Definitions

Full-Time: A student who is registered for at least 12 credits in any given semester. Only the credits as part of a student’s program of study will be considered when determining financial aid eligibility.

Part-Time: A student who is registered for fewer than 12 credits.

Matriculated: A student who applies to and is officially accepted by the College in a program is said to be matriculated. The status remains until the student withdraws officially from the program or college or is dismissed for academic or disciplinary reasons or upon graduation. Matriculation defines a student’s program of study and ensures that courses taken will meet program requirements.

Non-Matriculated: A student who is enrolled in a course or courses but who has not officially been accepted into a College program. A student who has taken individual courses and then decided to work for a degree should commit to a specific program and formally matriculate after proper counseling prior to the satisfactory completion of 9 semester hours in appropriate courses. In order to ensure that credits earned meet program of study requirements, a student should matriculate as early as possible.

Active Status: A matriculated student who has not officially withdrawn from a program or the College or has not registered for classes within a given semester, but returns to the College within three semesters will remain active and eligible to register for classes under the original program of study. All others must reapply to the program/college and follow the new program of study. Matriculated students who have not registered for three consecutive semesters will be automatically withdrawn from the College.

Credit Hour Guidelines

1. A credit hour shall be the equivalent of one (1) hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for 15 or 16 weeks.
2. A semester credit hour shall be comprised of the following:

1. Internship Definition: A capstone educational experience that allows a student to independently apply skills and knowledge acquired in major field courses in a workplace setting. While the goals and expected outcomes of the internship experience are determined by faculty, specific daily work activities are assigned by the on-site supervisor, and students are supervised and evaluated on-site by an employee of the company hosting the internship. Individual departments must approve internship sites, determine assessment requirements, and set minimum standards for eligibility. Faculty will typically visit (in person or virtually) students and supervisors at the internship site a minimum of 1-3 times per semester and will collaborate with the on-site supervisor in the assessment of student performance. Internships may be paid or unpaid, and one credit is awarded for every 3-6 hours of internship per week for a 15/16-week semester (prorated accordingly for shorter semesters).
2. Practicum Definition: An educational experience that allows a student to work with professional practitioners, typically in an education or social work setting, while concurrently enrolled in a course that meets regularly to help groups of students assigned to different practicum sites integrate their experiences with learned theory. Students work collaboratively with on-site professionals to observe and perform activities under the guidance of on-site staff. Faculty work with on-site professionals to determine the appropriate types of activities to ensure that students gain experience that meets specified program goals and outcomes. Individual departments must approve practicum sites, determine assessment requirements, and set minimum standards for eligibility. Faculty will typically visit (in person of virtually) students and supervisors at the practicum site a minimum of 1-2 times per semester and will collaborate with the on-site supervisor in the assessment of student performance. Practicum experiences are typically unpaid, and one credit is awarded for every 3 hours of practicum per week for a 15/16-week semester (prorated accordingly for shorter semesters).
3. Clinical Definition: An educational experience that allows a student to develop skills in applying theory to practice in a patient care setting. Students are supervised directly on site by college faculty, who work collaboratively with on-site staff at the facility, and are directly assessed by college faculty in accordance with published evaluation criteria. Individual departments engage the clinical site through a legal Memorandum of Understanding, which defines criteria for student participation at the site. Clinical experiences are unpaid, and one credit is awarded for every 3-5 hours of clinical experience per week for a 15/16-week semester (prorated accordingly for shorter semesters).
4. Co-op Definition: A co-op is an educational program involving paid, productive work experience in a field related to the student’s major or career. The student is a full-time employee of the site and is not required to take classes during the duration of the co-op. Depending on the length of the co-op and criteria established by the sponsoring academic department, up to 4 credits may be awarded.
   
   Each college department will set standards for credit allocation and student eligibility to participate in a co-op. Individual department must approve co-op sites and will determine requirements (papers, journals, etc.) that must be met during the co-op. The co-op will be graded using the college’s grading system and credit will be awarded accordingly.

3. Awarding of credits for coursework offered in formats other than face-to-face (e.g., online, hybrid, accelerated, etc.) shall be based on documentation retained by the Academic Affairs Office that demonstrates equivalency to the above allocation chart.

NCC offers instruction in a variety of formats to meet the needs of different learners.

• ON-CAMPUS
  Class takes place in a physical, on-campus classroom.
• HYBRID
  Class is a combination of face-to-face meetings and online instruction/learning.
• FLEX
  Class exists fully remote via Zoom and fully on-campus at a designated time. Students have a choice of how to attend on any given day.
• ONLINE
  Class is 100% online with no required meeting times, but there will be assignment due dates each week.
• REMOTE
  Class will use a videoconferencing service like Zoom to meet at an assigned time to deliver live instruction. These virtual meetings are synchronous, meaning that they have assigned days and times for the online class meetings.

Regardless of format, all NCC classes utilize Canvas – the college’s online learning management system.

Instructors will post syllabi, course related documents and grades in Canvas.  Students may be required to submit assignments and/or take assessments through Canvas and/or participate in discussion boards. If class is ever cancelled because of instructor illness or inclement weather, students will need to check Canvas for their assignment.

 24/7 Canvas Support: To access support through email, phone or chat click on the eight-ball-question icon.  Students can also find guides, videos, and a Canvas community by clicking on the CCSNH Resources icon on the tool bar at the left of the Canvas screen then choosing Canvas Resources.

*NCC offers distance education courses and has processes in place to verify that the student who registers in a distance education course is the same student who participates in and completes the course and receives the academic credit. Verification may be accomplished through:

1. A secure login and pass code;
2. Proctored examinations;
3. Pedagogical and related practices that are effective in verifying student identity.

In carrying out these processes, NCC protects student privacy and will notify students at the time of registration or enrollment of any projected additional student charges associated with the verification of student identity.