COVID-19 Information

Effective 8/18/21, face coverings will be required indoors (in all NWACC facilities, including classrooms) for all NWACC employees, students and visitors. The face covering requirement is for everyone, whether or not one has received a COVID-19 vaccine. Due to an increase in COVID-19 cases and the CDC’s mask recommendations, NWACC leadership has decided to adjust the college’s response to COVID-19 by requiring face coverings. Leadership will continue to monitor the legal challenge to Act 1002 and reassess face covering requirements on a monthly basis. Along with wearing a face covering, you're encouraged to follow other safety guidelines such as frequent hand washing, social distancing and getting vaccinated. We appreciate your patience and flexibility during these fluid times.

If you are experiencing any COVID-19-like symptoms, have been exposed to or diagnosed with COVID-19, please make your instructor aware of your symptoms - even if you have a received a COVID-19 vaccine - so they can make the appropriate accommodations.You can also report your COVID-19-like symptoms, exposure and/or diagnosis to the Dean of Students office at deanofstudents@nwacc.edu. COVID-19 Resources:

Testing: A list of COVID-19 testing sites can be found at nwacouncil.org/testing.
Vaccines: A list of locations offering COVID-19 vaccines can be found at healthy.arkansas.gov

Stay updated on NWACC’s response to COVID-19 and help us remain #NWACCStrong by visiting www.nwacc.edu/coronavirus.

LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR GENERAL EDUCATION

NWACC believes that general education is an essential part of all its higher education degree programs. These general education outcomes prepare students to pursue life-long learning.

Students develop higher order thinking skills.
Students gain greater awareness of cultural perspectives.
Students can write clear, coherent, well-organized documents, which are substantially free of errors.
Students can read selections at the college level.
Students develop effective oral communication skills.
Students can achieve mathematical literacy.
Students can use computers proficiently.
Students can employ a variety of sources to locate, evaluate, and use information.

DISABILITY RESOURCE CENTER

Any student with a disability or medical concern which may impact access to or progress in this course is encouraged to contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC). The DRC works with students and faculty collaboratively to coordinate reasonable academic accommodations for students. Once registration with the DRC is complete, eligible students are given tools and guidance on how to use their individualized academic accommodations appropriately. This includes the student taking the responsibility to contact each instructor privately to discuss his/her DRC Accommodation Letter. For Distance Learning courses, an electronic copy of the Accommodation Letter will be sent by email to both the student and the instructor(s), which will include further instructions. For more information, please see our introductory video.introductory videoFor an appointment or to speak to DR Staff, email (preferred) disability@nwacc.edu or call (479) 986-4076. For students who are able to visit our Bentonville campus, the DRC is located in Room 114 on the first floor of the Student Center.

COUNSELING AND WELLNESS CENTER

NWACC recognizes that students sometimes experience challenges that make learning difficult. If you find that life stressors such as anxiety, depression, relationship problems, difficulty concentrating, alcohol/drug problems, or other stressful experiences are interfering with your academic or personal success, consider contacting the Counseling and Wellness Center at counseling@nwacc.edu or 479-619-4128. The Counseling and Wellness Center is located on the second floor of the Student Center. More information is also available on our website. All students are eligible for free, confidential individual or group counseling services.

CLASS CONTINUATION PLAN

NWACC reserves the right to enact a class continuation plan in the event of class cancellations due to weather or other emergency events. The instructor will maintain continuity using the Canvas online system or other alternate means as determined by the instructor. You will be contacted via your established communications channels with instructions. Students will be expected to continue with assignments. Online classes will continue to operate according to schedule. Consideration may be given for exceptional circumstances.

EMERGENCY INFORMATION

All students should review the Emergency Preparedness Handout in case of a campus emergency.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT INFORMATION

For Canvas questions or technical support, contact Distance Learning at dl@nwacc.edu. If you need assistance with your NWACC password or email, contact IT tech support at studenthelpdesk@nwacc.edu or 479-619-4376 during weekday business hours. Canvas courses are designed to be accessed using a traditional desktop/laptop computer. Alternate direct access to Canvas can be found at: https://nwacc.instructure.com

STUDENT HANDBOOK

The current NWACC Student Handbook can be found on the Current Students page under the heading Student Support Services.

Both FERPA and the Student Handbook guide students and faculty and apply to all learning settings.

ADMINISTRATIVE DROP/ADMINISTRATIVE WITHDRAWAL (Policy 3009. Updated 5/2019)

a. Northwest Arkansas Community College (NWACC) students are expected to participate throughout the semester and must stay up-to-date on their coursework. Instructors may use attendance as part of grading and have the authority to lower a grade or fail a student based on attendance. If an instructor chooses to use attendance as part of grading, the specific attendance policy will be distributed with other course information at the beginning of the semester.

b. Course Commencement and Administrative Drop Policy

i. To be successful, students must participate in their learning. Students are expected not only to attend class, but to participate in the learning activities from the beginning of the semester. To establish their initial intent to be engaged in their learning, students must demonstrate participation in class activities from the beginning of class to the census date. Students who do not meet those requirements by the census date will be administratively dropped from the class with an 80% refund. There will be no reinstatement of administratively dropped students. Students removed from the class roster may not receive their financial aid for the semester. Each instructor will state the census date and participation requirements for their course in the course information. Students who have an illness or other circumstance that interferes with their initial participation may request consideration from their faculty on a case-by-case basis. It is crucial that students contact their instructors regarding their circumstances as soon as possible.

c. Academic Progress and Administrative Withdrawal Policy

i. Students deserve feedback about their learning during the semester. Faculty will report students’ academic progress by midterm. This feedback will allow students to consult with their instructors and adjust their study strategies. Students who are actively participating in class will be issued an early progress grade. The early progress grade in not an official grade but only reports performance to date. Students must meet the syllabus grading requirements to earn the final grade recorded on the transcript.

ii. Students who are not actively participating in class activities may be administratively withdrawn with no refund. Withdrawal from a class may affect a student’s financial aid. Faculty will assign a midterm withdrawal to students who are failing because they have not met the participation requirements for the course. Each instructor will state their participation requirements in the course information. Students who have an illness or other circumstance that interferes with their participation may request consideration from their faculty on a case-by-case basis. It is crucial that students contact their instructors regarding their circumstances as soon as possible.

Grading (Policy 3008; Updated 5/2019)

Grades of FP – (failure to participate) will be issued to those students failing to participate in class activities and failing to officially withdraw from their course(s). Students will be assigned a grade of “FP” if they do not officially withdraw from the course and failed to participate in course activities through the end of the period. FP is used when, in the opinion of the instructor, completed assignments or course activities or both were insufficient to make normal ev aluation of academic performance possible. Students who complete the course but fail to achieve the course objectives will be awarded the grade of F (failing). Failure to participate in all courses attempted by a student is considered an unofficial withdra wal and the student may be required to repay all or a portion of the financial aid received for the semester. Federal regulations mandate that the Financial Aid Office determine the percentage of the semester the student completed. This calculation will establish the amount of financial aid funds that must be returned to the Department of Education.

CONCEALED CARRY STATEMENT

Concealed Carry FAQ (scroll down to the bottom of the policy page)

Effective September 1, 2017
Provided all of the following conditions are met, the possession of concealed handguns in buildings and on the grounds of NorthWest Arkansas Community College is permitted under Arkansas Act 562 of 2017:

Carrier has a license to carry a concealed handgun, and
Carrier has completed additional endorsement training as approved by the Director of the Department of Arkansas State Police.

Concealed means the handgun is shielded from observation and not viewable in public. Notwithstanding the above, a Licensed Carrier may store a concealed handgun in his or her locked vehicle in a publicly owned and maintained parking lot. Exceptions to the right to carry a concealed handgun include the following:

All public K-12 locations, Jones Center for Families, and private spaces not owned or leased by NWACC;
Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food
Documented grievance and disciplinary meetings, provided additional requirements are met by NWACC personnel.

For additional information, refer to Arkansas Act 562 of 2017.
Definitions may be found at Ark. Code Ann. §5-73-301 (2017).

CLASS RECORDINGS

Class sessions may be recorded by the instructor. Students may not record, distribute, or live-stream the class without prior permission of the instructor. Students with accommodations should consult with their instructor before recording class sessions. Please contact your instructor with any questions or concerns.

REMOTE PROCTORING

Some online or remote classes may use an automatic video recording system for proctored testing. This system records your ID information and the complete testing session. Instructors review the video recording to ensure exam integrity, and the recording remains available to the instructor in case it is needed for future review. Please contact the class instructor with any questions or concerns.

ACADEMIC HONESTY

Academic honesty means that students do their own work and do not represent others’ work as their own. A violation of academic honesty involves misrepresentation, the submission of materials for evaluation that are not the student’s own, or completion of an academic exercise that does not result from individual effort or intellectual production. For more information about academic honesty, please consult the college's Academic Honesty policy: https://nwacc.policystat.com/policy/8778122/latest/ Plagiarism, a particular violation of the Academic Honesty policy, results when a student presents the words or ideas of someone else as if they were their own. If the words of someone other than the writer are reproduced without acknowledgement of the source or if someone else’s ideas are paraphrased in such a way that leads the reader to believe they originated with the writer, then plagiarism has occurred. For more information about plagiarism, please consult the plagiarism subtopic of the Student Handbook. https://nwacc.policystat.com/policy/8740049/latest/#autoid-9k9xa

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