Academic Information

Admission
Acceptance of an applicant into one of the College’s programs.

Corequisite
A course that either is required to be taken concurrently with another course or has already been taken. (See statement on corequisites under “Course Descriptions”.)

Course
A unit of study relating to a specific academic subject or discipline and identified by a course name and number.

Course Numbers
A system for identifying course levels. Courses numbered 10, 11, and 12 are high school courses, Grades 10, 11 and 12 respectively. Courses numbered 100-199 are first year university courses. Courses numbered 200-299 are second year courses. Courses with numbers beginning with 0 are non-credit.

Credit
A credit is a unit of value assigned to a course. Most University courses earn 3 or 4 credits. A normal course load for a full-time university student is 12-15 credits per semester. A full year of university studies is usually 30-34 credits. A High School course is normally 4 credits. A typical course load for a full-time high school student is 12-16 credits per semester. Senior Secondary graduation requires the completion of 80 (minimum) credits.

Non-credit courses (such as English 099) are not included when tallying the total credits required for completion of academic credentials (such as an Associate Degree or Dogwood Diploma) but will be assigned credits for fee assessment purposes and calculation of Semester GPA.

Directed Studies
Each semester the College offers a small number of (2nd year level University Transfer) courses by Directed Study (DS). These courses are open to students who have completed 30 credits and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.3. Students on probation are not usually allowed to register for courses offered by Directed Study. DS courses generally meet for a minimum of 2 hours per week at a time that is mutually acceptable to instructor and students. DS courses will have no more than 7 registrants. Tuition fees are the same as for a regular course.

Full-Time Student
A student registered for at least three courses or a minimum of 9 credits in one of the College’s academic programs, or a student registered in the ESL program taking at least 25 hours a week of instruction.

Grade
The letter assigned is the evaluation of a student’s performance in a course, e.g. B. (See “Grading System”)

Grade Point
The numerical value assigned to a letter grade used in assessing a student’s academic performance, e.g. C=2.0 grade points. (See “Grading System”)

Grade Point Average (GPA)
A measure of a student’s performance in all courses taken in a semester (Semester GPA) or in all credit courses taken at the College to the time of calculation (Cumulative GPA). Note that Semester GPAs are based on all courses taken whether credit or non-credit. Semester GPAs are for internal purposes only.

Pre-requisite
A specific requirement to be fulfilled before registration in a course, usually completion of another course.

Probation
A one semester trial period for students who have failed to achieve satisfactory academic standing or have been involved in a serious act of misconduct. A student on probation will not be permitted to continue at the College if improvement is not demonstrated.

Program
A selection of courses designed to fulfill an academic objective such as Senior Secondary completion or an Associate Degree.

Registered Student
A registered student is one who has completed the registration procedures for a specific semester. Continuing students must re-register each semester. Tuition fees must be paid in full at the time of registration.

Section
Since a given course may be offered at two (or more) different times in each semester, all courses are identified by a section number related to the time at which the course begins and the days on which it meets. University-level course sections numbered 8, 10, 12, 14 or 16 etc. usually meet on Mondays and Thursdays while sections numbered 9, 11, 13, 15 or 17 etc. usually meet on Tuesdays and Fridays. Sections numbered XX1 usually meet on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Semester
An academic term of 14 weeks, during which time a registered student completes a course load. There are three semesters
in a calendar year.

Transcript
A record of a student’s permanent record listing all courses taken at Columbia College.

Transfer Credit
Credit awarded by the post-secondary institution to which a student transfers university level courses.

Transfer Standing (TS)
Secondary level credit given for courses satisfactorily completed under another recognized jurisdiction.

Admission to the College is based on acceptance into one of the College’s programs. Admission to all academic programs is selective and is based on the College’s evaluation of the applicant’s probable success in undertaking studies at the secondary and/or post-secondary level. Students under the age of 15 are not normally admissible into any of the College’s programs. Acceptance into a specific program at the College does not guarantee subsequent advancement into higher-level programs. Such advancement is dependent on performance in the original program.

Possession of the minimum requirements does not establish the right of an applicant to be admitted. The College reserves the right to accept or reject any applicant and to limit the number of students accepted into any program.

Following acceptance into a program at the College, selection of specific courses to be taken (in the first semester) is made with the assistance of a Counsellor and is subject to the College’s approval. Students in secondary programs register with the assistance of a counsellor every semester.

Columbia College and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) view a (minimum) course load of 9 credits in the University Transfer (UT) program as “full time,” although many students enroll in 12 to 15 credits per semester. Students may register in as many as six courses (18 credits or equivalent) without asking the permission of the Academic Board to take an overload. No overload will be permitted in a student’s first semester. Students on probation are allowed to take a maximum of 12 credits per semester.

Students in the University Transfer Program are required to register in an appropriate English course in each semester until English 099 and Writing Discourse 098 have been completed.

New students arriving at Columbia College directly from overseas who place in English 100 (either by an external test score or the College’s English Test, the LWA) will be required to register in English 100 within the first 3 semesters and will be required to repeat this course in each subsequent semester (if necessary) until they pass it.

It is recommended that students register in English 100 in their first semester or as soon as they are qualified to do so.

A part-time load (i.e., fewer than three courses) is only permitted for those University Transfer students who have successfully completed full-time programs at Columbia College in each of the previous two semesters. Students should note, however, that they must be registered as a full-time student if they wish to accept off-campus employment.

A full course load at the high school level normally involves completing 12 credits (3 courses) per semester, although strong students may be allowed to register in 16 credits (four courses). Students on probation are allowed to take a maximum of three high school courses per semester. Overloads are permitted for High School students only under special circumstances and require the approval of the Academic Board.

A part-time load (i.e., fewer than 12 credits) is normally only permitted for High School students at Columbia College to fulfill high school completion requirements.

Grade Appeals
Students can appeal only final grades. Before filing a formal appeal, they must consult with the instructor and Dean of the division. To initiate a formal appeal, students must complete a "Formal Grade Appeal" form from a Counsellor and pay a $50 fee, which is refundable if the appeal succeeds. Once the fee is paid the formal appeal process is initiated by the Counsellor. The appeal must be submitted by the first Friday of the following semester in which the course was taken.

An Appeal Committee, appointed by the Academic Board, handles appeals:

• If the appeal concerns only the final exam, the Dean of the appropriate division appoints a qualified instructor (usually from within the College) to reassess the final exam within 30 days.
• If the appeal involves more than the final exam, an Appeal Committee will be struck by the Academic Board and will reviews all relevant course material, and potentially the final exam within 30 days. Only physical items originally submitted and evaluated as part of the final grade are eligible for review; intangible items like presentations or class participation are not eligible for review.

The Appeal Committee's decision is final. The transcript will reflect the grade determined through this process, which may be higher, lower, or the same as the appealed grade.

In case of a question regarding fees or a refund of fees, the student should first contact the College’s Accounting Office. If the matter is not resolved within three working days, the student should appeal in writing to the Principal who will respond in writing or in person within one week.

Disciplinary matters involving disruptive behaviour in the classroom are dealt with by the Academic Board after a complaint from an instructor is received. Other disciplinary matters – involving unacceptable behaviour outside the classroom - are dealt with by the Principal. Decisions made by the Academic Board, or the Principal may be appealed to the Board of Governors, whose decision will be final.

A student being disciplined should contact a Counsellor for information on appeal processes.