Credit by Equivalency and Departmental Exam
Procedure 3105
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Section: 3100–Instruction |
Last Review Date: 16 February 2009 |
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Responsible Area: Deans |
Effective Date: 16 February 2009 |
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Policy/policies the procedure is based on: 1041 (https://www.npc.edu/governing-board-policies) |
Revision History: ??? |
1.0 Scope
This procedure applies to all students who are seeking course credit via examination.
2.0 Purpose
This procedure outlines the manner in which students may earn NPC credits through examination.
3.0 Definitions of Equivalency Examinations
3.1 CLEP: The College Level Examination Program
3.2 AP: Advanced Placement
3.3 CIE: Cambridge International Exams
3.4 DSST: DANTES Subject Standardized Test
3.5 IB: International Baccalaureate
3.6 Additional Exams: as listed on aztransfer.com
4.0 Guidelines
4.1 Applicability of Equivalency Examinations and Departmental Examination Credits.
Credits awarded through NPC equivalency examinations and departmental examination may be used to count towards the student's degree program including general education, program core, and elective requirements. For the purposes of computing credit hours earned towards completing a degree program, credits awarded through equivalency or departmental examination are treated the same as credits earned by completing courses at NPC.
Equivalency examination credits are not used in computing the student's grade point average. Documentation of the credit is kept in the student's file at the registrar's office for verification of credits awarded or for transfer of scores to other institutions when college transcripts are requested should the student transfer without graduation.
Departmental examination credits will be assigned a letter grade that will be entered on the transcript the semester of the test for a letter grade of C or better work. The credits will not be used in calculation of grade point average and a departmental examination notation will be made by the grade on the transcript.
4.2 Courses for which credit by examination or equivalency exam may be awarded.
Exam equivalency credit may be awarded for any course for which an exam is available. The Evaluator will keep a list of all exam-available courses. This list is available to all campus and center advisers via www.aztransfer.com
Credit by exam may be awarded for any course approved by the departments concerned and the Instructional Council. Each department will have on file an examination for each course. Credit by exam will only be made available for courses for which no equivalency exam is available.
4.3 Determination of courses for which credit by examination may be awarded.
a. Instructional departments will determine which particular course or courses offered in their respective department may have credit earned in a manner other than that customary for the course.
b. Departments will submit their proposals (through ACRES) for awarding credit by examination to the Instructional Council for its approval.
c. Proposals submitted by departments shall include:
i. Designation of the specific course(s) for which granting of credit by examination is proposed.
ii. Information concerning the particular examination to be used for each course, including a certified NPC instructor who is willing to prepare the exam.
iii. Eligibility standards for taking an examination for credit.
iv. Scoring of the examination.
v. Estimation of the number of students who may successfully pass the examination.
vi. Documentation that an equivalency exam is not already available.
4.4 Academic Status of Credits Earned by Equivalency Examination or Departmental Exam.
a. All credits earned by equivalency or departmental examination will have academic value and count toward the total required for graduation and, if applicable, fulfill prerequisite requirements for advanced courses.
b. Credit earned by equivalency or departmental examination will not be counted as part of the student's grade point average.
c. Credits earned by equivalency or departmental examination will not be counted as part of the student's course load.
d. Departmental examination credit will be entered and a letter grade will be recorded on the student's permanent academic record for work given a letter grade of C or better.
e. Equivalency examination credit documentation will be stored in the Records and Registration Office and credit will be posted to the student's transcript.
4.5 Restrictions
a. The maximum credit which a student may earn by any form of examination is 30 credits.
b. No student will be permitted to attempt to receive credit by examination for a particular course more than once.
c. No student who has received a final grade in a course or an "Incomplete" may earn credit by examination for the course on said course.
d. No student who is auditing a course at Northland Pioneer College or has audited a course at Northland Pioneer College may receive credit by examination for the same course.
e. No student who has withdrawn from a course at Northland Pioneer College may earn credit for the course by examination in the same semester.
4.5 Administration for Departmental Examinations
a. Departmental Administration
Any enrolled student should contact the appropriate department instructor for permission to take a departmental examination for credit. An Application for Credit by Examination can be obtained through the campus or center adviser.
Students will need to obtain signature approval in the following order:
i. Instructor approval
ii. Dean approval
The Department must make arrangements for administration of the examination with the individual and see that the examination is proctored adequately to ensure the individual is the source of examination answers. Prior to testing, students are required to provide two forms of identification that match the application for credit by examination.
Department instructors will score the examination, assign a letter grade, and submit the names of those who pass the examinations to the Dean's Office. The names of students not passing the examinations will be kept on file in the department for future reference but should not be submitted to the Records & Registration Office. Reimbursement will not exceed three hours’ time at the current hourly rate for associate faculty. Reimbursement is not to be requested if time actually spent did not reflect an additional expenditure over previously contracted time for full-time NPC employees. The Dean's office will submit a purchase order to the business office for payment of the contracted services. Student departmental examinations receiving a grade of C or better should be forwarded to the Records & Registration office for grades to be entered. and will be responsible for informing students of the credit by examination results.
