Repeat Course Policy Committee Members: Sheila Jones, Valerie Butterfield, Ann Isackson, Robin VanRooyen, Ashley Campanali, Katie Daniels, Katie Hughes

Why have a policy? To support student success and provide our students support in academic planning. Students and faculty should be aware of the academic impact of a student repeating coursework. Documented grading policies assist our transfer partners in articulating GRCC credit. Students that receive federal financial aid should be aware of regulations regarding repeated coursework.

Highlighted Table Top Feedback (Nov. 2016) What is a failing grade? What happens if a student withdraws? Course formats that are an exception to this should be mentioned within the policy. Departments should determine course formats that may be repeated multiple times for credit. Mixed feedback on limiting repeat attempts for students. Mixed feedback on including financial aid as part of the policy statement. Additional benchmarking requested.

Policy Benchmarking Reviewed policies and catalogs of 27 Michigan community colleges and reported this to AGC at the February meeting. Reviewed policies and catalogs of 6 of GRCC’s transfer partners: Grand Valley State University Ferris State University Western Michigan University Michigan State University Davenport Central Michigan University

Findings 11 schools benchmarked cap the number of class attempts at 3. This was the most common limit. 17 schools benchmarked use the student’s best attempt in GPA and overall credit calculations. The majority of the policies reviewed permit students to appeal for an additional attempt at a course by meeting with an Academic Advisor or Academic Dean/Department Head. The majority of policies were academic based and did not detail the federal financial aid repeat course policy. 4 schools benchmarked included a repeat course statement as a part of a grading/GPA policy. However, many repeat course policy statements were found within the school’s academic catalog alongside grading and student records policies.

GRCC Student Success Rates 2015-2016 Enrollments Grades A to C Success Rate (A to C) All Students 90,517 66,907 73.9% Attempt 2 6,038 3,410 56.5% Attempt 3 780 406 52.1% Attempt 4 135 60 44.4% Attempt 5 45 20 Attempt 6 13 2 15.4% Attempt 7 7 28.6% Attempt 8 1 0.0% Attempt 9 100.0% Data provided by IRP, March 2017

Repeat Attempt Headcount 2015-2016 (combined terms) - Unduplicated Headcounts Maximum attempt overrides other attempts Attempt Number Student Count 2 4,014 3 485 4 87 5 26 6 8 7 1 9 All Repeaters 4,625 How we defined multiple attempts: exclude students who are able to retake a course multiple times (e.g. Music ensemble) exclude students who previously earned a passing grade, then received a W in the current term include students who repeat a course and earn a better grade Data provided by IRP, March 2017

Committee Recommendation (Feb 2017) There is a need for GRCC to have a policy that addresses how repeating a course affects a student’s academic record and identifies a limit on how many times a student may repeat a course without academic or advising permission to support student success. However, due to the tie in that a repeat coursework policy statement has to the grading scale, the committee feels that this statement belongs under the existing grading policy. Our committee will further examine this option and develop a proposal of policy language to be considered as an addition to the grading policy.

Policy Statement (Grading Policy - Revised) The college permits students to enroll in courses more than once. A repeated course is a course that a student enrolls in and attempts more than once. Each attempt is recorded on a student’s transcript. For courses that may only be taken once for credit, the attempt with the highest grade will be used when calculating GPA and earned credits on a student’s academic transcript. A student may attempt a course up to three times, or two additional attempts after the first. for an earned grade. If a student has not successfully completed a course within three attempts, they are required to meet with an advisor if they wish to register for any additional attempts at the course. Courses that permit additional repeats for credit are identified within the Academic Catalog.  

Policy Statement Continued (Grading Policy) Students using financial aid should also view the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Credit Hour Students to understand the impact of repeated coursework on future financial aid eligibility.

Repeat Coursework Definition A repeated course is a course that a student enrolls in and attempts more than once. Each attempt is recorded on a student’s transcript. For courses that may only be taken once for credit, the attempt with the highest grade will be used when calculating GPA and earned credits on a student’s academic transcript. A student may attempt a course up to three times, or two additional attempts after the first. If a student has not successfully completed a course within three attempts, they are required to meet with an advisor if they wish to register for any additional attempts at the course. Courses that permit additional repeats for credit are identified within the curriculum database. Programs with specific admission requirements may have additional restrictions on repeated coursework. Students using financial aid should also view the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Credit Hour Students to understand the impact of repeated coursework on future financial aid eligibility.

Feedback If you have any additional feedback on this proposal please email: Valerie Butterfield by Friday, September 22. valeriebutterfield@grcc.edu