Extended Campus Handbook

The Course Request Chart must be received at least 60 days prior to the first class session. The course syllabus must be attached to the Course Request chart. If a course has been previously approved or offered in the past, 30 days is sufficient time for approval. The syllabus for a pre-approved course must be submitted at least seven days before the start of the course.

• Undergraduate courses are numbered 1000-4999 
• Graduate courses are numbered 6000-9999
  • 6000-level numbers are reserved for professional development courses
  • Numbers 7000-9999 are assigned graduate courses (higher course numbers imply higher level courses) (Appendix 2)
  • Graduate courses must contain study of an advanced nature involving a review of empirical research and philosophical issues relevant to the course objectives that are synthesized in an assignment that demonstrates the ability to critically analyze a topic or theory.
     

A new course offered through a specific department on a trial basis is assigned a “Topics” prefix and number, e.g. “CRAR 8300 Topics . . .” A “Topics” course may be offered only twice before it must be submitted for full approval by the academic department, then by the Graduate Council and finally by the University President. This process can take a year to complete. If it is not approved, it cannot be offered again.  Courses with a PRDV (Professional Development) prefix do not need to go through the Graduate Council and can be offered multiple times. 

Students in Extended Campus Programs who are taking online or hybrid courses must register for the course a minimum of 10 days prior to the start date of the course if the partner is using Fitchburg State's Blackboard LMS. 

All courses must adhere to the Education Department syllabus template and rubric for Education courses and the new syllabus guidelines for all other courses. All syllabi must include the most recent Extended Campus Library information.

Each course must contain no fewer than the minimum number of instructional hours prescribed as follows:

• 3 credits: 37.5 instructional (contact) hours and 75 out-of-class work hours
• 2 credits: 25 instructional hours and 50 out-of-class work hours
• 1 credit: 12.5 instructional hours and 25 out-of-class work hours

These hours are minimum hours that meet Carnegie unit requirements. Carnegie units assure that for each contact hour, there are two hours of course related work outside the class. These hours are exclusive of breaks, lunch hours, etc. 

Special scheduling is at the discretion of the University and requires prior written approval. This scheduling includes special scheduling for intensive courses offered in a compressed time frame, such as three credit courses of less than two weeks duration. A Special Scheduling Request Form must be submitted along with the Course Request Chart. 

The maximum enrollment for any course shall not exceed 30 students without the express written per-mission of the appropriate dean seven days prior to the start of the course. 

Course instructors and/or agency administrators must check rosters at the start of each course to ensure that credit-seeking students have registered and are on the FSU roster. 

Students may withdraw from a course without academic penalty prior to the eleventh class or the twenty-sixth class hour for special or institute scheduling courses. Any student who does not attend class, but fails to notify the course instructor and the Extended Campus partner, shall automatically receive a failing grade for the course. It is the partner's responsibility to notify us about the withdrawal.

Prior to developing new courses or programs, agencies are required to consult with the Director of Extended Campus Programs. The University database is extensive and may contain syllabi that will align with the desired new course. The University will work with the agency to determine whether the desired course meets the requirements of a course already in the database. If so, the process will eliminate the need for a “Topics” course.

Steps to follow with a New Course Idea:

• Contact Associate Dean of SGOCE
• Review syllabi in database
• Course Matches: Use existing course prefix and number, imbed specific needs into the syllabus and submit a Course Request Form.
• No Course Match: Work with department faculty to develop a research-based course.
  • Once the course is developed and approved by the Program Chair, the agency will submit the new course on the Course Request Chart. The course will be listed as a Topics course that can be submit-ted for acceptance into the university catalog.

If an instructor is not an approved member of the University adjunct faculty pool, the Agency must submit the following documents 30 days prior to the start of the course:

• Resume
• National Student Clearinghouse release (Masters Degree or higher- terminal degree preferred)
• Adjunct Faculty Pool Form and Master File Form

• Student Evaluations of Faculty - The university will email student evaluation forms to students directly. It is critical that the agencies remind their students to fill these out at the completion of their course. The evaluations are anonymous and results will be emailed to the instructor directly. 
• Adjunct Faculty Evaluations  - Program Chairs, the Associate Dean of the School of Graduate, Online and Continuing Education and/or the Deans will schedule classroom visitations to evaluate courses offered at agencies during the period of the contract. The office of the Dean of Graduate, Online, and Continuing Education  (SGOCE) is responsible for sharing the results of these evaluations with the instructor and program chair. The instructor must acknowledge receipt of the evaluation. Copies of the evaluation results are maintained in the office of Extended Campus Programs.

To access class lists and grade rosters go to:  https://facultyssb.fitchburgstate.edu/

• Contact agency advisor or an SGOCE  enrollment coordinator, Jen Murray at gceadvisor@ fitchburgstate.edu or call 978.665.3660.
• Request a plan of study for the degree program you wish to pursue.

• Go to www.fitchburgstate.edu/admissions/graduate/apply to learn how to apply for a graduate degree.
• Contact an SGOCE Admissions Counselor at gceadmissions@fitchburgstate.edu if you have additional questions.
• Graduate Students—check on the Admissions website to see if the program you are applying to requires additional testing.
• Undergraduate and International Students should contact Admissions for further details and visit www.fitchburgstate.edu/admissions.

• Your University Credentials, is the username and password used to access various resources at Fitchburg State. Your credentials allow you to access campus technology systems such as your email account, Blackboard online courses, lab/classroom computers, Fitchburg State Alert, library resources, and more.
• It also enables you to connect to Wi-Fi and register devices on the network.
• Most university applications can be found on the Login Portal at login.fitchburgstate.edu.
• You receive your credentials in your welcome email. Your username will be the first part of your email address (e.g., jsmith1), and your initial password is FSU-XXXXXXXX.
• Where X’s are, you will use the last eight digits of your Banner ID number (e.g., FSU-12345678). Your faculty/staff ID number can be located on the front or back of your OneCard or in your new hire workflow email from Human Resources. For increased security, we strongly recommend you change your initial password

• Fitchburg State University offers you the convenience of a campus One Card system. The One Card is the official Fitchburg State University identification card and you'll use it to access many services around campus—it's your library card, recreation center pass, meal card, door key, access to campus events and more. You can store funds on your card so you can pay for things around campus without carrying cash. One Cards are issued by the One Card Office
• Please visit www. fitchburgstate.edu/onecard or call 978.665.3039 for more information.

Go to MyFalcon (MyFalcon requires your Fitchburg State University student email). Once students have registered for a course or been admitted to a program, they will be given their credentials and can obtain a One Card.

• Graduate students cannot take more than twelve graduate credits if they have not been formally admitted into a program and plan to pursue a degree.
• Review distance learning guidelines at www.fitchburgstate.edu/distance/.

• New Extended Campus students, without a student record, still create their student record.
• Once the new student record is created, an automatic email is sent to the student with their university email address and password.
• An additional email is sent to the student with the new link to MyFalcon to register for their course.

• Returning Extended Campus students (meaning they already have a student record) can go directly to MyFalcon to register for their course.
• All students will need to have multi-factor authentication (MFA) set up to access MyFalcon and their university email account.
• Once an Extended Campus student is registered for their course, they will receive an automatic email notification with payment information (if applicable).

The Agency shall require that all instructors adhere to the following grading system:

Undergraduate Student Grades

Grades are awarded on a numerical scale as follows: 

• The purpose of an incomplete course is to account for extraordinary circumstances in students’ academic and personal lives and to accommodate a need for extra time.
• Instructors may assign an incomplete grade (IN) at their discretion if a student has completed 80% of the coursework and only when it is mathematically possible for a student to pass the class with a 2.0 or higher, on successful completion of the incomplete work.
• Instructors will assign a deadline for completion of the work no later than the last day of classes of the next semester.  (Semesters Include, Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer).  If the student does not complete the work, this will result in an automatic grade of 0 for the course.
• Students should be aware that, while an IN is not counted in the determination of academic standing, it may have an impact on eligibility for financial aid, athletic participation, and the satisfaction of prerequisite credits.

Graduate Student Grades

* An Incomplete may be awarded with the recommendation of the instructor when the student has completed 80% of the coursework but cannot complete the remainder due to illness or some other serious reason. The student must complete the work and the instructor must submit a change of grade to the University Registrar within four weeks of the following semester. Failure to do so will result in an automatic grade of 0.0 for the course.

** A grade of IP may be awarded for a thesis, practicum, internship, or clinical experience at the end of a semester or other instructional period when the student has made progress but has not yet completed all work. Practica and internships need to be completed within two semesters. Theses need to be completed within three semesters. Once the student has completed all work, the instructor must submit a change of grade to the University Registrar. If the work is not completed within the allotted time, the IP will be changed to an IN or a 0.0.

All students must register no later than the second class meeting or 14 days following the first class, whichever occurs first. Registration and payment must meet the conditions of the Letter of Agreement. The agency shall require students to pay tuition at the time of registration for a course. Students are not considered registered by the university until tuition has been paid to the university. In courses which are special scheduling, there is no refund to the student. 

All advertising must be approved by Fitchburg State Extended Campus Programs PRIOR to implementation. Advertising and promotional literature shall be developed and published by the Agency at its sole expense. This policy insures consistency with published University policies. The agency’s promotional materials shall not be published without the university’s prior written approval and must be sent to the office of Extended Campus Programs at least 10 days prior to printing.

Prior to implementing a new degree program a completed and approved Request to Implement form is required. The form must be submitted to the university at least 60 days prior to the start date for new programs and 30 days prior for replacement programs. Plans of Study must be attached to each Request to Implement.

Degree-seeking students should be following their Degree Works as the official record of degree completion. Plans of Study must be submitted to the Registrar's Office by the program chair so that a student's Degree Works can be updated accordingly.

Programs that lead to teacher licensure that are being sponsored through Fitchburg State University must work with the Academic Program Chair or Manager to monitor student progression through the appro-priate gates or stages of the licensure process.  A schedule will be set up and attached to the Request to Implement Form along with the Plan of Study. 

Approved Department of Education District-Based Licensure programs using Fitchburg State University courses and/or degrees will be so designated on the Request to Implement Form. A copy of the approved licensure program will be provided to the university.

Faculty and courses in degree programs must be approved by both the Department Chair for the major and the Program Chair or Manager as well as by the appropriate Dean and Associate Dean of Extended Campus Programs. 

Degree programs require two annual faculty meetings with the Associate Dean of the School of Graduate, Online and Continuing Education and the Graduate Program Chair / Undergraduate Program Manager, and the Dean of Education / Dean of Graduate, Online, and Continuing Education.

To insure library-services, students must pre-register for degree-program courses at least 10 days prior to class start dates.  https://www.fitchburgstate.edu/library/facilities-services/technology-assistance

Students seeking degree programs must apply for admission into the program immediately. The criteria for admissions can be found at www.fitchburgstate.edu/admissions/graduate. 

The Graduate Chair of each program reviews and approves the acceptance of all transfer courses. No more than 6 credits from an accredited institution or 12 credits from Fitchburg State can be transferred into a program. This number includes courses taken at Fitchburg State University prior to acceptance as a degree candidate. All university policies as stated in the catalog at the time of admission into the program must be followed. Students should be advised to complete the “Request for Transfer of Graduate Credit” in the application packet which facilitates the course transfer process.

Agency Degree Candidates

At the start of each semester the agency must supply Graduate Program Chairs and the Associate Dean of the School of Graduate, Online, and Continuing Education programs with lists of all degree program participants including address, phone number and email address for each student.

The university assigns an advisor or site coordinator who acts as the academic advisor to degree seeking students upon acceptance into a degree or certificate program. This person is the primary contact for all advising questions. If there are problems reaching him/her, the SGOCE Advisor can assist you. General academic advising is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.– 5 p.m. at 978.665.3660.