Advisee Information

Mr. Sewell is the Carrollton Campus Advisor for the Business Information Division - Marketing Management program. My responsibilities as a faculty advisor include:

Help students define and develop realistic educational career plans.
Assist students in planning a program consistent with their abilities and interests.
Discuss and reinforce linkages and relationships between instructional program and occupational/ career.
Interpret and provide rationale for instructional policies, procedures, and requirements.
Approve such educational transactions as registration for courses, drop/add, withdrawal, change of status, course substitution, or graduation application.
Refer students when academic or personal problems require intervention by other professionals.
Inform students of the nature of the advisor/advisee relationship.
Transfer advisee to another advisor if necessary.
Assist advisees in identifying career opportunities.
Develop a mentoring relationship with advisees.
Inform advisees of special services available to them for remediation, academic assistance, financial assistance, and other support.
Maintain an advising record for each advisee.

Students also have responsibilities. These responsibilities include:

Clarify personal values, abilities, interests and goals.
Contact the advisor when required or when in need of assistance.
Notify the advisor when unable to keep an appointment.
Become knowledgeable and adhere to institutional policies, procedures, and requirements.
Prepare for advising sessions and bring appropriate resources or materials.
Follow through on actions identified during each advising session.
Evaluate the advising system, when requested, in order to strengthen the advising process.
Request re-assignment to a different advisor if necessary.
Accept final responsibility for all academic decisions.

Ability to Benefit Testing

Students who do not have a high school diploma or GED and wish to apply for financial aid must take the Ability to Benefit Test (ASSET) administered through the office of Student Services.

Academic Probation

Students who earn a quarterly grade point average of less than 2.0 will be placed on academic probation during the next quarter. Such students will be instructed to meet with their advisor to develop intervention strategies. Some suggested intervention strategies might include the following:

Taking a lighter course load to allow more time for each course
Decreasing work hours on job
Using the resources available in the Library or HELP Lab for remediation
Using the math tutoring service available through the General Education office
Forming a study group or finding an advanced student who would be willing to provide some help outside class
Increasing productivity by spending time between classes in a lab or Library working on course work
Analyzing time management or work habits to determine barriers to efficiency in course work
Repeating any failed courses as quickly as possible to remove the failing grade from the grade point average and to take advantage of material learned in the first attempt
Making an effort to make class work, homework, and notes more organized and thorough to provide better study materials
Asking instructor to suggest materials or resources which might help with problem areas.

ASSET Scores

Asset score requirements are distributed quarterly from the Office of Student Services. Please refer to the requirements and direct any questions to the General Education department.

ASSET Exemptions

SAT, ACT, or CPE scores may be accepted in lieu of the ASSET/COMPASS scores for admission purposes. The scores for Diploma and Certificates are:

SAT -scores of 430 on Verbal skills for English and/or 400 on Math Skills.
ACT - 18 on Verbal for Writing and/or 16 on Math.
CPE - 75 on Reading and Writing for English and 75 on Math.

Associate Degree programs have different requirements:

SAT -scores of 460 on Verbal skills for English and 440 on Math Skills.
ACT - 22 on Verbal for Writing and/or 20 on Math.
CPE –75 on Reading and Writing for English and 75 on Math.

At-Risk Students or Students with Documented Disabilities

Special Needs Services provides students who have a documented disability with accommodations to aid them in the learning process at West Central Technical College. If a student has any condition, physical or learning disability and would like accommodations in class, please notify the course instructor and Ely Elefante eelefant@westcentraltech.edu, the Coordinator for Special Needs. During the first two weeks of the course, students should contact the Coordinator for Special Needs at (770)537-5727 and schedule an intake counseling session.

Career Exploration

Career exploration is available through the Office of Student Services. Interested students should contact an admissions counselor to schedule an appointment.

Change of Status Forms

Students must submit a Change of Status form to change from one program to another or from one award (certificate, diploma, or degree) to another. Before the Change of Status is approved, all entrance test scores and transfer credits will be re-evaluated in light of the requirements of the program or award requested. These students will also be required to check with the Financial Aid Office to determine whether the change will affect their eligibility for certain financial aid programs. The change of status form is also used to report changes in name, address, or telephone number.

Confidentiality of Student Records

In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, students have the right to review, inspect, and challenge the accuracy of information kept in a cumulative file by the college unless the student waives the right. The law further ensures that records may not be released except in emergency situations without the written consent of the student. Exceptions may be made for faculty or school officials with a legitimate education interest.

Course Load

The institutional Course Load Policy requires permission from Instructional Services Division for students to register for more than 20 hours per quarter. Students must consider their work and family situations and other time commitments to determine whether they are more interested in completing a program in the minimum required time period or in completing the program with optimal academic success.

Course Exemption Exam

A student who possesses special technical aptitude or knowledge obtained through one or more prior courses or work experience may challenge a course for credit by examination. The student should understand that Credit by Examination differs from Independent Study in that the instructor will not provide assistance in preparing for such examinations. Students are informed of the score required to receive credit. Students should read the course description in the catalog, talk with students who have taken the course, or preview the course text in the campus bookstore to decide their readiness to challenge a course. There is a non-refundable fee which must be paid prior to taking this exam. The student must have a receipt to present to the faculty member when the exam is administered.

Drop/Add/Withdrawal (Change of Registration Form)

Students may drop or add a course without academic penalty within the first two consecutive calendar days following the beginning date for any quarter. All schedule changes must be processed by a Change of Registration Form and approved by the instructor and the academic advisor, who should also note in the student's advising folder when courses are added or dropped during the quarter. All requests to drop or add a class should be approved by the Financial Aid Office if the student is receiving any type of financial assistance.

A student may withdraw from a class after the official drop/add period but before the sixth week of the term. Students who withdraw during this time period will be assigned a grade of "W". A student who stops attending one or more classes but does not officially drop or withdraw will receive a failing grade for the course.

Federal Credit Hours

Federal credit hours for courses that are part of most diploma or certificate programs are calculated by dividing the clock hours for the class by two. Federal credit hours for courses which are part of degree programs or some diploma and certificate programs are the same as the credit hours for the course.

Financial Aid Facts

Financial aid will not pay for students to audit classes (AU) or exempt classes through Credit by Examination (EX). All students must follow the proper procedures to withdraw or drop/add classes. The last day to drop/add is the seventh day into the quarter. This includes weekends and holidays.

Associate degree majors may receive HOPE if they meet the following requirements:

1993 or later high school graduate with a B average or 45/90/135 credit hours that will transfer into their program of study with a B average. Students must apply as soon as they complete 45 hours with a B average. If not eligible at this time, they may reapply after 90 hours or 135 hours.

For students who have passed a course with an A, B, C, or D, Financial Aid will not pay for them to repeat that course for a better grade. However, Financial Aid will pay for repeat courses for failure grades. (If a grade of “C” or “D” is failing in your program, Financial Aid will count that class as a failure, “0” quality points, for Satisfactory Progress purposes.)

No certificate programs are Pell eligible. Certificate programs will be HOPE eligible only.

Post Secondary Option (PSO)

High school students who are 16 years old and classified as a junior or senior may enroll in courses at WCTC to receive credit toward the high school graduation requirements through the Post Secondary Option program. One high school credit is equal to 7.5 quarter hours at WCTC. Students should take the placement examination in Reading Skills and Writing Skills, Numerical Skills and algebra.

Prerequisites

For all returning students, be sure to check for satisfactory progress in prerequisite courses before registering them in advanced courses. The course descriptions in the catalog describe the requirements for satisfactory progress. In General Studies courses, a grade of C or better is required to progress to the more advanced course.

Residency Requirement

Transfer students must complete at least 50% of their course work at West Central Technical College before being issued an academic award.

Student Classification

Student who are registered for 12 credit hours or more during a quarter are classified as full-time. The maximum number of credit hours that a student may carry without permission from Instructional Services is 20. Students who register for fewer than 12 credit hours per term are classified as part-time.

Transfer Credit

If students have completed course work at another institution, official transcripts should be sent to the WCTC Office of Admissions. Transfer credit will be evaluated during the quarter in which the student enrolls (if transcripts have been received). Notification of credit will be given on the grade report at the end of the quarter.