Academic Catalog

Registration

Registration is the process by which students reserve their place in classes for an upcoming term or terms. Registration takes place during official periods designated by the Office of the Registrar. Information about registration for each academic term is contained in the online University Course Schedule published prior to each registration period through MyLewis. The Course Schedule includes both procedures and dates for registration.

Before Registration

Each semester academic advising will ordinarily take place after the publication of the online class schedule and registration information that is available several weeks before registration begins. The student must obtain a registration PIN from their advisor in order to register.
 
Success Coaches provide academic advising in the first two years and beyond and Faculty Mentors provide academic advising for courses taken in the junior and senior year in the major and minor (students with 46+ earned credit hours).  Students can always touch base with their Success Coach if assistance is needed by calling (815) 836-5593.  Students in the School of Graduate, Professional and Continuing Education (SGPCE) can click here for more information about advising in SGPCE.
 
All financial obligations, including unpaid tuition and fees, library and traffic fines, and residence hall charges, must be paid for the current semester before a student can register for the next semester, or a satisfactory payment plan must be arranged with the Student Accounts Office. Specific information on financial obligations can be found in the section of this catalog titled “Financial Information”

Priority Registration 

Currently enrolled students may register for future semesters once the class schedule is finalized during priority registration before open registration.  Students may enroll on or after their designated priority date.  Registration times are based on class standing.  Class standing priority does not include courses being taken during the current semester.

Late Registration 

Students may register through late registration during the second week of classes of designated parts of term, as noted in the Academic Calendar, provided there is space available in the class desired. 

Change of Registration

Students may make all registration changes online through MyLewis. The schedule of tuition refunds for dropped courses is published in the section on “Financial Information” of this catalog as well as each semester in the online University Course Schedule.  Students should contact their advisor to discuss options and possible consequences of joining a class that has already started.

Course Modalities At Lewis University

Lewis offers courses in a variety of instructional modalities. The following modalities are listed in the course schedule for each academic term:

  • Traditional:  Traditional courses meet fully in-person at a campus location or partner site.  Class meeting days, times, and locations are listed in the public course schedule.
  • Online1:  Courses are delivered fully online using Blackboard and require no in-person or campus presence. 
  • Online Asynchronous: This modality does not have specified class meeting times or days.  Faculty interaction with the class and student-to-student interaction on a weekly basis are an essential feature of asynchronous classes, even though no real-time interaction is required.
  • Online Synchronous:  This fully online modality requires that faculty and students meet in real-time online via video conferencing for scheduled lectures and discussion.  At least half or more of the instructional time will take place in synchronous, online meetings according to the days and times listed in the published course schedule.
  • Blended:1  Blended courses include some instructional time online and some in person.  Presence in the classroom is required on designated in-person days and times.  Online instruction may be synchronous or asynchronous.  Meeting locations, days, and times for both classroom and online meetings are listed in the published course schedule.  
  •  Hyflex: This modality enables students to choose whether to attend live, classroom-based sessions in person, online synchronously, or online asynchronously.  Class meetings are supplemented with instructional materials and assignments that can be complete asynchronously.  Classroom meeting days, times, and classroom locations are listed in the published course schedule.
1

Online and blended courses at Lewis University enable students to enroll in courses in which part or all of the course is delivered at a distance.  All courses that contain online instruction require that students participate in regular and substantive interactive learning experiences on at least a weekly basis.  Faculty teaching online and blended courses will clearly state expectations for interactivity as well as faculty engagement with students and timelines for feedback and grading on assignments.  

Lower-and Upper-Division Courses

All University courses are assigned numbers which designate their general level of difficulty. Courses numbered 10000 to 29999 are lower-division courses and are generally taken by first-year students and sophomores. Courses numbered 30000 to 49999 are upper-division courses and are generally taken by juniors and seniors, usually after they have taken lower-division courses in the department. Upper-division courses often have prerequisites. Courses numbered 50000 and above are graduate level courses and are open to undergraduate students only under special conditions.

Undergraduate Students Enrolling in Graduate Courses

Lewis University undergraduate students may enroll and earn credit in master’s level (50000 level) graduate courses with the following limitations: 

Degree Applicability Limitations  

  • Graduate credits earned at Lewis by undergraduate students may count toward the 120 credits required for a Lewis undergraduate degree.  
    • Students must complete all University graduation requirements applicable to undergraduate students and to graduate students to earn degrees at both levels. 
    • Students must meet all program-specific degree requirements at both graduate and undergraduate levels. 
    • Students must complete a minimum of 21 graduate credits at Lewis post-baccalaureate degree completion and while enrolled in a graduate degree program. 
  • Complete a minimum of 30 graduate credits for a master’s degree beyond the baccalaureate degree, and 30 credits beyond the master’s for a doctoral degree program.
  • Graduate coursework taken as an undergraduate student must be taken within 7 years of Graduate degree completion. 
  • Including graduate coursework taken as an undergraduate student, students must earn at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA to be applicable to the graduate degree. 

    • Students can earn no more than two grades of C (2.0/4.0 scale) (passing) or lower to be applicable to their graduate degree. 

 

These are minimum University requirements. Please refer to specific program requirements for more detailed information.  Programs and departments may enforce more stringent restrictions at their discretion but may not grant exceptions to the university minimum standards as outlined in this section. 

Enrollment Limitations

  • Lewis undergraduate degree-seeking students must have 90+ earned credit hours (senior status) and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in order to seek permission to register for a graduate course.  

  • Undergraduate students are allowed to take one graduate course per semester, not to exceed a total of two 50000 level courses at Lewis. 

    • Should an undergraduate student earn less than a B (3.0) in a graduate level course, the student is not permitted to enroll in additional Lewis graduate courses until fully admitted to a Lewis graduate program. 

    • Undergraduates enrolled in graduate courses may not exceed 18 total credits in a semester when they are enrolled in graduate coursework.  

  • Undergraduate students registered in graduate courses are required to fulfill the same course requirements and grading standards as graduate students.  

  • Prerequisites for graduate courses are not waived. 

  • Graduate credits earned at Lewis by undergraduate students may count toward the 120 credits required for a Lewis undergraduate degree. See also Degree Applicability Limitations, above. 

  • Students are responsible for ensuring that they are in compliance with the Degree Applicability Limitations. Students are encouraged to plan with their advisor.   

  • Exceptions to the Degree Applicability Limitations cannot be permitted under any circumstances. 

APPROVAL PROCESS 

  • Students must submit an approval form, with approvals from: 

a) the student's undergraduate academic advisor

b) the program director of the graduate program offering the course

  • The signature of the Vice Provost of Graduate, Professional, and Continuing Education is required to demonstrate notification and communication so that records of university-wide policy can be maintained. 
  • The approval form is then submitted to the Office of the Registrar and the permission entered so the student may self-enroll. 
  • Any waiver of these requirements requires written approval from  the Vice Provost of Graduate, Professional, and Continuing Education.
 

 Fast Track: Bachelor's to Master's Program Guidelines

The Fast Track option (this includes commonly referred to as 4+1 and similar pathway programs) offers potential accelerated pathways to graduate programs for outstanding Lewis University undergraduate students as an exception to the standard Undergraduates Enrolling in Graduate Courses policy.  Regardless of undergraduate major, students can begin taking graduate coursework towards approved graduate programs in their senior year (completion of 90+ credit hours), if they have met the prerequisite course requirements.  The student accepted into a Fast Track program may begin fulfilling selected master's degree requirements while still completing requirements for the baccalaureate degree.  

Minimum Requirements for all Fast Track Students  

  • Students must complete all University graduation requirements applicable to undergraduate students and to graduate students 

  • Students admitted to a Fast Track program may take up to 50% of the credit hours in their graduate program as an undergraduate student. 

  • Students must complete a minimum of 21 hours while enrolled as a graduate student.  

Eligibility to Participate  

  • Departments may determine program-specific prerequisites for admission into Fast Track bachelor's to master's programs in addition to University requirements.  

  • In addition to department-determined program admission requirements, the student must complete at least 75 credit hours before they are permitted to apply and be formally accepted into a Fast Track  bachelor's-to-master's degree program.  

  • The student must complete an application to the Fast Track to master's program and be approved by the program/department. Final approval prior to enrolling in graduate courses must be granted by the Vice Provost of Graduate, Professional, and Continuing Education, assuring compliance with University policy.  

  • Students must have and maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher to enroll in graduate level coursework.  

  • A Fast Track program may require additional evidence of readiness, such as faculty recommendations, additional approvals, or higher GPA.  

Student Status  

  • The student continues to be classified as an undergraduate student, with all rights and responsibilities, until all degree requirements for the baccalaureate degree are completed.  

  • To maintain full-time status as an undergraduate student, 12 or more semester hours must be taken each term.  

  • Admission to a Fast Track program does not replace official application and admission to the graduate program. Application must be made to the graduate program consistent with University policy as outlined in the Graduate Catalog.  

  • Students may not enroll beyond the Enrollment Requirement limits specified in this catalog of two courses, until officially admitted to a Fast Track program and reflected on the student’s academic record.

Student Course Load

Students may register for no more than 18 credit hours each semester, unless a greater number is approved by their advisor and the dean prior to registration. Students requesting to register for more than 18 credits should have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Full-time/Part-time Status

Students attempting 12 or more hours during a semester are considered full-time students. Those attempting fewer than 12 hours during a semester are considered part-time students.

Independent Study

Independent Study is an intensive, highly individualized course taken for knowledge enhancement beyond the courses, offered in a particular area of interest, and covering material not described in the University catalog in any other format. An Independent Study is offered by a department only to its majors and minors.

Independent Study must relate to a subject for which the student has adequate preparation and be commensurate with the student’s class level, major field, and experience. The faculty supervisor must have, or be willing to develop, expertise sufficient to assess the quality of a student’s independent learning. Learning outcomes and criteria or rubrics for assessment of learning should normally be agreed upon in advance.

Independent Study can involve what Ernest Boyer termed the scholarship of discovery, integration, application or teaching (Scholarship Reconsidered--Priorities of the Professoriate, 1990) or the scholarship of creativity, including creation of works of art, literature, music, film, and theater.

To qualify for an Independent Study, a student must

  • Have earned 60 credit hours, at least 12 of which were earned at Lewis.
  • Have a 3.0 or higher Cumulative GPA.

A student must meet with the independent study supervisor to decide on focus, scope of project, meeting times, due dates for progress reports and plan for human subjects approval, if necessary. Credit for a single independent study should not exceed three semester hours; a student should not register for more than three semester hours of independent study in one semester; and the total number of credit hours for a single student over the course of that student’s college career should not exceed six hours.

A faculty member should normally supervise no more than one independent study student per semester. Students must apply for independent study using a form obtained at their Dean's Office, which must be approved by the supervising instructor, the student’s academic advisor, the department chair of their major, and the Dean’s Office of their major before the student enrolls for the course. If the course is in a department different from their major, the department chair and dean of that program/college must also sign this request.

Auditing Courses

Students may audit courses for a fee.  The instructor’s permission on the audit form is required. The fee must be paid at the time of enrollment and is non-refundable. Auditors are subject to the conditions of enrollment established by the instructor, but do not take course examinations and papers assigned to students; all other expectations are the same. Students who audit a course must establish regular attendance during the first two weeks of class or they will be submitted as a “No Show.” No credit is earned for audited courses, but the course name and the designation “AU” are listed on the transcript at the completion of the course. Students who do not follow the attendance policy in the syllabus may earn a “W” as a final grade. Students can obtain the audit form from the Office of the Registrar. Nursing courses may not be audited. 

Students may audit most courses offered in the College of Aviation, Science, and Technology; the College of Education and Social Sciences; the College of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Communication; and the School of Graduate, Professional, and Continuing Education. Ordinarily, students may not audit studio or laboratory performance-based courses. Students’ work in audited classes will not be formally assessed and no grades will be issued. Auditors are expected to read required texts and are permitted to ask and answer questions in class. 

Courses taken for audit do not apply toward any academic degree and do not count as part of a student’s full or part-time course load for purposes of financial aid or loan deferments. 

The following policies apply to auditing: 

  • Registering to audit a course can occur only after priority registration  

  • No late audit registrations will be accepted after the add deadline. 

  • Students may not change from audit to credit or credit to audit once the term has started.  

  • Auditing is permitted only if classroom seating is available. 

  • Potential auditors must receive written permission from the instructor and in some cases, permission of the department chair or program director. 

  • Auditors receive only provisional permission to attend classes until course registration is completed at the end of the add/drop period. 

  • A student’s total number of for-credit and audited courses may not total more than 18 hours without approval from the appropriate academic dean’s office. 

  • Students may not register for a course for credit in the same semester they are auditing that course. 

Audit requests may be made with a learning facilitator, success coach, or faculty mentor and sent to the Office of the Registrar for processing once  signed by the student, instructor (and perhaps chair or director) and then submitted to the Business Student Accounts Office.

Pass/Fail Courses

Students may take no more than one course per semester on a pass/fail basis. Courses taken pass/fail cannot be among those required by the major, the minor, or the General Education curriculum. Approval of the course instructor and permission of the dean of the college in which the student is a major is required in order for a P/F grade to be attempted. A few courses are offered exclusively on a pass/fail basis.

Application forms to take a course on a pass/fail basis are available in the office of the dean. Completed application forms must be returned to the Office of the Registrar before the third Friday of the semester.

Under the pass/fail option, a student is responsible for attending and participating in all scheduled classes and class activities, as well as completing all course requirements listed in the syllabus, including quizzes and examinations. The instructor evaluates the student who is exercising the pass/fail option in the same manner as other students in the class. At the end of the course, instead of the standard letter grade, a “P” will be posted for those students who achieve a performance level of poor through excellent (“D-” or better). The grade of “P” does not affect the grade point average. However, if a student fails a class, the “F” will be included in calculating the GPA.

Prerequisite Policy

Several courses listed have prerequisites in the course descriptions. Prerequisites ensure all students in the course has the adequate prior knowledge needed understand the new course material. Students lacking prerequisites may not be able to successfully pass the course. Students will be unable to enroll in a course that the prerequisite as indicated by the department, college, or instructor has been met. Requested prerequisite exceptions must be approved by the department. 

Class Attendance Policy

Regular class attendance is an important part of the educational process, and it is assumed that every student will attend all scheduled meetings of the course.  The student has the obligation to assume the responsibility for maintaining a level of attendance, which will allow him/her to derive the maximum benefit from the instruction available. The student should be aware that poor attendance may affect financial assistance, and that attendance at St. Augustine College is especially important due to the established system of condensed class sections. There are different modalities of instruction, and each one serves the purpose of meeting the needs of the students while ensuring high standards of education; there are also different modalities of attendance.  The student may attend physically in the classroom with the professor or connect remotely synchronously while not physically on campus. 

Students are expected to attend all classes as part of the normal learning process. Students bear the ultimate responsibility for all missed class material as the result of an absence and can be required to make up any work missed.

Students must be consistent in attendance, both on-ground and online, at the beginning of the term to confirm registration and to be listed on the official course roster. Students will be withdrawn from the official class list by the instructor if they do not have the instructor's prior approval and fail to attend the first two weeks of 16-week courses or the first week of 4- to 8-week courses.

Faculty members have a right to establish their own rules and regulations concerning class attendance consistent with program and institutional policies. Students may receive a grade reduction or failing grade if they do not observe attendance requirements set for their classes.

Excused Attendance Policy

The University will normally excuse an absence when it is required by

  1. the student’s mandatory participation in University activities and events;
  2. a student’s religious beliefs, observances and practices;
  3. mandatory military and civic obligations such as responding to a subpoena;
  4. as a reasonable accommodation to a student’s disability;
  5. a student’s or family member’s significant illness or injury;  or
  6. a death in the student’s immediate family.  Students may be required to provide valid documentation of adequate cause for excused absences. 

It is the student’s responsibility to initiate contact with the faculty member about the absence in advance when possible. For help contacting faculty members regarding absences, students can follow the Absence Notification Process outlines in the Student Handbook. Student Athletes should provide their instructors with their competition schedule during the first week of the semester.  Coaches and students will update faculty on any changes or additions to the athletic schedule during the semester. An excused absence does not excuse the student from learning course material or fulfilling other course requirements. Students may be required to provide valid documentation of an excused absence.

Normally, a student’s grade may not be reduced solely as the result of an excused absence. However, if a student has an excessive number of excused absences, considered alone or in combination with any unexcused absences, which adversely impacts the student's ability to fully attain the course learning outcomes, the instructor may, after meeting with the student, issue the student a reduced grade, a grade of  "Incomplete," or recommend that the student withdraw from the class. The number of excused absences allowed for a specific class will be identified in the course syllabus and approved by the program.

In addition, the nature of some classes may make attendance mandatory. Examples of this type of class include

  1. Classes in which there are attendance requirements from an external accreditation organization;
  2. Labs with specific activities that cannot be made up and are an essential component of achieving the course student learning outcome;
  3. Courses with performances or productions that cannot be made up and are an essential component of achieving the course student learning outcomes;
  4. Courses with frequent student discussion or group work that cannot be made up and is an essential component of achieving the course student learning outcomes.

It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of the excused absence policy in every class. Students should work carefully with their academic advisors to prepare a course schedule to minimize attendance issues and conflicts.

Grievance Policy

A student who believes his or her rights under this policy have been violated will follow the standard grade appeal process.

Withdrawal Policies

Students who no longer wish to attend should self-drop during the drop period to avoid financial and academic repercussions.

Official Withdrawal from a Course

A student who is unable to complete a course may withdraw and receive a grade of “W.” Prior to requesting a withdrawal, undergraduate students should meet with their Advisor, Success Coach, or Faculty Mentor.  Graduate students should meet with their Advisor or Program Director. Student Athletes must also meet with the Director of Athletics Compliance.  Students are responsible for understanding any consequences that may result from a withdrawal, including financial aid or athletic eligibility.  To withdraw from a course, the student must initiate through MyLewis or complete a Withdrawal Form from the Office of the Registrar if withdrawing from all courses.  The student will remain officially registered, with all its effects and consequences, until and unless the official withdrawal is entered.  A withdrawal grade does not affect the student GPA, but does count as attempted hours for financial aid.

A student cannot withdraw from a course simply by ceasing attendance in a course. A student who ceases attendance in a course without initiating withdrawal through MyLewis and/or completing a Withdrawal Form will earn a grade of “F.”

Withdrawal from courses with the grade of “W” is allowed through 75 percent of a course. (Through twelve full weeks for 16 week courses; through the six full weeks for eight week courses.) Withdrawal involves the loss of tuition and credit hours and may change the student’s status from full-time to part-time.

In extraordinary special cases of where a student is unable to complete a course after the withdrawal deadline occurs such as medical emergency, the student may be eligible for a late administrative withdrawal petition.  Those cases are approved through the Deans Office for the course.

Unofficial Withdrawal from a Course

Students must be especially consistent in attendance, both on-ground and online, during the first two weeks of the course to confirm registration and to be listed on the official course roster.  Students who fail to attend or participate in an in-person or online course during the first two weeks and who have not received prior approval from the instructor for absences may be reported to the Office of the Registrar by the faculty as a ‘No-show’ by the institutional drop deadline. These students may be administratively dropped and no financial aid is disbursed to their student statement of account. If the student is reported as a ‘No-show’ for one or more (but not all) of their classes, that student is assigned a ‘W’ grade by the Office of the Registrar for the classes that were reported. Students who have been dropped or withdrawn because of a no show are not eligible to return to the class without instructor approval and finalized re-enrollment through the Office of the Registrar

Cancellation of Courses/Schedule Changes

The University reserves the right to cancel any course because of insufficient enrollment or as deemed necessary, and to make any schedule changes required including change of hours, location or instructor.  Students will receive a 100% refund of tuition and fees if replacement courses are not available.