In addition to the course specific syllabus students receive in each course, standardized college policies and information are provided below.

Academic Misconduct

Academic Misconduct

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT DEFINITIONS

Academic Misconduct includes, but is not limited to, the following:

  1. Aiding and Abetting Academic Misconduct. Knowingly helping, procuring, encouraging or otherwise assisting another person to engage in academic misconduct.
  2.  Cheating
      • Use and/or possession of unauthorized material or technology during an examination, or any other written or oral work submitted for evaluation and/or a grade, such as tape cassettes, notes, tests, calculators, computer programs, cell phones and/or smart phones, or other electronic devices.
      • Obtaining assistance with or answers to an examination or any other written or oral work submitted for evaluation and/or a grade from another person with or without that person’s knowledge.
      • Furnishing assistance with or answers to an examination or any other written or oral work submitted for evaluation and/or a grade to another person.
      • Possessing, using, distributing or selling unauthorized copies of an examination, computer program, or any other written or oral work submitted for evaluation and/or a grade.
      • Representing as one’s own an examination or any other written or oral work submitted for evaluation and/or a grade created by another person.
      • Taking an examination or any other written or oral work submitted for evaluation and/or a grade in place of another person.
      • Obtaining unauthorized access to the computer files of another person or agency and/or altering or destroying those files.
      • Obtaining teacher edition text books, test banks, or other instructional materials that are only intended to be accessed by technical college officials, college administrator or faculty member.
  3. Fabrication. Fabrication is the use of invented information or the falsification of research or other findings.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

      • Citation of information not taken from the source indicated. This may include the incorrect documentation of secondary source materials.
      • Listing sources in a bibliography not used in the academic exercise.
      • Submission in a paper, thesis, lab report, or other academic exercise of falsified, invented, or fictitious data or information, or deliberate and knowing concealment or distortion of the true nature, origin, or function of such data or information.
      • Submitting as your own written work, printing, sculpture, etc. prepared totally or in part by another.
      • Plagiarism
        • Submitting another’s published or unpublished work in whole, in part or in paraphrase, as one’s own without fully and properly crediting the author with footnotes, quotation marks, citations, or bibliographical reference.
        • Submitting as one’s own original work, material obtained from an individual or agency without reference to the person or agency as the source of the material.
        • Submitting as one’s own original work material that has been produced through unacknowledged collaboration with others without release in writing from collaborators.

Consequences of academic misconduct or dishonesty range from a “zero” on specific assignments to dismissal from the college, depending upon the level and number of offenses.

See the Georgia Piedmont Technical College Student Handbook for details.

Equal Opportunity

Equal Opportunity

The Technical College System of Georgia and Georgia Piedmont Tech do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national or ethnic origin, sex, religion, disability, age, political affiliation or belief, genetic information, veteran’s status, or citizenship status (except in those special circumstances permitted or mandated by law). This nondiscrimination policy encompasses the operation of all TCSG and technical college-administered programs, federally financed programs, educational programs and activities involving admissions, scholarships and loans, student life and athletics. It also applies to the recruitment and employment of personnel and the contracting for goods and services.

Equal Opportunity Contact Information

Grading System | Grading Symbols

Grading System | Grading Symbols

The grading system and grade symbols used at Georgia Piedmont Technical College are as follows:

A 90 – 100 Excellent
B 80 — 89 Good
C 70 — 79 Satisfactory – the minimum grade required for certain courses, as specified in the Catalog*
D 60 — 69 Needs Improvement – while giving hours credit, will not apply toward the diploma, degree, or certificate in courses requiring a minimum grade of “C”
F Below 60 Unsatisfactory
WF Withdrawn – Failing Unsatisfactory
No credit toward graduation is given for a course in which a grade of “F” or “WF” was received.

 

The following symbols are used in the cases indicated, but will not be included in the determination of the grade point average:
W Withdrawn Indicates that a student initiated a withdrawal before the mid-point and was permitted to withdraw from the course without penalty.
I Incomplete Indicates that a student has satisfactorily completed a substantial portion of the course work, but for NON-ACADEMIC reasons beyond his/her control was not able to complete some specific part or amount of the work required (for example, the final examination). An “I” not satisfactorily removed by the end of the following semester will automatically be changed to an “F.” The time allowed for completing work may be extended to a maximum of twelve months when circumstances prevent the student from completing the work during the following semester. To obtain an “I” the student and their instructor must complete the Petition for “I” which will include a description of the work to be completed and the completion date. Copies of the Petition for “I” will be filed with the instructor and with the appropriate School Dean.
IP In Progress Indicates that a course continues beyond the end of the semester (Continuing Education courses only).
S Satisfactory Indicates that a non-graded course was satisfactorily completed (Continuing Education courses only).
U Unsatisfactory Indicates a non-graded course was not satisfactorily completed (Continuing Education courses only).
AC Articulated Credit Indicates credit earned through articulation.
AU Audit Indicates that a course was audited. No credit is given.
EX Credit by Exam Indicates a credit by school examination.
TR Transfer Indicates that transfer credit was awarded for a course at another college.

 

A grade followed by an asterisk (*) indicates a Learning Support course. A Learning Support grade is not counted in a student’s earned hours or cumulative grade point average.

Grades of IP, S, and U are awarded to Continuing Education courses only.

Proctoring Policy and Procedure

Proctoring Requirement

In order to verify student identity and ensure academic integrity, students enrolled in distance education courses (i.e., online or hybrid courses delivered with more than 50% of course online) are required to participate in at least one proctored graded event per course.

Georgia Piedmont Technical College strongly encourages students to take advantage of the instructor-scheduled proctored events which are listed on the course syllabi. However, in the event extenuating circumstances prevent the student from participating in the instructor-scheduled event, the following options are available at the discretion of the instructor. It is the student’s responsibility to make the appropriate arrangements upon receiving instructor approval.

There is no cost for instructor-scheduled proctored events. Any costs or fees associated with alternative proctoring options are paid by the student.

  1. Arrange an appointment with an instructor-approved proctor. Approved proctors include persons who are not related to the student:
    • A faculty member or administrator of a regionally-accredited university or college
    • A school superintendent, principal, or counselor
    • A librarian
    • A commissioned officer whose rank is higher than the student’s own (for students in the military only)
  1. Have the event proctored by another Technical College.
  2. If the instructor allows, the student may schedule the exam through Respondus Monitoring via Blackboard, during the time posted on the syllabus.

Students with documented disabilities and/or special testing needs should contact their instructors for appropriate accommodations in collaboration with the College’s ADA Coordinator, Ms. Candice Buckley at (404) 297-9522.

Safety and Security

Safety, emergency, and evacuation procedures are posted in each classroom.

Georgia Piedmont Technical College’s Emergency Alert System (EAS) is used to communicate vital information to students and employees as quickly as possible. Vital information is classified as campus closings, severe weather, evacuation routes, and security incidents. The information can be delivered via text message (SMS) to your mobile phone or e-mail. In addition, students may check their college email and local media source in case of an emergency for more detailed information as it becomes available.

Emergency Alerts are used to communicate urgent messages to faculty, staff, and students. Alerts may address severe weather, water or power outages, evacuation or lock down notices, or campus closings.

Opt-in to the alerts HERE.

Special Services

Support services are offered to students with documented disabilities. Available assistance includes career guidance, academic assessment/placement, special classroom aids, interpreters, note takers, and referral to community service agencies.

Please contact Paula Greenwood, Disability Services Advisor, at (404) 297-9522, ext.1155 or greenwop@gptc.edu to request academic adjustments. The Disability Services Office is located in room A170 on the DeKalb Campus and in A214 on the Newton Campus. Not all students who apply for academic adjustments will meet the disability requirements at Georgia Piedmont Technical College.

Some students are able to receive Disability Services at the secondary level or with other governmental agencies but may not be eligible at the College level. However, the denial of Special Services does not prevent a student from attending classes. Georgia Piedmont Technical College follows laws and requirements as outlined by The Americans with Disabilities Act As Amended, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the State of Georgia, The Technical College System of Georgia and the Regents System of Georgia.

Withdrawals

Drop/Add Period

Students who drop a course prior to the first day of the semester or during the three day add/drop period will receive no mark on their academic history.

Courses may be dropped and added through the college’s third instructional day of the semester (please see the applicable semester calendar for the exact date and time as set by the college). Courses dropped during the drop/add period will not appear on the student’s official academic transcript.

“No Shows”

Any enrolled student who has not participated in class assignments by the designated No Show Deadline each term will be will be dropped from the course.

Student Initiated Withdrawals

A student may withdraw from courses up until the final week of classes.  A student cannot withdraw from a course during the final week of the term.

Students who want or need to withdraw from classes for any reason must do so online or in-person at the One-Stop. 

If submitting an online withdrawal:

If submitting a withdrawal in-person:

  • Complete the Withdrawal Form and follow the instructions for submission.

The official date of withdrawal is the online submission date in BANNERWeb or the date a physical form is submitted on campus.

  • Financial aid could be negatively affected for students who withdraw, no-show, and/or cease attending.
  • Students having an emergency situation such as illness, accident, or death in the immediate family should contact the Registrar’s Office as soon as possible.
  • A Stop Payment on a check does not constitute a formal withdrawal nor does it cancel the student’s financial obligation. An outstanding balance consisting of these fees plus a returned check fee will still be owed to Georgia Piedmont Tech.

Withdrawal from “Stacked Classes”

In some programs, students register for a full load of classes (stacked classes) at the beginning of the term; however, the courses are taught consecutively and each course is a pre-requisite to the next course. Some of the programs that fall into this category are Nursing, Phlebotomy, Law Enforcement, EMT, Paramedic, CISCO, and several School of Industrial Technologies programs. Students that fail one of the pre-requisite courses will be dropped from the remaining courses that term and will not be allowed to participate in them.

Provisions

For some programs and classes, requirements for instructional hours or clock hours reflect the singular or combined rules of respective licensing boards, state legal requirements, accrediting, or other external parties. Details are provided in our Course Catalog.

All attendance requirements for these classes are listed in their respective syllabi, specifying the attendance requirement and any provisions for make-up work in the classroom or during clinical experiences.

Technical Support

Technical support for online courses is available by calling (404) 297-9522, ext. 5399.

Online course support is available at studentsupport@gptc.edu.

Technical support for BannerWeb, GPTC e-mail, and computer labs is also available by phone at (404) 297-9522 ext. 5399 or by e-mail at studentsupport@gptc.edu.