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Student Policies
Academic Counseling
If twice you do not pass an exam with 80% or above you will be required to meet with the Academic Dean or an advisor. Through academic counseling you will develop a plan to remediate the deficiencies in your understanding of the coursework, or determine if another testing method would be appropriate due to disability or other issues.
Academic Integrity
The expectation of the Midwives College of Utah is that all work turned in by a student is the product of her own endeavors. Violations, which include but are not limited to, cheating, providing misleading or false information to staff or instructors and plagiarism, are cause for disciplinary action, including failure of assignment, conferences with MCU President and/or Academic Dean or expulsion from Midwives College of Utah.
Failing to give credit where credit is due is known as plagiarism. Copying, distributing, modifying or displaying a copyrighted work is known as copyright infringement.
1. Students are required to use APA format to cite all specific sources both in-text and in a reference list.
2. Avoid writing papers that "cut and paste" beyond what is appropriate. Generally speaking, no more than 20% of your paper should be direct quotes. Your instructor is looking for papers with your thoughts and ideas as well as supporting references.
3. If you paraphrase another person's written or spoken words, you are also plagiarizing. "You are guilty of the academic offense known as plagiarism if you half-copy the author's sentences - either by mixing the author's phrases with your own without using quotation marks or by plugging in your synonyms into the author's sentence structure." (Writer's Reference, Diana Hacker, 5th edition). This is not to say that you cannot use another person's ideas or words and put them into your own words. Just remember that when you do so, you acknowledge the source of information using the APA format.
4. MCU does not tolerate the submission of a paper that is written by another person or is "ghostwritten".
5. If you own a copyrighted audio or video recording, you must have permission from the copyright holder to copy, distribute, modify, display or perform their work. If you do not have this permission, you are infringing upon the copyright and could be subject to legal prosecution by the owner of the copyright.
Any time a teacher sees plagiarism, it will be reported to the Academic Dean and/or President and a log of the incident will be placed in the student's file. If offenses are taking place in more than one class, any offense after an initial warning from any or all class instructors will accrue towards a second or third offense.
· First offense: Instructor will conference with the student and student will redo the assignment.
· Second offense: Automatic failure on the assignment and mandatory conference with MCU President and/or Academic Dean.
· Third offense: Failure of the course and possible expulsion from Midwives College of Utah.
Academic Probation
You will be placed on academic probation if your core courses or general GPA are under 2.0 (C grade) or you have two "I" (incomplete) grades on your transcripts. If you have two "I" grades you cannot register for other courses until at least one of the "I" grades is removed.
Active (Matriculating) Student Status
If you have been accepted to a degree or certificate program and are current in your tuition payments and annual student fees you are considered an Active or Matriculating student. If you are not current in your tuition payments and/or annual student fees you will be considered an inactive student. Please see Inactive Student Status.
Annual Student Fee
An annual student fee is due from all students upon acceptance to a degree or certificate program and annually on or before the 15th of January. If a student is late or does not pay their fee they will be placed on inactive status.
Annual Student Progress Review
A tuition discount of 6% is extended to all students who demonstrate after each year of active enrollment, that they have stayed on their Major Map. The discount will reduce the monthly payments by 6% for the year following the Annual Student Progress Review. The term for each discount will be for one year.
All new students will start the first year at the regular monthly payment rate and must earn the discount during this first year. They will not experience the discounted rate until completing a full year at MCU in which they have stayed on their Major Map. These reviews will occur within four weeks after the yearly anniversary of each student’s acceptance date.
Auditing Courses
If you wish to audit courses you must register for the course and pay the regular tuition and fees; you will not receive credit for the course. Your transcripts will show an AU for the audited course. You may not petition for credit after having audited a course.
Challenge Exams
Challenge Exams
- Students who wish to challenge a course must be currently enrolled at MCU as a degree-seeking student.
- Students may not challenge courses previously failed, courses from which they have previously withdrawn, courses for which they have previously received credit, or courses for which they have received a full syllabus.
- Students must pay half of the course tuition for a challenged course. If the student fails the exam, they will be required to take the full course and the full course tuition will be applied.
- Students wishing to challenge a course SHOULD NOT ENROLL IN THE COURSE FIRST. To challenge a course, students must first complete a Challenge Exam Form. This form must be submitted to the Director of
Distance Studies for approval. Not all courses are challengeable. If approved, the student will receive a list of the learning objectives, MANA Core Competencies, NARM Skills, and required texts applicable to the course.
- If approved to challenge a course, the student will have one year from the date of challenge approval to take the challenge exam. If the challenge exam is not passed the student will have one year from the date of challenge approval to complete the full course. Students are encouraged to take their challenge exams as early as possible so that in the case of not passing the exam, they have time to complete the full course.
- When the student is ready to take the challenge exam they should request the test from the Director of Distance Studies. The test must be completed within two weeks of receipt by the proctor.
- The test must be passed with 80% or above to receive credit for the course. Courses passed by Challenge Examination will only receive a P (Pass) grade which will not be calculated in the students overall GPA. Students who do not pass the Challenge Exam do not receive a grade or credit, and must complete the full course.
- Students may take a Challenge Exam or challenge a course only once.
Clinical Policies
Please refer to the MCU Clinical Handbook for more details.
CPM Credential
You must successfully pass the NARM exam (or CMRE exam for Canadian students) to complete your graduation requirements. Students enrolled in a MEAC accredited school, such as MCU, are exempt from taking the NARM Skills Exam and are only required to take the NARM Written Exam.
Please see the MCU Clinical Handbook for specific polices and procedures regarding taking the NARM Exam. Canadian students please see http://cmrc-ccosf.ca/node/23 for CMRE requirements.
For additional information on the CPM Certification Examination Process, to obtain the Candidate Information Bulletin, or to determine current testing dates, please visit:
Confidentiality of Records & FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, states that an educational institution will maintain the confidentiality of student education records. Educational records are any records with students' names on them: files, documents, and materials, in whatever medium, which contain information directly related to students and from which students can be individually identified.
The Midwives College of Utah accords all the rights under the law to students who are declared independent (defined as 18 years of age or older or enrolled in a post secondary institution). No one outside MCU shall have access to or receive information from students' education records without the written consent of students. However, information may be released to personnel within the institution, officials or other institutions in which students seek to enroll, persons or organizations providing financial aid to students, accrediting agencies carrying out their review functions, and persons managing an emergency in order to protect the health and safety of students or others.
Students have the right to review information contained in their educational records, challenge the contents of their educational records, have a hearing if the outcome of the challenge is unsatisfactory, and submit explanatory statements for inclusion in their files. Such statements may be submitted to the Office of the Registrar.
Within MCU, only those employees, individually or collectively, acting in the students' educational interests are allowed access to student educational records. These include personnel in the Office of Admissions, Office of the Registrar, Financial Aid, Business Operations, Student Services, and academic personnel within the limitations of their need to know.
Course Evaluations
When you complete a course, you are required to complete a Student Course Evaluation Form found at the end of your syllabus. This is an opportunity for you to have a direct impact on the improvement of your instructors, courses and MCU services.
CPR & NRP Certification
You are required to have current CPR and Neonatal Resuscitation certifications prior to working with a preceptor and to meet graduation requirements. MCU recommends that students take CPR for the Professional Rescuer through the American Red Cross to meet their CPR requirement. For possible NRP trainings, please contact the MCU office.
Credit Hours
According to generally accepted standards, one (1) distance education credit requires forty-five (45) hours of course work including study, presentations, projects, reading and writing assignments and other assignments as required for meeting the course objectives.
MCU allocates one (1) clinical credit for thirty (30) hours of clinical experience. Clinical hours are given as follows:
1 prenatal exam = 1 clinical hour
1 labor & birth = 10 clinical hours
1 newborn exam = ½ clinical hour
1 postpartum exam = 1 clinical hour
1 well-woman assessment = 1 clinical hour
Any combination of the above experiences that equal 30 hours constitutes 1 clinical credit.
Disciplinary Policies
You will be issued a warning when a significant problem in academic performance, clinical performance, tuition payment or behavior has been identified. A written documentation of the warning will be sent to you and placed in your file. Warnings are confidential and only you and the appropriate administration or faculty will be notified. If the problem persists you will be placed on probation.
When you are placed on probation your student status is conditional upon meeting probation requirements within a given amount of time. Written documentation of the conditions of probation will be given to you and placed in your file. Reasons for probation include, but are not limited to the following:
- When a warning has been given and the situation is not resolved. Failure to comply with the policies of MCU as described in the student catalog.
- Receipt of a failing grade
- It is determined that you are conducting yourself in an unprofessional manner either in the classroom, clinical situation or in any situation where you are representing MCU.
- Behavior which disrupts classroom learning
- Behavior showing lack of respect to fellow students and faculty.
- Failure to attend classes or clinic without notifying the instructor, preceptor or the school office.
- Failure to pay tuition and fees.
- Behavior that suggests emotional instability.
If the conditions of probation are not met, you will be terminated and your student status discontinued. If you wish to apply again, you must have the approval of the MCU Board of Directors.
Where there is evidence of dishonest, unethical or unlawful conduct, you will be expelled and reapplication is prohibited. Reasons for expulsion include, but are not limited to:
- Cheating or assisting others to cheat.
- Falsifying information on any MCU document.
- Unlawful conduct.
- Accessing confidential MCU documents, files, tests, etc. without proper authorization.
Disclaimer
MCU does not take responsibility for the outcome of any activities suggested within MCU courses or any other MCU activity. You remain completely responsible for the consequences of your own behavior in regards to how you choose to implement the information contained therein.
Enrollment Agreement
The MCU Enrollment Agreement specifies details of your program, refund policies, services and obligations to which MCU is committed to provide to you, and financial obligations. You must sign an Enrollment Agreement at the time of your acceptance into a degree or certificate program prior to beginning any coursework.
Enrolling in Courses
All courses are made available to you once your major map has been created with the MCU Registrar. You should enroll in courses according to the outline of your Major Map.
Exams
Mid-term and Final Exams require an 80% in order to pass.
Exams will be administered through a proctor. Students must complete and submit the Proctor Certification Form before any tests will be sent. You need only complete one Proctor Certification Form unless you change proctors.
Most courses will require an exam(s) but some do not.
Once you have submitted all assignments covered by a test, you can request your test. Exams will be sent directly to your selected proctor once he/she is approved. You will not be permitted to use any materials when taking these exams.
School offices, local libraries, and other universities or college testing centers, independent testing centers and schools are approved places to take your exams. Every time you take an exam, you must bring your picture ID. You are expected to adhere to professional dress and grooming standards.
Exams should be taken within 2 weeks of your proctor receiving it. You are responsible for monitoring your own deadlines.
If you would like to retake an exam, contact the Director of Distance Studies within four weeks of the date the exam was taken. A retake exam will not be sent until the first exam is returned to our office. You may retake an exam once for a $25 fee. Please pay the fee for the test retake before you request your test again.
Extensions for Course Work
Students who fail to complete a course within one year from their enrollment date may apply for a one-semester extension by paying a fee of $95 per credit for academic courses. No fee is assessed for extending the time period for clinical courses, but students must still apply for an extension for clinical courses. The extension period is defined as beginning on the first day of class for the next semester to the day before the first day of the following semester.
Fees per Credit for Academic Courses:
1 Credit Classes: $105
2 Credit Classes: $210
3 Credit Classes: $315
Students who fail to complete a course during the extension period will receive an “I” on their transcript. To remove an “I” from a transcript, the course must be retaken and paid for at the current credit rate for academic courses. No re-enrollment fee will be charged for clinical courses, but the “I” will remain on the transcript until the student re-enrolls and completes the clinical course.
Students applying for an extension must meet with their coach to revise their Major Map. This must be done at the time of enrollment.
Please click on the “Finances/Request Class Extension” in the General tab on the MCU website.
Extension fees will increase at the rate of 4% per year, based on annual inflation rate increases. This 4% increase will be the standard until 2011.
Grade Point Average (GPA)
Your GPA is determined by dividing your total grade point earned by the number of semester hours taken. The designated P, W, UW, I, AU are not included in the GPA calculation. If there is any question about a grade received you should contact your instructor or the Director of Distance Studies.
Grading
The course syllabus will detail the grading criteria for your course. Some courses will be Pass or Fail and some will be awarded a letter grade. For most courses the syllabus work is 66% of the grade and tests are 34% of the grade. Final and Midterm tests must be passed with 80% or above to be acceptable. Tests with a 79% or below score will need to be retaken. Test retake fees will apply.
Course letter grades are given according to the following percentages:
96-100%=A 84-85%=C+
94-95%=A- 80-83%=C
92-93%=B+ 78-79%=C-
88-91%=B 76-77%=D+
86-87%=B- 72-75%=D
On your transcript, letter grades are given a numerical value on a 4.0 system.
A Excellent 4.0
A- Excellent 3.7
B+ Above Average 3.4
B Above Average 3.0
B- Above Average 2.7
C+ Average 2.4
C Average 2.0
C- Average 1.7
D+ Below Average 1.4
D Below Average 0.7
F Failure 0.0
The following designations are not calculated in the GPA.
P Pass
UW Unofficial Withdrawal
W Official Withdrawal
AU Audit
I Incomplete
Graduation
You must submit a Graduation Application prior to graduation. All requirements must be completed at the time of application. Certificates or Degrees are mailed to you when your Graduation Application is accepted.
Graduation ceremonies are held at each fall conference. If you wish to be included in the Graduation Ceremonies, your Graduation Application must be received one month prior to the ceremony.
Grievance Policy
If you have a grievance against the school, a faculty or staff member, the first step in resolution should be speaking with the individuals directly involved.
If you wish to make a formal complaint or grievance, you must submit a formal complaint in writing to the MCU President. The President will review the complaint and determine its validity and gravity through as much investigation as is required. Investigation often means contacting you for more details and then discussing the complaint with persons directly involved. The President will mediate complaint resolution. The President will address formal complaints no later than 60 days.
Complaints and their resolutions will be logged in MCU's Formal Complaint File which will log a complaint for seven years. No discrimination or harassment of a student that has submitted a formal complaint will be tolerated.
Honor Code
A high sense of personal honor and integrity is imperative in the completion of clinical requirements and courses from the Midwives College of Utah. Since the assignments are intended to prepare you for examinations they should be completed without cheating, plagiarizing, or knowingly giving false information. Although you may work in a study group, you must complete your own work. The syllabus should not be copied or given to others without permission from the Midwives College of Utah.
Examinations will be taken through a proctor who will certify that the exam was completed without the assistance of books, notes or any other outside help unless otherwise stated on the exam. The exam or the answer sheet must not be copied in any way. If proof of academic misconduct is established, you will be given a failing grade and expelled from the program. You will not be allowed to reapply.
Inactive Student Status
When a student has missed three (3) monthly payments, the student will be put on Inactive Student Status. Inactive students may not enroll in courses, submit course work for grading, and receive credits, official transcripts, certificates or degrees. To become active again, the student must pay an $85.00 reinstatement fee plus all delinquent monthly payments.
If a student remains on Inactive Student Status for more than six (6) months, the school will consider her officially un-enrolled. If she wishes to return to MCU, she must go through the initial application process again. All unfinished course work will show a "UW" on the transcripts. All courses with a “UW” must be recalculated into the contract associated with a new Major Map, established at the time of this new application.
Reactivation Process
Inactive students who want to become reactivated must:
1) Submit a letter of intent
2) Be re-accepted by the Registrar or President after an official interview
3) Pay an $85.00 reactivation fee
4) Pay the Annual Student Fee
5) Complete paperwork for paying tuition or pay for tuition
6) Sign enrollment papers
7) Develop a new Major Map before registering for any courses.
Non-discriminatory Policy
The Midwives College of Utah admits students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, marital status, creed, age or sexual orientation with all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at this school. MCU does not discriminate in acceptance procedures, administration of educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, or other school-administered programs.
Proctors
If you take an exam at a location outside the Midwives College of Utah, you must recommend a responsible individual to proctor your exam. You must complete and submit the Proctor Certification Form before any tests will be sent. People in the following positions will normally be approved:
- Public librarian
- Guidance counselor/counseling staff
- Full-time teacher
- School Administrator
- Embassy education officer
- Military base/station education officer
- Local College Testing Center
- Relatives are not approved proctors. Exams will be sent only to a business addresses.
Reactivation Process
Inactive students who want to become reactivated must:
1) Submit a letter of intent
2) Be re-accepted by the Registrar or President after an official interview
3) Pay an $85.00 reactivation fee
4) Pay the Annual Student Fee
5) Develop a new Major Map
6) Sign a new Enrollment and Financial Agreement.
Record Keeping
MCU suggests that you keep a file of all acceptance materials, the Enrollment Agreement, the Financial Agreement, final grade notices, transcripts and communications to and from the college.
Resubmitting Assignments
Instructors will require your work to meet a high level of quality. You should expect instructors to require you to resubmit assignments that need improvement.
Refund & Withdrawal Policy
1) The following fees are non-refundable: Application Fee, Acceptance Processing Fee, Annual Student Fee, conference housing and food reservations.
2) An official withdrawal from MCU courses requires a written request, which can be submitted by fax, e-mail, or land mail. The withdrawal date will be assessed as to the date the fax or e-mail was submitted, or the postmark on a land mail withdrawal.
3) A student will be allowed a three-business-day cooling-off period; commencing with the day the student makes their first initial tuition payment, until midnight of the third business day following this date. All tuition money paid by the student will be refunded.
4) A student will be allowed to withdraw after the cooling-off period and receive a full tuition refund up until the point that a major map has been designed for the student and course work has been made available to the student.
5) Upon receipt of a signed letter of official withdrawal, any regularly scheduled monthly payments after that date will be terminated. All student services relative to current course work will also be terminated on that date, unless otherwise arranged. Incomplete courses will be entered on the student's transcript as an "I." The student will be responsible for the balance of tuition owed on all classes student has enrolled in up to the point of withdrawal.
6) If a student wishes to withdraw, but wishes to complete the courses she is already enrolled in, she may do so by announcing the date of her withdrawal in a signed letter, along with a written declaration that she intends to complete course work currently enrolled in. Monthly payments will continue until she has paid the tuition for all academic credits and clinical credits she has completed and/or is currently enrolled in. No refunds will be given for tuition already paid except as noted.
Repeating Courses
If you want to repeat a course you must register for the course and pay again in full. When a course is repeated the first grade will be deleted and not calculated in the GPA.
Submitting Assignments
With a few exceptions, all assignments are to be submitted online through MCU’s internal system. All syllabi are available on-line in a PDF format. Some students like to print the syllabus off for reference; others like to access the syllabus from their computer.
If sending coursework or lab records by LAND MAIL, send a PHOTOCOPY of 1) the Assignment Cover Sheet, and 2) the accompanying assignments to the MCU office. You may submit more than one section at a time, however, you should complete (and submit) each section in order (e.g. section 3 may be sent with section 2 but not before it) unless you have obtained special permission from your instructor.
Syllabi & Test Correction Timeline
The student can expect coursework to be corrected within two weeks from the date it is received by the office.
Text Books
Textbooks are not included in tuition costs. You are responsible for ordering your own text books. See our web site at www.midwifery.edu for the current textbook list. When purchasing textbooks, it is advisable to order the latest edition available.
Time Limits for Course Work
Courses must be completed 1 (one) year from the date of enrollment in the class. All course work and tests must be complete on or before the deadline day in order to fall within the one-year time limit. Please see Extensions for Coursework for further details. You are responsible for monitoring your own deadlines.
Time Out
A student is allowed two (2), one semester "time out" periods during their program. Students may stop taking courses and making payments during the duration of the time out. The student must still pay the Annual Student Fee and any unpaid balance accrued before the time-out. Courses currently enrolled in must be completed within the one year deadline or the student may choose to withdraw from courses. If the student chooses to withdraw they must re-enroll. Any new curriculum changes will apply.
Transfer Credits
General Transfer Credits
MCU will accept credits from other institutions accredited by a US DOE recognized accrediting agency. Transfer credits must have a C grade or above. MCU follows a semester format and credits transferred from quarter and trimester systems will be reduced in value accordingly.
Courses that may be used to waive MCU courses must be accompanied by a detailed course description in order to determine course equivalency.
Transcripts
Students may view their grades by accessing the MCU website using their username and password. Official transcripts can be requested from the office for a fee.
Unfinished Courses
If a course is not completed within the one year time limit and an extension was not obtained within the 1 (one) month expiration date, you will receive an "I" (incomplete) on your transcript. To change an "I" to a passing grade, you must retake the course and pay for it at the current cost of tuition.
Utah Postsecondary Proprietary School Act (Title 53B, Chapter 5, Utah Code Annotated 1953)
The Midwives College of Utah is exempt from registration under the Utah Postsecondary Proprietary Act because of accreditation through the Midwives Education Accreditation Council (MEAC) www.meacschools.org. The State of Utah does not supervise, recommend, nor accredit MCU. It is your responsibility to determine whether credits, degrees, or certificates from the institution will transfer to other institutions, meet state or provincial licensing requirements or meet an employer's training requirements.
1174 E 2700 S STE 2
SLC, UT 84106-2671
1-866-680-2756
1-801-649-5230
Fax: 1-866-207-2024
office@midwifery.edu