer Division
hplabs!hp-pcd!bobm