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Communication Department

LCC > Liberal Studies Division > Communication Department

Communication Department
Course Policies

I.  Attendance

  1. Students are responsible for all of the work of the class, whether they are present at class meetings or not. The instructor is not obligated to re-present the instruction which the student has missed.
  2. Week 1:  A student who misses the entire first week of class may be administratively withdrawn.
    Weeks 1-14:  A student who misses two weeks of instructional time for any reason during the first fourteen weeks of the semester will be administratively withdrawn from the class.
    1. "Two weeks" is defined as 6 hours for 3 credit classes, 8 hours for 4 credit classes.
    2. Students who change sections will not be penalized if they have been attending another class in the same program.
    3. Instructors may count late arrivals or early departures from class as partial absences.
    4. Missed conferences may count as full absences.
    5. Students who audit are exempt from this policy.
  3. Exceptions to the attendance policy may be considered on an individual basis by the instructor.

II.  Late and Make-up Work

Late-work policies will be determined by individual instructors. Late papers might not receive instructor comments. Late papers and other late assignments might not be accepted.

III.  Administrative Withdrawal

  1. Withdrawal for Non-attendance.  See I.B. above.
  2. Withdrawal for Behavior that Interferes with the Instructional Process:
    1. An instructor considering withdrawal of a student for disruptive behavior (behavior that interferes with the instructional process) should consult with the department chairperson as early as possible.
    2. Ordinarily a procedure of warning a student and establishing guidelines for acceptable behavior must be gone through before the student can be withdrawn for behavior that interferes with the instructional process. The instructor should talk with the student as soon as possible. Additionally, there usually should be a written warning and then another infraction before the student is withdrawn. Guidelines for acceptable behavior should accompany each warning, and should be in writing if the warning is written.
    3. If a student refuses to communicate with an instructor about disruptive behavior, the instructor may initiate the administrative withdrawal without further effort or warning.
    4. The instructor considering and initiating administrative withdrawal for disruptive behavior should document each step he/she takes, and should forward copies to the department chairperson and to the Dean of Student and Academic Support if the disruptive behavior is repeated or serious.
    5. Violence or behavior which is otherwise disruptive and not readily controllable should be reported to Public Safety immediately by calling 911. The instructor should know the location of an accessible College phone near to his/her classroom for that and other emergencies.
    6. If disruptive behavior appears to be caused by a serious health problem (physical or emotional), the College's "Procedures for Resolving Health-Related Student Problems" should be followed.

IV.  Grade at Time of Withdrawal

  1. All Communication Department courses adhere strictly to College policy regarding student-initiated and administrative withdrawals.
  2.  In the case of sixteen-week classes, this policy is as follows:
    1. Weeks 1 and 2:  All student-initiated and administrative withdrawals will result in no course shown on the student's academic record. Faculty signature is not needed for student-initiated withdrawals.
    2. Weeks 3-8:  All student-initiated and administrative withdrawals will result in a W for the course shown on the student's academic record. Faculty signature is not needed for student-initiated withdrawals.
    3. Weeks 9-14:  A W may be given only if the student is passing the course (1.0 or higher) at the time of withdrawal. The student who is not passing cannot withdraw or be withdrawn and must receive a 0.0 for the course. Faculty signature is needed for student-initiated withdrawals.
    4. Weeks 15 and 16:  No student-initiated or administrative withdrawals are permitted.

V.  Incomplete Designation

  1. In accordance with College policy, an instructor may approve a student-initiated request for an Incomplete if 80% of the course work is completed and the reason appears sound. It is recognized that the 80% figure (whether measured in terms of class meetings or graded work) is a bench mark, since weighting of exams and other work varies among programs and courses. The intent is that only a small portion of work remains.
  2. An instructor must file an "I" grade on-line with final grades, providing full information about completing the work and assigning a final grade. The instructor will also indicate what grade should be assigned if no further work is completed. This grade is determined by the appropriately weighted marks the student has earned on course work completed, minus missing assignments, which are counted as zeros.
  3. All Incompletes must be made up by the end of the next regular semester (summer session is excluded) or earlier if an earlier deadline is established by the instructor or department. An extension may be granted if requested in writing by the student and approved by the instructor and department by the last day of the deadline; otherwise the "I" will be converted to the grade specified if no further work is completed.

VI.  Classroom Visitors (Persons Not Officially Enrolled in A
       Section)

  1. College Policy

    Only those persons enrolled in a class, or those persons who have authorization to be in attendance for a particular class, will be permitted to attend the class. Authorized persons may include, but are not limited to, those individuals hoping to gain a seat in a particular class pursuant to opening seats, those persons in attendance to assist students identified by the Office of Disability Support Services, guest speakers, and/or a prospective student wishing to attend the college during an upcoming academic year. If an unauthorized visitor refuses to leave a classroom or laboratory, assistance should be sought from the department chair, dean's office, and/or Public Safety.

    Faculty members will have discretion relative to permitting visitors into a classroom or laboratory, consistent with department policy. Appropriate consideration should be given to issues of safety, resources, fairness, disruption, etc., before allowing such visits. Due to liability concerns, faculty should notify their department chair or designee about visitors in the classroom at least 24 hours prior to the class meeting. In situations where 24-hour advance notice is not possible, the department chair or designee should be informed at the earliest opportunity. Departments may establish procedures regarding students sitting in on a closed section.

  2. Communication Department Policy
    1. Room occupancy guidelines established by the Fire Marshal must be observed at all times.
    2. Student assistants provided by the LCC Office of Disability Support Services are to be accepted as classroom visitors.
    3. Students sitting in on a closed section waiting for a seat to become available may remain as a visitor only until the end of the second week of the semester. No seats will open after this time.
    4. Assistance with unauthorized classroom visitors should be sought directly from the LCC Department of Police and Public Safety, GB 251, 483-1800. Incidents should be reported to the Communication Department Office.


These policies are to be applied uniformly in all
Department of Communication courses.



Communication Department - Phone: 517-483-1040 - Contact Us