Troy University - 3.4.5 Academic Policies

Narrative:

Academic policies at Troy University adhere to principles of good educational practice and are accurately published to all constituencies; therefore Troy University is in compliance with this Comprehensive Standard.

Troy University’s academic policies adhere to principles of good educational practice

Troy University’s academic policies adhere to principles of good educational practice within context of the institution’s mission that follows:

Troy University is a public institution comprised of a network of campuses throughout Alabama and worldwide. International in scope, Troy University provides a variety of educational programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels for a diverse student body in traditional, nontraditional, and emerging electronic formats. Academic programs are supported by a variety of student services which promote the welfare of the individual student. Troy University’s dedicated faculty and staff promote discovery and exploration of knowledge and its application to life-long success through effective teaching, service, creative partnerships, scholarship, and research.

For example, the Troy University undergraduate grading system (Table 1) and graduate grading system (Table 2) are similar to those used by other member institutions in Southern Regional Education Board states.

TABLE 1: Undergraduate Grading System
Grade	Description	Credit	Grade points per credit hour
A	Excellent	Yes	4
B	Above Average	Yes	3
C	Average	Yes	2
D	Below Average	Yes	1
F	Failure	No	0
FA	Failure due to excessive absences (Calculates as an F in the GPA)	No	0
I	Incomplete	No	0
P	Pass	Yes	0
AU	Audit	No	0
W	Withdrawal prior to the published deadline	No	0
WP	Withdrawal passing	No	0
WF	Withdrawal with academic penalty (Calculates as an F in the GPA)	No	0
DR	Dropped course prior to the published deadline	No	0
DP	Dropped course passing	No	0
DF	Dropped course with academic penalty (Calculates as an F in the GPA)	No	0
NG	No grade reported by faculty at end of term (awarded by registrar)	No	0

TABLE 2: Graduate Grading System
Grade	Description	Credit	Grade points per credit hour
A	Excellent	Yes	4
B	Above Average	Yes	3
C	Average	Yes	2
D	Below Average	Yes	1
F	Failure	No	0
AU	Audit	No	0
DF	Dropped course with academic penalty (Calculates as an F in the GPA)	No	0
DP	Dropped course passing	No	0
DR	Dropped course prior to midterm	No	0
FA	Failure due to excessive absences (Calculates as an F in the GPA)	No	0
I	Incomplete	No	0
IP	Thesis or Clinical Research in Progress	No	0
NG	No grade reported by faculty at end of term (awarded by registrar)	No	0
P	Pass	Yes	0
W	Withdrawal prior to midterm	No	0
WF	Withdrawal with academic penalty (Calculates as an F in the GPA)	No	0
WP	Withdrawal passing	No	0

Continuing, Troy University’s academic policies are designed to facilitate learning. For example, the University’s withdrawal process includes an exit interview with an official at the student’s home location. This exit interview provides an opportunity for the University to identify the student’s obstacle to continuing his or her education and to assist the student in returning to the University if appropriate.

In addition, Troy University both practices and publicizes its commitment to continual improvement of educational programs as evidenced in the 2008-09 Undergraduate Catalog, p. 15:

Institutional Assessment of Student Academic Performance

Troy University is committed to the continual improvement of its educational programs. The University periodically conducts assessments of student outcomes, therefore a student can expect to participate in academic outcomes assessment activities during his or her time of enrollment.

Complete information regarding assessment is provided in the reports for Core Requirement 2.5 and Comprehensive Standard 3.3.1.

Academic policies are developed, approved and implemented with input from faculty members

As stated in the Faculty Handbook, the University’s academic policies, like curricular changes, are subject to approval of the Undergraduate Academic Council and the Graduate Academic Council. The membership of these committees is made up of elected, voting representatives from the five academic colleges; therefore faculty members are directly responsible for establishing and changing academic policies.

For example, in spring 2006, the Associate Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Studies, the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School, and the University Registrar recognized the need for clarification in the University’s incomplete grade policy. Following development and review (the report for Comprehensive Standard 3.4.1 provides a complete analysis of procedures for changing or creating new academic programs and policies), a revised policy was presented on to both the undergraduate and graduate academic councils. The minutes of the Undergraduate Academic Council for March 16, 2006, and the minutes of the Graduate Academic Council for March 16, 2006, demonstrate faculty input and approval of the change to this academic policy, and a 2006-07 Undergraduate Academic Catalog excerpt demonstrates the publication of the revised policy.

Publication of academic policies

Troy University publishes its academic policies to its constituent groups as follows:

Troy University Undergraduate Catalog – published in print and online
Troy University Graduate Catalog – published in print and online
Troy University Student Handbook, the Oracle – published in print and online
Troy University Faculty Handbook – published online
Troy University ePolicy Manual – published online
Academic Operating Procedures – published online

The consistency among policy statements in these publications is confirmed with each edition. For example, an ad hoc Faculty Handbook Review Committee appointed by the Executive Vice Chancellor / Provost completed a comprehensive, line-by-line review of the Faculty Handbook in spring 2008 resulting in approval by the Board of Trustees in May, 2008.

In addition, to ensure accuracy and consistency, each of the above policy documents is assigned an individual coordinator charged with tracking and making changes subject to the approval of the appropriate senior vice chancellor or the chancellor.

Publication	Coordination hierarchy
Undergraduate Catalog	Undergraduate Catalog Editor, with approval of the Associate Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Studies, with approval of the Executive Vice Chancellor / Provost
Graduate Catalog	Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School, with approval of the Executive Vice Chancellor / Provost
Student Handbook	Dean of Students, with approval of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Administration
Faculty Handbook	Faculty Handbook Editor, with approval of the Executive Vice Chancellor / Provost
ePolicy Manual	Executive Assistant to the Chancellor, with approval of the Chancellor

Prior to publication, all print and Web-based documents receive rigorous review to ensure accuracy. The annual review and publication process for the undergraduate catalog is described briefly below as an example of this review process.

Annual Undergraduate Catalog Content Review Process

Annual Undergraduate Catalog Content Review Process

In conclusion, Troy University’s academic policies adhere to principles of good educational practice, receive review and approval by faculty members, and are subject to rigorous review prior to publication. Therefore, Troy University is in compliance with this Comprehensive Standard.