Last Day to Add a Class

Hi Everyone-

For years CCCOnline's last day for student's to add classes was the Friday before classes began. Last year we were forced to back that up to the Thursday before classes began (data loading issue).

While we have always said we never let in late students, in practice that hasn't been accurate. Some students did get to add a course the first day or three of the semester and some didn't -- it depended on their story and who they told it to.

So.... this year John Schmahl did some research around the success rates of students in relation to when they registered. It turned out that the students who register the last week of classes don't have a lower success rate than the students who register earlier. And when you look at the students who we allowed to add during the first week of classes --- no significant difference there either. (Success was defined as A,B, or C grade).

Given those results, we thought it was time to revise the late registration policy. Self-registration will still end on the Thursday before classes begin. Students who want to add after that will have to contact CCCOnline staff. We will go ahead and add those students through the first Thursday of classes, but we will also have them sign a late add acknowledgment form.

The form includes a few critical disclaimers. Among those: students need to order their required textbooks right away with overnight shipping. They need to pay their tuition bill within 24 hours. Students will need to catch up with the rest of the class immediately. And the all important "Faculty are not required or expected to allow late submission of assignments."

We will try this new version of our policy for a term and see if if causes complications. I don't really expect a sudden wave of late registrations as we will still try to talk students out of that. It should improve the consistency of treatment of students across staff member though and it makes sure students understand that they are responsible for catching up with a class they have started late.

best,
Lisa

(Picture is Elevenmile Reservoir, west of Colorado Springs)