Academic Policies and Procedures

Academic Policies & Procedures for the CAHP

Academic Integrity

In order to assure an understanding between students, faculty, and staff concerning what types of activity constitute violations of academic integrity, several definitions and examples have been detailed in the UNMC Student Handbook.

Attendance at Classes and Clerkships

Specific policies and procedures regarding attendance are determined by the individual programs in the College of Allied Health Professions, and are available for review in the program-specific pages.

Clinical Education Experiences

Practical experience in various settings is an important component of the programs in the CAHP. Such hands-on experiences provide a unique form of learning and contribute to professional development.

Clinical experiences provided for students must adhere to guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Labor. In addition, to encourage learning through practical experience, CAHP programs will follow the guidelines listed below.

Guidelines

Specific, definable educational objectives will be provided for students regarding practical experiences related to their discipline. Evaluations of performance will be based on the objectives, with methods determined by the individual program.
Students may be assigned tasks that would otherwise be performed by professional staff members, but, in all cases, the purpose of such assignments shall be education, i.e., developing mastery of techniques and reinforcing knowledge.
Reinforcement by repetition may be desirable and is encouraged.
Supervisors in all practical experience rotations will be informed of the U.S. Department of Labor Employment Relationship Under the Fair Labor Standards Act. (See Minimum Wage Ruling below.) All criteria specified must be met to assure that students are not employees as defined by the Act.

Minimum Wage Ruling

The U.S. Department of Labor publication entitled Employment Relationship Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, dated February 1973, states the following under the heading Trainees:

The Supreme Court has held that the words “to suffer or permit to work,” as used in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to define “employ,” do not make all persons employees who, without any express or implied compensation agreement, work for their own advantage on the premises of another. Whether trainees or students are employees of an employer under the FLSA will depend upon all of the circumstances surrounding their activities on the premises of the employer. If all of the following criteria apply, the trainees or students are not employees within the meaning of the Act:

The training, even though it includes the actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to that which would be given in a vocational College;
The training is for the benefit of the trainees or students;
The trainees or students do not displace regular employees, but work under their close observation;
The employer that provides the training receives no immediate advantage from the activities of the trainees or students and, on occasion, his operations may actually be impeded;
The trainees or students are not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the training period; and
The employer and the trainees or students understand that the trainees or students are not entitled to wages for the time spent in training.

Evaluation of Student Performance

Students enrolled in programs in the College of Allied Health Professions are expected to make satisfactory academic progress toward the completion of their programs’ requirements. Where appropriate, these standards are to be established in accordance with the standards set by the accrediting agency for each program.

The faculty of each program reserves the right to recommend that a student withdraw if health, scholastic standing, clinical or laboratory performance, unprofessional behavior, or other factors make it impractical or inadvisable for the student to continue in the program.

Academic grades are based on evaluation of professional behaviors, knowledge and theory, and technical competencies. A program may recommend dismissal of a student based on failure in any one of these domains of learning.

Each program of study in the College of Allied Health Professions will use a system of evaluations that assures fair evaluation practices will be utilized on a regular and consistent basis.

The system will include:

An evaluation of the domains of learning appropriate for the particular course or clinical rotation. Domains assessed will include the cognitive (knowledge), affective (professional behavior), and psychomotor (technical skills);
A description of minimal passing performance level (standards) in the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains for each course and clinical rotation;
A time frame for evaluation of the three domains that is based on the length of the program, with a minimum of two evaluations completed before the mid-point of the clinical component of the program;
A description of how the final grade is derived from the areas evaluated.

Students will be informed of the expectations in all three learning domains at the beginning of each course or clinical rotation.

Procedure for Clinical Evaluations

Clinical evaluations also include the three domains of learning: cognitive (knowledge), affective (professional behaviors), and psychomotor (technical skills).
The student will receive a minimum of two evaluations before the midpoint of the clinical component of the program.
Students who perform at a non-acceptable level as defined by the program, in any of the three domains, may be placed on probation in accordance with specific program policies and procedures.
The student will be informed of the results of his or her performance evaluations in a timely manner.
The instructor/preceptor will inform the Program Director/Clinical Coordinator of evaluation results immediately upon completing the evaluations.
Evaluations, supporting documentation and counseling notes will be retained in the student’s file according to University of Nebraska policy (30 days following posting of grade OR returned to student). (See policy on Retention of Evaluation Materials, below.)
The instructor/preceptor/clinical coordinator will provide written, dated documentation of incidents that support the evaluation of a student who has failed to achieve minimal passing standards in the course or clinical rotation.
A second unacceptable evaluation may result in dismissal from the program.

Procedure for Didactic Course Evaluations

The grade earned in each course is determined by the course instructor, based on standards established by each program. Each academic program has established its criteria for satisfactory completion of course requirements and minimum GPA for continuation in the program. Further detail can be found in the Program-specific Policies & Procedures sections in the appendices. The grading scale outlined in Section D of this document is used for most courses.

Retention of Evaluation Materials

Materials used in the Academic Evaluation of Students must be retained in accordance with the policy set by the University of Nebraska. That policy can be reviewed in the UNMC Student Handbook

Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid

Federal law requires that institutions participating in federal financial aid programs establish standards of “satisfactory progress” for receiving federal financial aid eligibility. These standards have been created for the University of Nebraska Medical Center for students enrolled full-time and can be reviewed in the UNMC Student Handbook.

In addition to those standards, the College of Allied Health Professions has defined Satisfactory Academic Progress for financial aid for students enrolled part-time, which meets the federal requirement and also provides a consistent policy for equitable distribution of limited financial aid resources.

Measurable satisfactory progress for part-time students

Students admitted to a degree/certificate program who are enrolled less than full-time, but at least half-time at the start of an academic year (6-11 hours in professional/undergraduate programs and 5-8 hours in graduate programs) must, each academic year:

Maintain the same GPA standard as full-time students.
Successfully complete all course work for which registered each academic year or, if applicable, progress to the next grade level in their degree/certificate program.

Students not meeting these standards who are approved for continued enrollment shall be placed on financial aid probation, but must fulfill these standards by the end of the next academic year of enrollment. In addition, if applicable, part-time students must progress one grade level in their degree/certificate program after every two academic years. Students not meeting these standards shall be suspended from financial aid eligibility unless an extension is approved due to mitigating circumstances.

Additionally, a student, full-time or part-time, who at any time is placed on academic probation or is suspended by the College or program, regardless of the above standards, is automatically placed on financial aid probation or suspended from financial aid eligibility.

Appeal and reinstatement of financial aid eligibility

Students wishing to appeal their status of financial aid probation or suspension may do so, in writing, to the Financial Aid Office using the outlined procedure in the UNMC Student Handbook

Student Appeals of Academic Evaluation

Any student who believes that evaluation of his or her academic progress has been prejudiced or capricious may appeal that evaluation using the outlined procedure in the UNMC Student Handbook.

Students’ appeals will be reviewed by the faculty-student appeals committee. Students should note, however, that this committee shall not have jurisdiction over appeal by students where disciplinary action is proposed because of violation of law or of university rules or regulations, disruptive or insubordinate behavior, or academic dishonesty such as cheating or plagiarism. Such matters are the jurisdiction of the College’s student discipline hearing board.

Academic Probation

Each program in the College of Allied Health Professions will establish minimum standards that a student must meet to continue progress toward a degree or certificate. If a student fails to meet those standards, he or she may be placed on academic probation if the program deems such action appropriate.

Academic probation will be allowed for only one semester during a student’s course of study. Failure of the student to raise his or her cumulative grade point average or to earn minimum required grades during the probationary semester and all subsequent semesters will result in dismissal from the program. Each program’s minimum standards for academic probation can be found in the appendices in the program-specific policies and procedures sections.

Leave Time

Each program within the College of Allied Health Professions will determine policies and practices for its students in the areas of vacation, sick leave, pregnancy leave and leave for other personal matters. These are outlined in the program-specific sections.

Absences and Withdrawals

A leave of absence (LOA) for a limited time, under exceptional circumstances, may be granted by the program director. Any such leave of absence granted shall be solely within the discretion of the program faculty, and ultimately the program director, based upon the merits of the request, evaluated on a case-by-case basis. This is merely a justification for absence and not an excuse from any course requirements.

If a student in good standing finds it necessary to withdraw from the University before the close of a current term, the Dean of the College of Allied Health Professions may grant that permission. If the student is a minor, withdrawal is granted at the request of the parents or guardian.

Students who wish to request a withdrawal or LOA must complete the appropriate paperwork prior to the effective date of the withdrawal or LOA and be counseled by the Director for Academic & Student Affairs, as well as the UNMC Financial Aid Office, if applicable.

Student Discipline

Each student in the College of Allied Health Professions shall be afforded due process in matters relating to student discipline. Each program director holds primary responsibility for student discipline. The CAHP is part of an educational institution in which there is an atmosphere of learning, as well as a sense of community. The College prides itself upon the principles of academic integrity, self-respect, and individual responsibility.

Students enrolled in the CAHP assume an obligation to conduct themselves in a manner compatible with these principles. Those who choose not to do so may be subject to disciplinary action by individuals or duly constituted groups within the College. Examples of misconduct for which students are subject to disciplinary action include, but are not limited to, the following:

Dishonesty in any form, such as cheating, academic misconduct, fabrication, plagiarism, misuse of identification cards and furnishing false information to the College or college.
Obstruction or disruption of any academic, social or administrative activity.
Threats, physical harm, or verbal abuse of any person on institutional property or at institutional-sponsored activities.
Theft of or damage to property of the institution.
Unauthorized entry into UNMC facilities.
Violation of rules governing institution facilities.
Use, possession, sale or distribution of narcotics or abusive drugs or stimulants.
Drunkenness, or use, possession, sale, or distribution of alcoholic beverages on institution property.
Gambling on institution property.
Unauthorized possession or use on campus of explosives or firearms.
Failure to comply with the directions of institution officials acting in the performance of their duties.

For detailed information on student disciplinary procedures, refer to the UNMC Student Handbook. Specific program policies on academic dismissal and other student discipline may be found in the program-specific sections.

Students Called to Active Duty in Military Service

The policy regarding all University of Nebraska students that may be called to active duty is outlined in the UNMC Student Handbook.

Requirements for Graduation

The certificate or degree in any program is granted only under the following conditions:

The candidate for certificate or degree must have proven his or her competence in the health profession of his or her academic major.
The candidate must have passed all required courses in which he or she has been registered, unless a waiver is approved by the program director.
The candidate must have discharged all indebtedness to the University of Nebraska.

All students must complete an Application for Degree; instructions for this process will be provided to eligible students by CAHP Academic & Student Affairs.

Degrees and Honors

Degrees are conferred by the Board of Regents upon recommendation by the academic faculty of the College of Allied Health Professions.

The student must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.70 for those credit hours specified by his or her professional program and be enrolled as a full-time student to be eligible for graduation with honors.

Undergraduate Programs Undergraduate programs within the College of Allied Health Professions will use the student’s incoming cumulative undergraduate grade point average combined with the cumulative grade point average from the student’s CAHP program of study coursework.

Post-baccalaureate Certificate Programs

Post-baccalaureate Certificate Programs within the College of Allied Health Professions will use the student’s incoming prerequisite grade point average (as defined by each program’s admission requirements) combined with the cumulative grade point average from the student’s CAHP program of study coursework.

Graduate Programs

Graduate Professional Programs within the College of Allied Health Professions will use the student’s cumulative grade point average from the student’s CAHP program of study coursework.

Honors Categories

Awarding of degrees with honors will be calculated as above to determine a final grade point average. Students will be eligible for Honors in one of the three following categories, based on a final grade point average:

Honors Level	Required GPA	Award
Distinction	3.70-3.79	Medallion: Red Ribbon
High Distinction	3.80-3.89	Medallion: White ribbon
Highest Distinction	3.90 & above	Medallion: Red & White Ribbon

Dean's List

The Executive Associate Dean of the College of Allied Health Professions will recognize student’s outstanding academic achievement for full-time study in an undergraduate program by placing students on the Dean's List each semester.

Only students enrolled full-time in a degree-seeking, undergraduate program in the College of Allied Health Professions are eligible for the Dean's List.
The UNMC program grade point average for the semester must be 3.75 or above.
The CAHP Academic & Student Affairs office verifies eligible candidates and submits names to the Program Director and Executive Associate Dean.
Students are notified by letter from the Executive Associate Dean.
A list of students to be recognized will be sent to the UNMC Public Relations Office.