STUDENT HANDBOOK

Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations in the Student Handbook.

 

ADA STATEMENT

NCTC will adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and guidelines concerning providing reasonable accommodations to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Office for Students with Disabilities to arrange appropriate accommodations.  See the OSD Syllabus Addendum.

 

AI STATEMENT

Absent a clear statement from a course instructor, use of or consultation with generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or other similar technologies shall be treated analogously to assistance from another person, agency, or entity. In particular, using generative AI tools to substantially complete an assignment or exam is not permitted. Students should acknowledge the use of generative AI (other than incidental use) and default to disclosing such assistance when in doubt.

 

When students use generative AI to replace the rigorous demands of personal engagement with their coursework, it runs counter to the educational mission of the college and undermines the heart of education itself. Artificial Intelligence, large language models, and other such technologies hold promise for deploying knowledge in service to others and accelerating the discovery of new knowledge. However, such technology poses new challenges to pedagogy and integrity. Within the context of the teaching mission of the college and consistent with the Student Code of Conduct, the authority to define the appropriate use, study, and deployment of these technologies rests with the faculty.

 

Individual course instructors, in coordination with their divisions, set policies regulating the use of generative AI tools in their courses, including allowing or disallowing some or all uses of such tools. Course instructors will set such policies in their course syllabi and communicate such policies to students. Students who are unsure of policies regarding generative AI tools are encouraged to ask their instructors for clarification.

 

STUDENT SERVICES

NCTC provides a multitude of services and resources to support students.  See the Student Services Syllabus Addendum for a listing of those departments and links to their sites.

 

                                            QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS

The student should contact the instructor to deal with any questions, concerns, or complaints specific to the class.  If the student and faculty are not able to resolve the issue, the student may contact the chair or coordinator of the division.  If the student remains unsatisfied, the student may proceed to contact the instructional dean.

 

Name of Chair/Coordinator: Stephanie Lindsey

Office location: Gainesville 1500 Building, Room 1532

Telephone number: 940-668-3314

E-mail address: slindsey@nctc.edu

 

Name of Instructional Dean: Debbie Huffman

Office location: Gainesville, Career & Technology Center

Telephone number: 940-668-3357

E-mail address: dhuffman@nctc.edu

 

 

 

 

Communication and Contact Policy

 Use the Canvas Inbox to communicate with your instructor or other students. Do not contact your instructor through any other means. You may request a face-to-face meeting with your professor through the Inbox or WebEx.

The Canvas Inbox allows your instructor to:

• See your name and course
• Prevent messages from getting lost in spam

It is inappropriate to email the entire class. Such emails:

• Are not relevant to others
• May be considered collusion and scholastic dishonesty

                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Before emailing your instructor:

• Address them appropriately (Ms., Professor, etc.)
• Use proper grammar
• Avoid text-message style
• Do not play the "blame game."
• Be mindful of the tone, as emails are a written record

Instructors strive to respond to emails within 24 hours during the work week. Emails sent after 5:00 p.m. on Thursday may not be answered until Monday. If you do not receive a response within this timeframe, please resend your email.

Course Information

College education is designed to broaden your knowledge base. All material covered may be referenced on exams. Do not expect the body of knowledge to be narrowed by “reviews” from which test questions will be selected. 

The instructor has the right to change any assignment or information taught on that given day. It is the student’s responsibility to be present during scheduled class time, and failure to do so could result in missing assignments for that day. 

Dropping/Withdrawing from a Course

• Dropping a course without a “W” must be done before the official date of record (approximately 2 weeks after classes begin).
• Withdrawing from a course after this date will result in a “W” on your transcript.
• Notify your instructor if you decide to drop the course.
• The final day to withdraw from a 16-week course with a “W” is November 3^rd, 2025

You are responsible for initiating the withdrawal process, even for excessive absences.                        Visit NCTC Drop/Withdraw Course for instructions.

 

Exam Information

If you need to miss an exam due to illness:

• Petition your instructor through your Canvas Inbox and attach the original documentation (e.g., doctor's note). No other form will be accepted. The doctor’s note must be dated and signed.
• Schedule a makeup exam time with your instructor. Failure to attend the rescheduled exam will result in forfeiture of the right to retake it.
• This policy applies only to written exams; practical exams cannot be rescheduled.
• Missed tests cannot be made up without prior arrangements, proper documentation, and approval from the instructor.
• Do not request early or late access to exams without a valid, documented excuse. Personal plans, like vacations, are not considered valid excuses.
• When returning to school after an absence, you must bring a note from a professional, on professional letterhead, stating the days of absence.
• You will have TWO school days to make up any missed tests during the absence.

Grades

• Grades will be posted in Canvas. Allow time for grades to sync and for discussions and projects to be graded.
• No extra credit or redo assignments will be offered unless initiated by the instructor.

It is your responsibility to monitor your grades. Contact your instructor through Canvas within 48 hours if you have questions about your grades. If grades are not posted on time, email your instructor.

 

Important: Requests for extra credit, grade adjustments, or late submissions will be denied. All students are held to the same standards.

Late or Make-up Assignments

• No late work or make-up assignments will be accepted.
• All assignments will have due dates. Work not completed by the due date will receive a zero. Assignments may be posted throughout the semester and not listed at the start of the semester.
• Submissions a minute late will be considered late and will not be accepted. Plan accordingly.

Attendance Policy

Regular and punctual attendance is expected. Unauthorized absences will not be excused except in cases of illness or emergencies, with proper documentation. High School or College-sponsored activities are the only excused absences if documented in advance.

• Students will not be allowed to clock in if more than 10 minutes late after their scheduled arrival time. No excuse will be accepted.
• Smartphones are not allowed in classrooms during lectures.

 

Prohibited

This course assumes that all work submitted by students will be generated by the students themselves, working individually or in groups. Students should not have another person/entity do the writing of any substantive portion of an assignment for them, which includes hiring a person or a company to write assignments and using artificial intelligence tools (from UMass Amherst Center for Teaching and Learning)

 

Specific Use

Use of ChatGPT (or other similar tools that generate text) is allowed in this class for specific assignments only. When use of the tool is allowed, it will be explicitly noted in the assignment directions. If you utilize ChatGPT for any part of the assignment (from idea generation to text creation to text editing), you must properly cite the source. (from UVM Center for Student Conduct)

 

Encouraged or Permitted

The use of generative AI in this course is encouraged with certain tasks and with attribution. You can choose to use AI tools to help brainstorm assignments or projects or revise existing work you have written. When you submit your assignment, you must clearly attribute what text was generated by the AI tool. (from UT Center for Teaching and Learning)

 

 

THE OFFICE FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

 

The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides accommodations for students with disabilities. OSD counselors and advisors also provide strategies for academic success; individual, career, and academic counseling services; referrals to campus and community services; and assistance with admission and registration.

 

Students with disabilities do not need to disclose their disabilities to college officials if they are not requesting any accommodations.

 

OSD is federally funded through the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Federal Grant.

 

NCTC is committed to making its degree and certificate programs accessible to all qualified persons in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA Amendments Act, and The Rehabilitation Act (1973), Section 504.

 

 

 

 

 

REQUEST SERVICES

 

New Students

 

Accommodations require preparation in advance. Please make your request before the semester begins to ensure complete coverage for the entire semester. You can certainly request accommodations after the semester starts, but please be aware that accommodations are not retroactive. 

Accommodations begin when OSD approves them. In other words, the sooner, the better.

 

*Documentation is required before any accommodations can be provided. Depending on your diagnosis, this documentation should come from a medical doctor, psychologist, or other licensed or properly credentialed professional.

 

Current Students

 

Contact the OSD at the beginning of each semester well in advance of registration.

 

Contact Us

 

Please reach out to us to schedule an intake or if you have questions or concerns.

 

Wayne Smith, OSD Manager, kwsmith@nctc.edu, (940) 498-6207

Yvonne Sandmann, OSD Advisor, ysandmann@nctc.edu, (940) 668-3300

 

https://www.nctc.edu/osd

 

LIBRARY

NCTC has brick-and-mortar libraries on the Gainesville, Corinth, Flower Mound, and Bowie campuses that are staffed by credentialed librarians wanting to help you succeed in your college career. All students are welcome at any library.

 

On campus? Visit our website www.nctc.edu/library.

 

Off-campus? Our research databases are now available in OneLogin.

 

For Virtual Assistance from a librarian, please use https://www.nctc.edu/ask-a-librarian or schedule a virtual appointment in Upswing, accessed through OneLogin

 

Please visit www.nctc.edu/library for the operating hours, phone number, and email of the library nearest you.