Academic Policies & Procedures
ACADEMIC HONESTY
At Biola University, academic dishonesty is taken very seriously. It is defined as follows:
Academic dishonesty is the deliberate attempt to misrepresent individual efforts, whether in writing, audio-visual representation, or oral presentation. Issues of plagiarism are specific examples of academic dishonesty. Basically, plagiarism is claiming someone else’s ideas, words, or information as your own without acknowledgement or citation. In minor cases, it can be the simple quotation of a sentence or two without quotation marks and without a citation, footnote, endnote or inclusive note to indicate the true author. In the most serious cases, plagiarism reproduces a significant fraction of an entire work written by someone else. An example of plagiarism consists of removal of the true author(s) name(s) and substituting the plagiarist’s name. Mere reformatting of a text does not constitute “original” thought, but merely juxtaposing someone else’s work and text.
To view the full text of the university’s Academic Dishonesty Policy, see Appendix.
ACADEMIC PROBATION AND DISQUALIFICATION
If your cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) at Biola University falls below a solid "C" (2.00), you will be placed on academic probation. Probation indicates a "grace" period, in which at least a 2.00 GPA average must be achieved in the subsequent term or risk disqualification.
You will be academically disqualified to continue in the BOLD program if your GPA goes below a 1.00 in one term or below the 2.00 GPA minimum for two successive semesters. If considered for disqualification, a written appeal may be submitted to the Registrar's Office requesting to be allowed to continue on strict academic probation.
If disqualified, you will need to withdraw from the University. It may be possible for you to apply for re-admission after one year. However, re-admittance is contingent upon the ability to achieve sufficient academic progress, as determined by the Registrar’s Office. Contact your Education Center to initiate this process.
ADDING A COURSE
Bible and G.E. Courses
The Bible and General Education (GE) Course List includes offerings for the entire academic year (fall – summer) and indicates courses held at the various BOLD program locations. To view the complete list of courses and/or to download a Course Request form go to http://www.biola.edu/academics/professional-studies/bold/current_students/schedule/.
Major Courses
Course Request forms are provided to current students by the Education Center staff. Forms may also be downloaded at http://www.biola.edu/academics/professional-studies/bold/current_students/major_courses/. However, if you need to take a major course outside of your scheduled courses, contact your Academic Counselor.
To Register
The Course Request form must be accurately completed, signed and returned before the registration deadline that is generally one month before the start of classes. Submitting a Course Request form is not the same as being “registered” for a course. Students are not officially registered for courses until Accounting has cleared them to take the course.
If a course is registered for after the deadline or if a student has not been financially cleared by 5pm on the deadline date, a $120 late fee will be assessed. Information concerning your course will be emailed to you after the registration deadline for your course. This information will include the meeting time and place, your professor’s biography, your textbook list and other pertinent facts.
Please note: The above procedures are your responsibility. It is also your responsibility, as a student, to order your textbook(s) and coursepack in time for each course as well as to complete the assignment for the first session of the course. Your grade for a course may be affected if the first session’s assignment has not been completed.
ATTENDANCE AND COURSEWORK EXPECTATIONS
Due to the concentrated scheduling and the emphasis upon participatory learning, students are expected to be in attendance and on time for each class in the program. Absenteeism or tardy arrival needs to be the exception. A student's failure to attend or arrive on time produces a loss that is felt by both the individual student and the group as a whole.
Students may only miss one class session per course, and this absence will result in the course grade being reduced by two grade levels (e.g. A reduced to B+; B- reduced to a C. [see Grading System]. If two class sessions are missed, the student must re-take the entire course. If the deadline to withdraw from the course has not passed (the 2nd night of class), a student may drop the course by submitting a drop slip to their Academic Counselor. A "W" will appear on his/her grade report for the dropped course. However, if the deadline has passed, the student will receive a "UW" (Unofficially Withdrawn). The UW will remain on their record. If the course is repeated the grade earned will be used to calculate the students GPA. If not repeated, the UW will be counted as an "F" (0 grade points) in calculating the students GPA for Biola University.
• Classes will begin promptly at the scheduled starting time. Students arriving after that point are considered tardy.
• In a five-week module, one missed week is 20% of the class.
• It is the student’s responsibility to notify the faculty member of any absence prior to the class starting time.
• Students are responsible to consult with the instructor to determine any make up course work and in some instances may be required to do additional work to accomplish the learning objectives.
Report Delayed (RD)
In the case of extreme extenuating circumstances (i.e., a death in the family, severe illness, situations beyond the student's control) a Report Delayed (RD) may be granted. This is a temporary mark issued only as approved by the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Programs. Although the Attendance Policy remains applicable, an RD will allow you to complete the work with a deadline established by the professor with the approval of the Dean's office. To request a report delay, please talk with your professor regarding the circumstances of your situation before the class is over. (A Report Delay cannot be granted after the course has ended.)
Waiting for an Instructor Protocol
IIf your instructor has been detained for some reason (i.e. flat tire, stuck in traffic due to a car accident) and has not arrived by the time class is scheduled to begin, please wait for one hour.
If the instructor still has not arrived,
Sign your name on an attendance sheet and place it in the group’s mailbox or bag.
Select someone from the class to notify the BOLD Program Office the following working day.
The BOLD Program Office will call the instructor immediately and will contact everyone in your class regarding any message the instructor and/or the office has for you.
AUDITING COURSES
BOLD Program courses may not be audited. However, if a "substitution" (based on previously completed coursework) for a major course has been approved, you may sit in on the course at the discretion of the instructor. In such a case, registration as an auditor is not necessary.
Alumni may audit one traditional undergraduate course or graduate level course free of charge. Contact the Office of the Registrar for an Audit Application.
CHANGING MAJORS
In order for a student to change majors within the BOLD Program (e.g., Organizational Leadership to Psychology), or to move from pre-major into a major, a student must have a 2.00 GPA. If a student's GPA is below this level, the student will need to remain in his/her current major or in pre-major until the GPA has been raised.
When a student is qualified to change majors, a Change of Major form must be submitted to the academic counselor. Forms are available at the education centers.
CLOSED COURSES / WAITING LISTS
On occasion, courses offered through the program fill to capacity. When this occurs, a waiting list may be established. Students on the waiting list will be given preference based on their level of academic standing and their proximity to graduation. For example, a student about to graduate would be given preference over a student just beginning the program, even if the latter student pre-registered first. Students who pre-register prior to the establishment of a waiting list will not be bumped from a course.
If you are on the waiting list, please do not show up for the first session of the course unless instructed to do so by your Education Center.
DOUBLE MAJOR / DOUBLE DEGREE / MINOR
Because the BOLD Program is uniquely structured, students are not usually able to double major, complete a double degree, or minor in another discipline without extensive additional coursework. However, if you are interested in pursuing this, please contact the Registrar's Office at the beginning of your program to inquire about the possibility.
DROPPING A COURSE
There may be time that you need to drop/withdraw from a course, however dropping units in a term may affect or even cause the loss of financial aid. Check with the Financial Aid Office before dropping a course.
A Drop Slip should be filed with your Education Center if:
-
Work or personal schedule conflicts will cause you to miss two or more sessions of the course or make it impossible to attend at all. If this is unavoidable, contact your Education Center and submit a Drop Slip for the course in conflict and add/register to take it in the future [see Adding a Course]. An Officially Drop can only be submitted before the start of class on week 3 (for a 5-week course) or before the start of class on week 4 (for a 7-week course). There is no tuition refund granted after this time. Students who fail to attend classes after that point will receive an Unofficial Withdrawal (UW).
-
You cannot continue and must withdraw from the program [see Withdrawal]. Refunds are calculated based on when the student contacts the Education Center letting the Academic Counselor know that the course will be dropped [see Tuition Refunds].
There is a $5 fee for processing a Drop Slip and a $15 fee for a late Drop.
EVALUATIONS
Course evaluations are intended to provide feedback to administration on the effectiveness of each course. Your comments and suggestions are very important in order to maintain excellence in the BOLD Program. Changes can only be made when administration is aware of your experience in the course and receives feedback.
Course evaluations will be filled out in class during the last meeting of each course. Please note that the instructor will not receive any of the evaluations for her/his course until four weeks after grades have been submitted.
GRADE CHANGE REQUEST AND APPEALS
Grade changes are only allowable for computational or recording errors.
If a student feels that the grade received for a course is in error [see Grading System] it is the student’s responsibility to bring it to the attention of the instructor within ninety days following the issued grade.
GRADING SYSTEM
The quality of coursework is graded on a scale, using a system of grade points to determine Grade Point Average (GPA) or academic standing:
| Grade | Quality | Grade Points |
|---|---|---|
| A | Highest Passing Grade | 4.00 |
| A- | 3.67 | |
| B+ | 3.33 | |
| B | Good | 3.00 |
| B- | 2.67 | |
| C+ | 2.33 | |
| C | Satisfactory | 2.00 |
| C- | 1.67 | |
| D+ | 1.33 | |
| D | 1.00 | |
| D- | Lowest Passing Grade | 0.67 |
| F | Failure | 0.00 |
"W" indicates an Official Withdrawal from a course and does not affect your GPA [see Dropping a Course].
"UW" indicates an Unofficial Withdrawal. If you register for a course but do not attend, you are given the grade of "UW" which will influence your GPA the same as an "F".
"RD" indicates a temporary mark of Report Delayed that will be issued when approved by the Vice Provost’s Office. This is granted only for extenuating circumstances [see Attendance & Coursework Expectations].
Grade Point Average (GPA) is obtained by dividing the total number of units attempted into the total number of grade points obtained at Biola University. To graduate with a baccalaureate degree, a student must have at least twice as many grade points as units in total credit value of all courses taken at Biola (2.00 GPA), as well as a 2.00 GPA in the major field.
Repeating Courses is permitted if a grade of "D" or "F" was earned. Courses in which grades earned were either "C" or "B" may be repeated only with approval from the Registrar's Office.
When a course is repeated in which a student has received a grade of a "D" or an "F" the first time, the better grade is the only one used in computing the cumulative GPA, and the units are counted only once. However, both grades will be shown on the student’s permanent record. When a course is repeated in which the student received a "C" or "B" grade the first time, both the first and the second grades figure into the total cumulative GPA computation and both grades will be shown on the student’s permanent record.
Keep in mind that a class with the same course number cannot be repeated within the same term. Thus, if a student fails a course and wants to immediately sign up again, the student needs to be certain that the course to be repeated falls in a subsequent term.
Final Grade Reports
All assignments, including final papers, are due as scheduled in the coursepack for each course. Grade reports will be available online 2 to 3 weeks after the end of a course; access Biola Student Information (BSI) through your Portal account at https://portal.biola.edu/portal.
Grade Report Errors
If there is an error in the final grade report, a student has ninety days from the time the grade is posted to report the error. Grade changes are only allowable for computational or recording errors.
INDEPENDENT STUDY / ARRANGED COURSES
Under certain circumstances, a student may need to complete coursework that is not currently available in the course schedule. If these circumstances apply, the student may request to complete the coursework via an Arranged Course. This needs to be mutually arranged by the student and a qualified faculty member who will set assignments, a grading scale, and a due date. Before pursuing an Arranged Course option, the following must to be considered:
Faculty members are under no obligation to set up an Arranged Course for a student, so their participation should be considered an act of grace and generosity, not a responsibility.
Tuition will be charged whether or not the assignments for the course are completed. Late work is not permitted for an Arranged Course. The student will be graded on the basis of work submitted by the pre-established due date.
A $15 fee will be assessed for each Arranged Course form that is submitted. Contact your Education Center Director or Academic Counselor for more information.
PORTAL / BIOLA STUDENT INFORMATION (BSI)
Each student will receive a Biola Portal account through which various resources are available, including Biola Student Information (BSI). BSI gives students access to their grades, courses taken and those registered for, as well as financial account information. Biola Portal may be accessed from https://portal.biola.edu/portal.
A personalized password will be issued to each student to use for the duration of his or her time as a Biola student. The password is case sensitive and must be typed in exactly as it appears. The password is confidential and should not be given to anyone. If misplaced, please contact the Education Center.
Passwords are distributed during the Mandatory Advising Appointment that should be scheduled with an Academic Counselor during the first course of your first term in the program.
RE-ENROLLMENT / RE-ADMITTANCE
It may become necessary for students "stops out" of the program, either officially or unofficially. If this occurs the following procedures apply.
Less than one full term – Simply register for upcoming classes in the next term.
One full term to 2 years – After an absence that is between one full term and two years a student must re-enroll. To re-enroll a student must have maintained a GPA above 2.25 and be current with their Biola financial account. Student should meet with their Academic Counselor to fill out the Re-enrollment Form, update their Student Profile Sheet, and confirm their status with Accounting and the Registrar’s Office.
After 2 years – After an absence of more that 2 years, a student must be re-admitted to the BOLD program. All application forms must be resubmitted and the enrollment deposit repaid. Contact your Education Center for all forms and procedures.
If a student “stops out” for over a year, his/her enrollment deposit is subject to forfeiture [see Enrollment Deposit for details]. If during the time that a student has “stopped out” of the BOLD program, Biola has updated the University Catalog, students will be re-enrolled or re-admitted under the new Catalog requirements for the program.
REGISTRATION / RECORDS
Registration for the program, as well as for each academic term is recorded by the Biola University Registrar's Office. This office also maintains all of the official academic records.
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR A MAJOR COURSE
The following major courses may not be substituted and must be taken at Biola University:
Organizational Leadership
- ORLD 340 Group & Organizational Behavior
- ORLD 450 Organizational Ethics
- ORLD 490 Research Project
Psychology
- CPSY 202 Group Behavior
- CPSY 450 Psychology & Ethics
In the major, 24 of the units must be upper division (300/400 level). Substituting lower division (100/200 level) transfer units for upper division module units may, in some circumstances, be prohibited because of this requirement.
Credit for Prior Learning (CPL)
In some cases, a module course may be met by substituting units received from CPL. [see Credit for Prior Learning]
Transfer Courses
If a previously completed course that has transferred to Biola appears to be comparable to a BOLD major course, a petition to have it substitute for that course may be submitted. In addition, a copy of the catalog course description from the year that the course was taken must be submitted. If the petition is approved, tuition will be waived for that major course.
If you do not have access to the catalog for the year you took the course, contact the Records Office at the college or university where it was taken. Request that a copy of the catalog’s course description be sent to you from their archives for the year you took the course.
Substitution of a transferred course for a major requirement should be requested prior to registration for the term in which the course is being offered. Contact your Academic Counselor or Education Center Director to initiate the process.
Note: The change in term units may affect your financial aid eligibility. Please contact the Financial Aid Office.
TESTBOOK RETURN POLICY
Textbooks purchased from the Biola Bookstore for BOLD Program courses may be returned for a refund up to one week after the start of class, but no more than five weeks from the date of purchase. A sales receipt must accompany textbook refund requests and the student must show a valid Biola ID. New textbooks must be in original condition, clean, free of any marks and erasures. Bookstore management reserves the right to pass judgment on the condition of returned books. Packaged textbooks or coursepacks are not returnable or exchangeable if indicated on the packaging. Coursepacks are non-returnable unless in new condition.
Types of Textbook Refunds
- Cash Purchases: Refund will be in cash.
- Check Purchases: A credit voucher may be issued and may be redeemed for cash 10 days after purchase.
- Credit Card Purchases: A credit will be issued to the original card used for the purchase.
- Book Slip Purchases: Credit will be issued on a book slip to your account.
No refund will be given without a receipt. Textbooks eligible for refund or exchange must be accompanied by an original receipt.
TRANSCRIPTS
IIn order for a transcript from another institution to be considered official by Biola University, it must be mailed directly from the institution to the BOLD Program Office. Hand-delivered transcripts (even if sealed and marked “official”) will not be considered official.
To request transcripts from other schools attended, you will need to contact the Records Office at each school, individually.
Transcripts showing all academic coursework, to date, may be requested from the Biola University Registrar’s Office by calling (562) 903-4720 or by going to http://www.biola.edu/registrar/services/transcripts/. A fee may apply.
TRANSFERING UNITS TO BIOLA
Before taking a course outside of Biola University, check with your Education Center or Academic Counselor to determine that the course will transfer to Biola. After a course has been completed outside of Biola, the official transcript must be requested and sent directly from the institution to your Education Center.
Academic Status
Coursework from other institutions may only be transferred to Biola if a "C" (2.00 GPA) or better was received.
A minimum of a "C" average (2.00 GPA) in all major coursework at Biola must be maintained.
For graduation, a cumulative 2.00 GPA or a “C” average must be maintained in all coursework completed at Biola University. A grade of "D” (1.00 GPA) is acceptable as a passing grade in a single course, however, such quality of work is not indicative of satisfactory progress.
Evaluation of Transfer Units
Units from regionally accredited 4-year colleges and universities may be accepted for transfer. The method of evaluation, the courses accepted, and the amount of credit will be determined by the nature of the course(s) and the type of institution(s). All official evaluations will be completed by the Registrar's Office, and any appeals regarding transfer units should be made to that office.
Limitations on Transfer Credit
Only 70 community college units will transfer. If more than 70 have already been completed, select which units (on the basis of usefulness for program requirements) to transfer.
Only 17 Bible units (outside of those integrated into the modules) may be taken and counted toward the units needed for graduation.
Only 30 units of Credit for Prior Learning may be counted towards the units needed for graduation. To earn this credit, documentation and/or an essay will be evaluated by faculty in the respective disciplines. This does not include CLEP, AP, or military-based TPT. [see Credit for Prior Learning]
A maximum of 32 units may be awarded for all forms of advanced credit (i.e. AP, CLEP).
Reasons Why Some Units Will Not Transfer
School or coursework is unaccredited (i.e. classes taken at a church or Bible study, a church-operated school of ministry)
A grade of a "C-" or lower was received in the course
Units were graded “Credit/No Credit” or “Pass/Fail”
Units taken were at a pre-college level (i.e. remedial) or are technical in nature
Units do not conform closely enough to Biola University’s courses
Exceeds the maximum of 8 units allotted for Music Performance or PE activity
Units exceeded maximum of 70 community college units
WITHDRAWAL (OFFICIAL)
If for some reason a student cannot continue and must withdraw from the program (even if anticipating to return), the student must:
Talk to an Academic Counselor.
Drop the appropriate courses. [see Dropping a Course ]
Submit a Departure Card. The student must complete the top portion. The Education Center will route the completed card to the appropriate on-campus offices for signatures. Cards may be obtained online at http://www.biola.edu/academics/professional-studies/bold/currentstudents/ _or from your Education Center.
Any refund of tuition or fees that may be due upon withdrawal will be governed by the refund policy [see Tuition Refunds ]. Any exceptions to the stated withdrawal policy must be determined by the Registrar’s Office.
If a student is temporarily withdrawing from the program, s/he may re-enter by following the procedures listed above [see Re-enrollment/Re-admittance].
After a full years absence from the program, if the student has not followed the procedures above, they will be classified as Unofficially Withdrawn, and may forfeit their Enrollment Deposit [see Enrollment Deposit].