Academic Policies & Procedures

In cases such as class discussions, group projects, instructional time, or other educational activities, etc., it may not be possible for the student to make up the coursework. In these cases, accommodations granted are at the discretion of the instructor.

Instructors are not obligated to accommodate students who have missed a significant portion of a course’s essential components, such that providing opportunities to make up the work is unreasonable—even when the absences are deemed excused.

The instructor will determine an appropriate date for completing the missed work and notify the student in writing. The student must submit all work by this date to receive credit.

Late Work Policy

Assignments

• 10 points are deducted per day for the first three days an assignment is late. (No penalty is given on the fourth day.)
• After four days, the assignment will receive a grade of zero.
• Late work is not accepted after the final day of the course. All work must be submitted by the course’s final date (usually the Sunday of Week 4).

Discussion Boards

• Due to the interactive nature of discussion boards, late posts are not accepted.

Exceptions

• Late penalties may be waived due to such circumstances as:
• illness, physical or mental, of the student or his or her dependent
• medical conditions related to pregnancy
• subpoenas
• jury duty
• military service
• bereavement, including travel related to bereavement
• religious observances
• For situations not expressly defined in the catalog, the instructor has the primary responsibility to decide on a case-by-case basis whether the late work was due to unavoidable circumstances and will document the justification for the waiver of the penalty.
• Students must notify their instructor if they are requesting a late penalty waiver. When possible, notification should be made in advance.
• Penalties cannot be removed or adjusted after the term ends.
• In unusual circumstances, students may submit a written appeal to the Program Director.

Note: ADA accommodations may override parts of this policy.

Credits Attempted & Completed

Credits attempted are defined as all classes for which a student receives a passing grade or an “F,” “I,” “WP,” “WF,” or “P.” Credits completed are defined as all classes for which a student receives a passing grade of “P” or a passing grade of “D” or better.

Evaluations

During courses, students are evaluated on their performance through a series of quizzes, exams, and project evaluations. They are evaluated on theory and technical and practical applications, as well as standards of professionalism.

Grade System

The school uses a standard 4.0 scale to calculate grade point averages.

Grades will not be rounded until the final grade is calculated. To calculate the final grade percentage, the final total points are divided by the total points available for the course. If the final percentage is less than a whole number, the following rules are utilized to determine the score by a whole number:

• When the number is .50 or greater, the score is rounded to the next highest number. (i.e., 79.50 = 80)
•  When the number is .49 or less, the score is rounded to the next lowest number.  (i.e., 92.49 = 92)

Other letter grades:

Expected Graduation Date: All course withdrawals (W, WP, WF Grades), course incompletion (I Grade), and course failures (F, FA grades) will impact the expected graduation date.

Students will receive an email notification when the graduation date is impacted as a result of a course withdrawal, a course incompletion, or a course failure. Once the course retake has been scheduled, students will be able to access the updated graduation date on the student portal.

Grades are posted on the student portal at cvportal.lafilm.edu in week 2 of the following term. 

PASS/FAIL GRADING POLICY

Students may request to take up to 15 credit hours on a Pass/Fail basis. Requests must be submitted before the end of the course term. Grades of A+ through D will be converted to a P (Pass). A passing grade (P) will count toward degree program requirements but will not be used in calculating the student’s GPA (i.e., will have no positive or negative impact on the GPA). A (F) failing grade is treated the same as any other F grade (i.e., the credits are included in SAP calculation and will have a negative impact on GPA).

Grade Appeals

Faculty members are responsible for clearly stating the instructional objectives of the course at the beginning of each term and for evaluating student achievement in a manner consistent with the stated objectives. Students are responsible for maintaining standards of academic performance established in the syllabus for each course in which they are enrolled. The grade appeal procedure provides a formal process for students to request a review of final grades that they think were incorrectly awarded.

The burden of proof rests with the student to demonstrate that the grade assigned for the course was made on the basis of any of the following conditions:

• A grading decision was made on some basis other than performance and other than as a penalty for academic dishonesty.
• A grading decision was based on standards unreasonably different from those that were applied to other students.
• A grading decision was based on a substantial, unreasonable, or unannounced departure from the course objectives and assignments.

The student must submit a grade appeal, in writing, to the course instructor who issued the grade no later than 14 calendar days after the grade is posted and available for the student to see through their student portal account. If, after subsequent consultation with the course instructor, the student is not satisfied and wishes to pursue the issue, or if the instructor is not available or does not respond within 7 days, the student should submit the appeal in writing to the Program Director. Documentation supporting the grade change based on the appropriate category set forth above is to be submitted with the appeal.

If no appeal is filed within this time period, the grade shall be considered final. The Program Director will discuss the matter with the student and with the course instructor, arrive at a decision, and will document the appeal and the Director’s response.

This decision is final.

Graduation Requirements

To earn a degree from any LAFS program, students must complete all program requirements, including all required coursework, with an overall cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0.

Maximum Time to Complete the Program

Students must complete their program within 150% of the published program length, measured in attempted credit hours.

Examples:

60-credit associate degree → maximum of 90 attempted credits.

120-credit bachelor’s degree → maximum of 180 attempted credits.

Should the student not complete the program within the above length, the student may continue but will lose financial aid eligibility.

Honors

Degree honors are awarded to students who graduate with the following enrollment cumulative GPA:

Interruption of Training

In extenuating circumstances, students may apply for an Interruption in Training (IOT) from their program. Students must submit the request in writing, and it must be approved by the school prior to taking an IOT. The maximum time allowed for an IOT is 90 days in a 12-month period. Students who are unable to return after 90 days due to serious illness, injury, or other extenuating circumstances may request an extension. However, students cannot be on an IOT for more than 180 days in any 12-month period.

Students on an IOT are not allowed to access campus facilities or equipment and are not eligible to receive financial aid disbursements. Students who fail to resume their courses at the end of an IOT will be administratively withdrawn from their program.

International students studying on an F-1 visa may need to abide by additional Federal restrictions and should speak with a Designated School Official (DSO) concerning how an interruption of training may affect their visa status.

ANNUAL VACATION – International students may apply for Annual Vacation after completing one academic year (two consecutive semesters). An Annual Vacation may be granted for up to 90 days (three consecutive terms). If a student requests fewer than 3 terms of Annual Vacation, any unused terms will be forfeited. Students on Annual Vacation are not allowed to access campus facilities or equipment. Students who do not resume their courses at the end of their approved Annual Vacation will be administratively withdrawn from their program. All Annual Vacation requests must be submitted to Academic Advising.

International students studying on an F-1 visa may need to abide by additional Federal restrictions and should speak with a Designated School Official (DSO) concerning how an annual vacation may affect their visa status.

In extenuating circumstances, international students may apply for a Medical Interruption of Training (IOT). All Medical IOT requests must be supported by appropriate documentation and are subject to review and approval by Academic Advising and the Designated School Official (DSO). A doctor’s note on official medical letterhead that clearly specifies the requested leave dates is required.

Language of Instruction

All courses of instruction are taught in English. The institution does not offer instruction in any language other than English. The school does not offer English language services such as translators or ESL classes.

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