Dropping and Adding Students after the First Day

Students may drop courses during the add/drop period for each course; students may add courses during the same period only before the class actually meets. Students may register using Student Planning or by completing an add/drop/withdrawal form and submitting it to Enrollment Services in building 102 or the Student Services Center at a satellite campus. Instructors should review rosters frequently for changes.

Attendance Verification

Due to a large number of students receiving financial aid, it is imperative that faculty maintain accurate student attendance throughout the ENTIRE SEMESTER. Faculty should regularly reconcile their class roster as shown in Blackboard and/or Colleague against the students who are attending class either physically or virtually.

All faculty are responsible for recording attendance by accessing GTC4me>Self Service>Faculty Information>Section Attendance Tracking. This applies to all types of courses, i.e., face-to-face, online, blended, etc. The faculty must use Student Self-Service for attendance tracking, which can be found on GTC4me, to maintain attendance records for the duration of the course. 

Taking attendance is NOT an option. Faculty are strongly encouraged to keep a paper copy of attendance; a sign-in sheet is also encouraged for face-to-face classes. Instructors must choose an attendance action for every student for each class meeting. The screen will not allow the choice to be saved until attendance has been recorded for each student. The instructor uses "P - Present," "A – Absent," or a minute designation, i.e., 15M - 15 minutes absent, to indicate the portion of the class missed. It may be easier to put in "Absent" first and then choose to mark all empty boxes "Present."

14-Day Rule: At any time during the semester and regardless of a student's use of financial aid benefits, the college will withdraw a student who is not in attendance for 14 consecutive calendar days, including weekends, holidays, college breaks, and canceled class sessions, and college breaks lasting four days or less. Breaks of five or more days will be excluded from the 14-day attendance count.

Blended Course Attendance: Blended courses combine face-to-face and online learning activities, which are separate instruction methods. Both portions require records of attendance. The face-to-face (LEC or LAB) must be recorded weekly as well as the online meetings, typically entered every Sunday by midnight.

Online Course Attendance: Online courses will, at a minimum, have scheduled weekly assignments and/or activities for student participation. Instructors will enter attendance for online classes weekly. ATTENDANCE WILL BE RECORDED BASED ON ACTIVITIES FROM MONDAY THROUGH SUNDAY AT MIDNIGHT. The instructor must record attendance no later than Monday based on a student's participation in assigned graded learning activities for the previous week. Students who do not participate as required will be considered absent. The Learning & Workforce Development Division's attendance online policy and procedure outline evidence of a student's active participation in an online course. The policy, in its entirety, can be found on Resources4me.

Class Cancellations

At times, class cancellations occur. Faculty should inform their immediate supervisor before the class period when canceling a class. If, when a class is canceled, the faculty member does not provide work for students to complete, the student must be marked absent. Therefore, class cancellations may impact a student's eligibility for receiving financial aid. 

Administrative Withdraws for Non-Attendance

NIC: The student was Never in Class during add/drop (a "WA" grade will be issued). A student who never attended class during the add/drop period will automatically be designated as "WA" (withdrawn administratively) in the Student Self-Service attendance tracking system. No specific action is needed by the instructor; recording attendance as instructed above will allow these designations to occur automatically. The timeline for this transaction will vary by course delivery and course type. This grade will appear on the transcript.

Absence for 14 Consecutive Calendar Days: At any time during the semester and regardless of a student's use of financial aid benefits, the college will withdraw a student who is not in attendance for 14 consecutive calendar days, including non-class days, holidays, and weekends, canceled class sessions, and college breaks lasting four days or less. Breaks of five or more days will be excluded from the 14-day attendance count. Before the course withdrawal day, the college policy is to assign a grade of W (Withdrawn). No credits or grade points will be awarded, and the W will not affect the GPA. After the course withdrawal deadline, the college will assign a grade of WF (Withdrawn Failing) for the course, which will negatively impact the GPA calculation. The student will be responsible for course payment and will not be eligible for a refund. The college will notify the student of the administrative withdrawal via the student's official college email address. For students receiving financial aid, the course will be recorded as an attempt and may affect future financial aid awards.

Reinstatement: A registered student who is withdrawn based on the NIC policy or the 14-day rule but yet wishes to remain in the class may be allowed to re-enroll in the class with the permission of the instructor and the department head using the automated reinstatement form (must be logged in to GTC4me to view) found on Resources4me>Students>Enrollment Services>Student Records>Forms and Documents. The instructor must fill out the form in its entirety, including the circumstances for each absence. Upon submission, the form will be routed to the email address provided on the form for approval by the department head. Both the instructor and the department head have the right to refuse reinstatement. However, if the student is mathematically able to pass the course at the time of the request, the student should be reinstated.

Students approved for Pass/Non-Pass (P/NP) are expected to continue participating in the class. If such students are withdrawn for attendance, the P/NP grade will not be awarded, and the student will receive either a WA or WF, depending on whether the student stops attending before or after the course withdrawal date. In order for the P/NP grade to be awarded, students withdrawn for attendance will need to be reinstated, and they are required to keep attending and participating in class activities. The decision to reinstate a student is the instructor’s decision.

Note: The student may be charged a reinstatement fee.  The student is immediately responsible for all work missed, and course/departmental/school policies regarding missed/late work will apply. Absences that occur during this period will count toward days missed for Veterans Affairs purposes, financial aid, and for the college's attendance policy.

Course Grades

Greenville Technical College supports the faculty in determining students' achievement of competencies related to the course objectives. The college also supports the students' right to clarify course grading policies.

Grading policies will be provided to students at the beginning of the course in the syllabus and/or plan of instruction. The instructor of record for each course shall assign all grades. If the student has questions about or needs clarification of the grading policy and/or a specific assignment grade, those must be brought up while enrolled in the course. Such questions or need for clarification should first be addressed to the instructor and then, if the student believes it is appropriate, to the instructor's supervisor.

Reporting Final Grades Electronically

All faculty members must use Self-Service to enter final grades. Instructors do NOT need to be on campus to enter final grades. Final grades MUST be submitted by the published due date for every student on a class roster after the last date to withdraw.

Grade Appeals

A student may appeal for a final course grade only if the student can demonstrate that an inappropriate grade was assigned as a result of prejudice, discrimination, personal malice, caprice, or circumstances such as mechanical, arithmetic, or clerical error. The burden of proof is on the student. The appeal must be initiated no later than 15 calendar days from the start of the following term. If the decision supports the student, the instructor will adjust the grade accordingly. If the instructor has departed from the college and cannot be reached, the school dean may adjust the grade. Refer to the College Catalog for further details.

Changing a Grade

If, after a final grade has been entered into Self Service, and a grade needs to be changed, the instructor of the course must complete a Grade Change form and submit it to Student Records. This form is located in SharePoint: Resources4me>Forms and Documents>Scroll down to Student Records >Grade Change. Greenville Technical College policy states that the Office of Student Records will only process grade changes once the Grade Change form is received. 

The course instructor should initiate and submit the Grade Change form electronically. If the instructor is not available, the departmental academic program director or departmental head may adjust the grade using the grade change form. Any incident of unauthorized grade changes in Colleague (Ellucian) or Self Service will be subject to disciplinary actions.

Retention of Grade Records

Instructors are required to keep electronic grade records (grade sheets/grade books/computer grading programs) on file for one year. If an instructor leaves the institution before this time period, the grades MUST be submitted to the academic program director, department head/chair, and/or academic dean. (Refer to the Retention and Destruction of Records located in this section.)

Note: Some academic schools have a grade retention policy that varies from the one-year rule. Be sure to follow your school's guidelines.

Withdrawals/Drops

Students must follow Greenville Tech's policies when dropping or withdrawing from a course.  Instructors should include the add/drop and withdrawal deadlines in the course syllabus. Students will be held financially responsible for all course charges related to missing these deadlines. (Refer to the Attendance Policies located in Part 3: ACADEMIC ADMINISTRATIVE POLICIES.)

When to use the Add/Drop Withdrawal Form:

1. The add/drop/withdrawal form is to be used for all requests for drops or withdrawals after the posted deadlines where an error has occurred. Some examples of situations that may warrant such a request include (1) an instructor does not properly record a student's absence(s), causing an errant NIC; (2) an instructor does not record class attendance promptly; or (3) a Greenville Tech employee makes an error that leaves a student on a class roll and a student has documentation of a formal request to drop the course. 

2. This form may also be used for (1) dropping a class during the official add/drop period. The add/drop/withdrawal form can be found here.

The add/drop/withdrawal form must be completed in its entirety. It must include the student’s name, ID number, course status change request, and reason. The signature of the instructor must be legible or may be signed electronically. The form may not be processed if the signature is unreadable or missing. The form may be emailed to StudentRecords@gvltec.edu.

Appeal for Late Withdrawal

Withdrawing from a course is a student's responsibility. Withdrawal dates are listed in college publications and are strictly enforced. If a student attempts and/or completes the final exam for the course, a Late Withdrawal Appeal cannot be granted. Late withdrawals are considered only after the last day to withdraw from a course AND when one of the following four criteria is met:

1. CHANGE IN, OR ACCEPTANCE OF, A JOB THAT REQUIRES TRANSFER OUT-OF-TOWN OR OUT-OF-STATE, OR CHANGE IN SHIFT. The request must include a letter from the company, on company letterhead, stating the student has been transferred out of town or reassigned to a different shift. Include a phone number and a point of contact for verification.

2. DEATH OF IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBER. PARENT, GRANDPARENT, SIBLING, SPOUSE, OR CHILD. The request must include a copy of the death certificate, obituary with the date, or other documentation stating the student's relation to the deceased.

3. CALL TO ACTIVE MILITARY DUTY. For verification, the request must include a copy of military orders, a phone number, and a point of contact at the service member's unit. The following does not apply: Two-week Annual Training (AT), Initial Active Duty for Training (IADT), Additional Special Duty Work (ASDW), and Weekend Drill (IDT). Students must see the Dean of Students for approval.

4. MEDICAL CONDITION WHICH REQUIRES WITHDRAWAL FROM COLLEGE. The request must be accompanied by a letter from a doctor or professional counselor stating that withdrawal is a medical necessity for the student or that the student is the primary caregiver of an immediate family member with an illness requiring long-term care. Extended care must prevent the student from meeting and completing course requirements. Include the phone number for the point of contact for verification.

5. HARDSHIP (ACT OF NATURE). Supporting documentation should include dates of acts, copies of insurance claims and/or police reports, and the extent of the damage(s).

Note: Materials to support a late withdrawal request must be attached to the completed appeal for late withdrawal form and submitted to the Office of Student Records.