The Miller College of Business (MCOB) sees that Independent Learning Program (ILP) courses are very appealing to students and acknowledges that ILP courses are a clear avenue for Ball State’s growth in the future. The ILP courses provide flexibility to non-traditional students seeking college degrees. However, they may not be wise alternatives for many full-time, on-campus, traditional students. Therefore, the following policy has been adopted by the Miller College of Business Leadership Team in order to clarify our position regarding the MCOB courses offered through the ILP.
- These policies refer to MCOB ILP courses including both Fast-Track and traditional ILP courses.
- Full-time, on-campus MCOB students must have permission of the appropriate department chair to enroll in each MCOB ILP course.
- All students must complete the prerequisites for an MCOB ILP course before enrolling in that MCOB ILP course.
- All students holding a grade of F in an on-campus MCOB course should repeat the course on-campus rather than through ILP. Such students must receive permission of the appropriate department chair to enroll in that same course through ILP. It is unlikely that such permission will be given.
- Full-time, on-campus MCOB students with an Incomplete in an MCOB ILP should not take another MCOB ILP class until the I is removed. Therefore, departmental approval is unlikely for full-time, on-campus MCOB students desiring to register for another MCOB ILP course before the I is removed.
- Full-time, on-campus MCOB students enrolled in any on-campus courses during a summer term should not enroll in an MCOB ILP course for the same summer term or an overlapping summer term. It is unlikely that departmental permission will be given for dual on and off-campus summer registration in the same term for MCOB students who are usually full-time, on-campus students.
- These policies must be prominently displayed by ILP and the MCOB.
- Students violating these policies may be removed from the course with potential loss of tuition and fees.
DETAILED POLICIES WITH CONSEQUENCES AND RATIONALE
1. ILP courses can be offered fast track (completion in 10 weeks) or through the usual 9 month completion method. Almost all of these ILP courses use an online format rather than mailed assignments, but are different from courses taught synchronously online. So ILP does not use online in referring to their courses since that is a term usually reserved for courses like the MBA or ECON 221 offered through MediaSite in Summer 06. These policies refer to ILP courses including both fast track and traditional ILP courses, but not what the School of Extended Education refers to as online courses.
2. All students must complete the prerequisites for an MCOB ILP course before enrolling in that MCOB ILP course. Students violating this policy will be withdrawn from the MCOB ILP course with potential loss of tuition/fees paid.
3. All students holding a grade of F in an on-campus MCOB course must receive permission of the appropriate department chair and the dean to enroll in that same course through independent learning. Students without the appropriate permission will be withdrawn from the MCOB ILP course with potential loss of tuition/fees paid.
4. Many ILP students take a mix of on-campus and ILP courses, coming to campus for courses that they think will be best to take face-to-face. To acknowledge this, MCOB permission to enroll in ILP classes is usually required only for full-time MCOB students who are coded as on-campus students and are MCOB pre-business students, MCOB AS students, and MCOB students in their majors.
a. Full-time, on-campus MCOB students must have permission of the appropriate department chair and the dean to enroll in each MCOB ILP course. Students without the appropriate permissions will be withdrawn from the MCOB ILP course with potential loss of tuition/fees paid.
b. ILP courses follow a different time schedule from the on-campus schedule. The fall semester ILP enrollment period runs July 1 to November 30; the spring semester ILP enrollment period runs December 1 to February 28; and the summer semester ILP period runs March 1-June 30. Students may simultaneously be enrolled on-campus for summer classes and in ILP fall term classes or enroll in a ten week ILP fall class on July 1 and have 7 weeks of it completed before on campus fall-term classes begin. ILP courses show an Incomplete grade after the initial semester until the course is completed even for 10 week courses that cross over the on-campus term completion date. In order to minimize the simultaneous enrollment of MCOB students in ILP courses and on-campus courses during these cross-over periods, we will restrict the enrollment of full-time MCOB students who have an Incomplete in an MCOB ILP class from registering from any more MCOB ILP classes. Therefore, any full-time MCOB student with an I in an MCOB ILP course cannot register for another MCOB ILP course until the I is removed. Students violating this policy will be withdrawn from the latter MCOB ILP course with potential loss of tuition/fees paid.
c. MCOB students enrolled in any on-campus courses during any summer term are not allowed to enroll in any MCOB ILP courses during that summer term or an overlapping summer term without obtaining departmental or dean’s approval. If, after registering for MCOB ILP courses, the student enrolls in on-campus courses, the student will be withdrawn from the MCOB on-campus course with potential loss of tuition/fees paid. If the student registers for an MCOB ILP course after enrolling in on-campus MCOB courses, the student will be withdrawn from the MCOB ILP course with potential loss of tuition/fees paid.
5. These policies must be prominently displayed by ILP and the MCOB. Students violating these policies may be removed from the course with potential loss of tuition and fees.
6. MCOB ILP courses are not eligible to be part of a faculty member’s teaching load.
PROCEDURES
The procedures for implementing ILP permission policies areas follows:
1. ILP and MCOB will display these policies prominently.
2. For the specific course the student is requesting, the system will check that the student has successfully completed the pre-requisites. If not, the student will not be allowed to register.
3. The system will check grades on the specific course requested and if there was a previous F with the location code of “M” for main campus, the system will allow the student to request to register for an ILP course if other criteria have been met. However, it will require them to give a reason why they are requesting a course through ILP. This file with the reason will then be forwarded to the chair for permission.
4. The system would check the major code of the students and only apply the other criteria to those students that have the specific MCOB major codes of pre-business, MCOB AS, or MCOB majors. It will also identify on-campus students, whether the student has registered for any on-campus courses, and look at three previous semesters to determine full-time status.
a. The system will check for major code and whether the student is an on-campus student. It will also check the previous 3 terms to see if they have competed 12 hours or more in one or more terms to determine if the student is usually full-time. If the student is a full-time, on-campus MCOB student, the system will allow the student to request to register for an ILP course if point 4.b. and 4.c have been met. However, it will require them to give a reason why they are requesting a course through ILP. This file with the reason will then be forwarded to the chair for permission.
b. The system would look back three terms prior to the current term identifying an I for any MCOB ILP course. If one exists, it would deny the request to register.
c. The system will check the students’ summer schedule at the time of registration. If there are any on-campus courses scheduled for the same term or an overlapping summer term, the system will allow the student to request to register for an ILP course if other criteria have been met. However, it will require them to give a reason why they are requesting a course through I LP. This file with the reason will then be forwarded to the chair for permission.
5. If the student has not met criteria 2 and/or 4b, the system will inform the student how they have or have not met the MCOB criteria and refer them to the MCOB policy with an Internet link which will include a contact person (Director of Student Services). It will not allow them to continue the registration request if they have not met the criteria.
6. The chair will approve or disapprove the enrollment and forward all the information including reasons for NOT approving a student registration to the Director of Student Services (Dr. Gayle Hartleroad)
7. The chair may wish to keep a tally of ILP students assigned to each professor. If so, the chair would tally this registration to the appropriate professor at this time.
8. The Director of Student Services may spot check the enrollments to assure the policies are being followed and that students are in the correct course sequence.
9. The Director of Student Services forwards the approved enrollment to ILP.
10. During the first or second week of classes each on-campus term, the Director of Student Services will check ILP sections of ECON 201, 202, ACC 201, 202, and ISOM 135 to assure students enrolled in the course meet the prerequisites. If there are students not having the prerequisites, they will be withdrawn from the class regardless of the amount of work completed.