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Teaching and Research
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Academic Policies
Class Hours and Attendance Policy
Students are required to be in class or at the clinical sites at the scheduled times of all their stipulated sessions. Students are expected to come to class and clinical sessions prepared to participate, for example, by having completed indicated pre-readings and other expected assignments.
Classroom sessions are scheduled for nine hours, one day per week (8:30 AM - 5:30 PM). Each one-hour classroom session will include a ten-minute break. Students arriving within ten minutes of the start of a scheduled session will be marked as arriving late, whereas students who arrive more than ten minutes after the session has commenced will be marked as being absent from that particular session. Arriving late three times will be treated as being absent for one whole session.
A minimum of 85 per cent attendance of all sessions is required. If absenteeism amounts to more than 15 per cent, the Course Coordinator must be informed so that appropriate action can be agreed upon. However, students remain personally responsible to make arrangements with the lecturer to catch up on missed class notes, assignments, and/or tests.
Weekly clinical sessions (one day per week) are arranged in accordance with the requirements of the particular programme of study. Students must attend all clinical sessions and achieve the set objectives as scheduled. Any student who is unable to attend a clinical session must notify the appropriate lecturer in good time prior to the scheduled session.
Students will be allowed to miss up to one day of clinical time without penalty provided they can submit evidence of extenuating circumstances. Any student who is absent during clinical time for more than one day in a semester will be required to meet with the assigned lecturer in order to arrange to make up the missed clinical time and missed clinical objectives. Rescheduling and completion of clinical time will be at the discretion of the faculty.
A student who misses more than three days of clinical time may be required to repeat the entire module before being allowed to proceed to a clinical module at the next level.
Absence/Illness
A student who is unable to attend a classroom or clinical session due to illness or another legitimate reason should notify the concerned faculty member/clinical instructor prior to the scheduled session. In the case of an unexpected emergency, the faculty member should be informed at the first possible opportunity. It remains the responsibility of the student to submit a valid/authentic sick leave certificate to the Faculty Advisor within 24 hours of resumption of assigned sessions. In the case of an emergency, the student, upon his/her return, is expected to submit a formal note regarding the situation to the Academic Head.
Assignment Deferral Policy
All assignments should be submitted on time; failing to do so will result in the assignment being graded zero. In case of an anticipated delay in the submission of an assignment, the student must submit a written explanation to the concerned faculty member prior to the due date. Permission for such delay in submission will then be considered by the concerned faculty member. However, only in exceptional circumstances will late submission of assignments be allowed. The student could be asked to provide relevant evidence of the extenuating circumstances, and the concerned faculty member reserves the right to accept or deny the request for the deferral of an assignment. Students are responsible for submit the assignment on the agreed upon new date and time; failure to do so will result in rejection of the assignment and a grade of zero.
Only under unavoidable circumstances will a request for deferral be considered retrospectively.
The unavoidable circumstances could be one of the following:
- Dire medical problems (accepted only on the provision of a medical certificate);
- Death of an immediate family member;
- Serious illness/hospitalisation of own child/spouse/parents (accepted only on the provision of a medical certificate);
- If no arrangements are made by a student in regard to late submission of an assignment, the assignment will be graded zero.
Evaluation Method
The primary purpose of student evaluation is to assess learning. Students are encouraged to keep up with each module and evaluate themselves throughout the programme.
Assessment occurs throughout the semester through a variety of methods, such as written assignments and tests, oral presentations and practical experiences.
All tests and examinations must be written on the scheduled date unless the student makes alternative arrangements in advance with the faculty member. If there is a valid reason why the student could not give advance notice of a request to write the examination on an alternative date, alternative arrangements may still be agreed upon, failing which a grade of zero will be recorded for that particular test/examination.
All assignments must be submitted on time. Assignments that are submitted late without prior arrangement or a valid reason for extension of the due date will not be accepted and a grade of zero will be recorded.
In all modules with a clinical component, it is required that both the theory and clinical component must be passed in order to successfully complete the module. Students will be evaluated at the end of each clinical rotation and a final clinical evaluation/written examination for each module will be conducted at the end of each semester.
If a student, for reasons acceptable to the faculty, is unable to complete the coursework during the particular semester, a grade of “I” (incomplete) will be recorded. This must be corrected (i.e., the course work must be completed) within two weeks of the end of the semester or as arranged with the faculty. A final letter grade will be awarded once all the coursework is completed.
The pass mark for all modules is 50 per cent. However, students who achieve less than 55 per cent in any module may be subject to academic probation, as outlined further on in this document.
The grading scale that is used is as follows:
|
Grade |
Marks (%) |
Description |
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A |
80-100 |
Excellent - Distinction |
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B |
70-79 |
Good |
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C |
60-69 |
Average |
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D |
50-59 |
Pass |
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F |
49 and below |
Failure |
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I |
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Incomplete |
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W |
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Withdrawal |
The University uses the Cumulative Percentage Weighted Average (CPWA) system for reporting/recording the final grades of each student. The CPWA is computed on the basis of total marks (%) earned divided by the number of credit hours accumulated.
For example:
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Module Grade |
Marks |
(%) |
Credit Hours |
CPWA |
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Module XXX |
A |
80 |
4 |
80 x 4 = 320 |
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Module YYY |
B |
70 |
3 |
70 x 3 = 210 |
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|
7 |
530 |
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Final Grade for the programme: |
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530 / 7 = 75.71% |
The final transcript of the student will indicate Marks (%) achieved per module as well as the Final Grade (%) achieved by the student for the entire programme, as explained above.
Progressing in the Programme
All modules followed during a semester must be passed by the end of the semester in order to proceed to the next semester.
Supplementary/Re-sit Examinations
Students will be permitted to take one re-sit examination if they receive 49 per cent or less in the end of module examination. Students will be required to sit for the supplementary examination within two weeks after the release of the Semester Examination results and must pass the re-sit examination before the beginning of the next semester. Remedial coursework (for a minimum of eight hours) will be arranged for such students prior to the re-sit examination. In exceptional cases, alternative arrangements for the re-sit examination or permission for a second re-sit examination could be agreed upon pending consultation with the Academic Head and the Examination Committee.
A candidate who fails a supplementary examination shall repeat the module, when the module is next being offered. A candidate who fails a supplementary examination after repeating the module twice shall be discontinued from the programme.
Academic Probation
Any student who has a CPWA of less than 55 per cent at the end of a semester will be placed on an academic probation. This continues until a student completes one additional semester and achieves a CPWA of 55 per cent or higher. Detail of support provided to the student during probation is available on request. Failure to improve may lead to the student being withdrawn from the programme.
Withdrawal Policy
Withdrawal from any module is allowed until the start of the ninth week of a semester, and a ‘W’ will be recorded on the student’s transcript. Students unable to continue in a module or modules for major non-academic reasons, such as illness, may apply for permission to withdraw from the module. Such permission will only be granted in exceptional cases. Alternative arrangements for continuation will be negotiated by the Academic Head in consultation with the Regional Academic Coordinator and the Associate Dean, Nursing.
Dismissal
Continuation in a given programme is dependent upon meeting the academic and related requirements stipulated by the University as well as the ethical and professional standards as defined by the Aga Khan University (AKU) Student Code of Conduct and Safe Clinical Nursing Practice. Documented infringements of these codes can result in dismissal from the programme.
Academic Honesty
Refer to the AKU Student Code of Conduct and the Discipline and Grievance Policy included in this handbook.
Student Advisors
All students will be assigned a faculty member who will:
- Monitor assigned students’ progress and provide direction with modules;
- Counsel students with personal problems that could have an impact on their studies;
- Assess the stress level of students and help them to develop appropriate coping skills;
- Document interactions with students;
- Responsibilities of students towards their assigned advisors;
- Initiate appointments and agree to meet with their advisors at least twice per semester;
- Attend additional meetings initiated by their advisor.
Release of Results/Grades
All students must produce written evidence of clearance from the University Finance Officer before semester results are released. All tuition and other fees and dues including library books and fines must be cleared as per the student study agreement signed by the student.
A meeting of Admission and Progression Committee of the University shall be convened to consider the results and to make recommendations to the Academic Committee.
The Academic (Faculty Executive) Committee may accept, reject, vary or modify results and/or recommendations from the Admission and Progression Committee.
All examination results are only official once approved by the Academic (Faculty Executive) Committee.
Official results shall be communicated to the students by the Academic Head soon after the approval thereof by the Academic (Faculty Executive) Committee.
Requirements for Graduation
On successful completion of all academic and clinical requirements stipulated for the programme, students will be informed of the arrangements for their graduation ceremony.
Students will be required to clear all outstanding charges, such as relevant study fees, payment for lost or missing supplies, equipment or textbooks. (Refer to Checkout list included in Appendix V).
Awards
AKU has a policy of honouring its faculty and graduating students through the provision of special awards and recognition during the annual graduation ceremony.
Information regarding the various awards can be obtained from the Academic Head or Student Affairs office.
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