Dear Students;
This announcement is to let you know about a change in our attendance policy and an update to our learner participation expectations, beginning with our Spring II session. First, please note that attendance is no longer going to be taken. In an online environment, participation is seen as a better indicator of student involvement and success.
Second, as you can read in our “Learner Participation” philosophy statement below, student interaction is better measured through regular and timely engagement with course material, other learners, and the instructor. In conjunction with our Learner Participation philosophy, we have revised the “Late Work Policy” to help you stay engaged. Please read the policy below carefully.
We expect the changes to result in a richer academic experience for everyone in our learning community.
Learner Participation
Azusa Pacific Online University sees active participation in the course as a means to build an effective learning community within an online environment. Learner engagement with other learners and the facilitating instructor is foundational to a successful academic experience.
Adult learners who dialog with their classmates and instructor on a regular basis (and in a meaningful fashion) typically do well in class. Relationship building can occur in many ways, including (but not limited to) participation in discussion forums, through group assignments, and in course chat rooms. Instructors are available for more personal discussions as well. Academic growth and development is achieved not only through the completion of scholastic work but also through participating in the academic community.
Late Work Policy
Assignments are considered late if they are not posted by either the stated time for any given assignment or by 11:59 pm Pacific Standard Time (PST) on the day they are due. Late assignments receive a 20% deduction for each day they are late, beginning one minute after the assignment is due, with no work accepted after 48 hours of the original due date with the exception of the final week, which ends on Friday at 11:59 pm PST. No late work is accepted after Friday of week 8. Late work will not be accepted for online discussions after the close of the week.
Technological issues are not considered acceptable excuses for late work. Always back up your work and have a plan for submitting assignments in the case of computer problems or lost Internet access.
Graded assignments are due on the days listed in the Course Calendar. All deadlines refer to Pacific Standard Time. The APOU course week begin on 8:00 am PST Monday and ends at 7:59 am PST the following Monday, with the exception of the final week, which ends on Friday at 11:59 pm PST. Therefore, no late work is accepted after Friday of week 8.