Academic / Classroom Conduct

In support of the College’s mission to provide “an exceptional learning and community building experience for all who seek it” and in line with the College’s values of intellectual curiosity, mutual respect for diversity and individuality and accountability and integrity, the College community embraces and holds ourselves and others to a set of behavioral expectations, both in and outside the classroom. This document addresses those as they apply to academic/classroom conduct.

In accordance with the Preamble of the NCCC Student Code of Conduct, the College is committed to the well-being of all members of the College community – students, faculty and staff alike. The Student Code of Conduct identifies and supports those actions which are “appropriate, reasonable, and considerate conduct as a member of the College community.” Furthermore, the College “affirms the right of freedom of expression within our community and also affirms our commitment to the highest standards of civility and decency toward all. We recognize the right of every individual to think and speak as dictated by personal belief, to express any idea, and to disagree with or counter another’s point of view, limited only by College regulations governing time, place, and manner. We promote open expression of our individuality and our diversity within the bounds of courtesy, sensitivity, and respect.”

We believe that all students have a right to learn and faculty have the right to teach. Freedom of speech and expression, cornerstones of our democracy, are protected unless they interfere with an instructor’s ability to teach a course. To that end, we expect that all parties conduct themselves in a manner that does not interfere with this process. Behaviors perceived to be disruptive, disrespectful, offensive and/or threatening and which interfere with their fellow students’ learning and/or a faculty member’s teaching run counter to our values and will not be tolerated.

We trust that our students are committed to partnering with their faculty member(s) and fellow students to establish a positive and productive learning environment for the entire College community and expect that they will do so. There are times when students violate these standards, and in those cases there are a range of sanctions that may be imposed by the instructor or a College official. This misconduct is referenced in the Student Code of Conduct under 3.1b Maintenance of Public Order which defines academic misconduct as “where the student’s conduct interferes with the College’s exercise of its educational objectives or responsibilities to its members whether on College premises or off campus.”

Listed below are examples of behaviors and/or situations that the College deems disruptive, disrespectful or inappropriate for the learning environment, including but not limited to classrooms, video classrooms, computer labs, online learning forums, and field trips. The list is not inclusive of all disruptive or inappropriate behavior:

• Continual tardiness
• Continual exiting from class
• Persistent side conversations
• Inappropriate monopolizing of class time or discussion
• Eating meals in class
• Bringing children to class (refer to “Children on Campus” policy)

Included in the expectations of appropriate academic conduct is the proper use of technology in a course/class. The following are deemed inappropriate use of technology in those settings:

• Texting or other electronic messaging during class
• Using electronic devices in a non-class related manner
• Allowing audible noises from electronic devices to disrupt the class

When a student’s behavior violates these expectations and the incident rises to the level beyond an informal warning, an Incident Report is to be filed identifying the misconduct and the steps taken to correct it. These are formally addressed by College Officers and a redacted copy is shared with the student during their Initial Conference regarding their alleged behavior. The process and procedures for handling classroom misconduct are found below.

The following section outlines the disciplinary process for violations of the classroom conduct expectations and a student’s rights to due process. These procedures and the administration of the code violation supplement those outlined in the NCCC Student Code of Conduct in both Section 3 – Disorderly Conduct (pp 13-16) and in the section on Administration of the Code: “Range of Sanctions and Special Conditions for Students Accused of Violating College Regulations” (pp 34-38). The administration of classroom conduct violations differs from the Student Code of Conduct procedures in that the first Administrative Hearing is held with the Dean of Student Life (or designee).

Students found to be in violation of the classroom conduct standards of the College are subject to a range of sanctions that may be imposed either by the faculty member or the appropriate College administrator. Those sanctions include:

• Formal Disciplinary Warning/repair
• Dismissal from the class for the remainder of the period
• Removal from the class for the remainder of the semester (which includes forfeiture of tuition, fees and other costs associated with the course)
• Formal Disciplinary Probation

Additionally, the Vice President for Academic Affairs may impose another level of sanctions which can include Suspension/Expulsion from the College (which includes forfeiture of tuition, fees and other costs associated with the course). This is generally reserved for those students who have repeated violations of the classroom conduct standards of the College.

Step 1: The instructor will address the concern quickly and directly with the student to determine if the action was knowing and intentional. The instructor will also establish the behavioral expectations and guidelines the student must follow to remain in the class and communicate those to the student. At this point, the instructor is strongly encouraged to file an academic incident report documenting the student behavior and action taken by the instructor and copy the Department Chair/Director, the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Dean of Student Life. The student will also receive a redacted copy of that incident report. Informal reprimands, which occur as part of classroom management, typically do not rise to the level of an “incident.”

Levels of Instructor’s Actions
Remove the Student from the Class Session: In the event that the behavior is so egregious that it warrants dismissal from the class or where students who have received prior warnings and requests to cease the behavior yet continue to disrupt the classroom, the instructor may remove the student for that class session and follow-up with an incident report documenting the student behavior and action taken by the instructor and copy the Department Chair/Director, the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Dean of Student Life. The student will receive a redacted copy of that incident report.

In the event that the student is unwilling to leave the class, the instructor should contact either Campus Security , the Administrator-on-Call or an available College official (Campus Coordinator, Student Life representative, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Vice President for Academic Affairs) to assist with the removal of the student. In rare occasions where no administrator is present and there is a need to either protect students and/or the integrity of the lesson, the instructor may need to end the class early.

The instructor will require the student to meet with them prior to the next class period where the instructor discusses the incident and the behavioral expectations and guidelines the student must follow to remain in and return to the course. In the Student Code of Conduct, this is referred to as an “Initial Conference.” At this time, the instructor is to offer the student the opportunity to accept or to deny responsibility for their behavior and to explain the student’s right to dispute the charges. If disputing the charges, the student would next meet with the Dean of Student Life (or designee) for an Administrative Hearing, procedures for which are outlined in the Student Code of Conduct, page 39. If the student fails to appear at this meeting, all charges will be considered true and accurate, and the student will be unable to return to the course until the meeting occurs. It is within the instructor’s rights to not allow for make-ups of missed classes and associated course work (i.e. assignments, exams) resulting from the student’s decision not to meet with the instructor.

Removal from the Course: In cases where the behavior is so egregious that it warrants removal from the course and/or a documented pattern of student misconduct has continued despite earlier interventions, the instructor may request that the student be removed from the course. The instructor may issue a failing grade (F) for the course and the student will be fully liable for any costs and unable to withdraw from the course.

Prior to removal from the course, the instructor will file an incident report detailing the behavior and/or outlining the pattern of misconduct, and earlier attempts at intervening with the student. A copy of this will be distribute to the Department Chair/Director, the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Dean of Student Life. A copy will also be provided to the student.

Before being removed from the course, the student is to meet with the instructor to discuss the charges against him/her, the reason for removal, the student’s rights and the process, and be given the opportunity to accept responsibility for his/her actions. A faculty member may request a colleague to sit in the session with him/her to bear witness, but not participate in the session. If disputing the charges, the student would meet with the Dean of Student Life (or designee) for an Administrative Hearing. If the student fails to appear at this meeting, all charges will be considered true and accurate and appropriate administrative action shall be taken by the Dean of Student Life or designee.

Repeated Violations of the Classroom Conduct Policy: If the student receives two (2) academic misconduct reports, the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA) will arrange an appointment with the student to discuss next possible sanctions as outlined above. If the behavior was egregious enough to warrant removal after a singular incident, the VPAA will meet with the student after a singular misconduct report. If the student fails to appear at this meeting, all charges will be considered true and accurate and appropriate administrative action shall be taken by the Vice President of Academic Affairs or designee.

In addition to the rights afforded students under the Student Code of Conduct, the student accused of violating the academic/classroom conduct standards of the College will receive a copy of the incident report filed by the instructor and as noted earlier, has the right to request a hearing on the decision with the Dean of Student Life (or designee), ideally within three (3) business days after request. Students are also entitled to appeal that decision to the Dean of Admissions (or designee) and have up to four (4) business days to appeal after receipt of the decision by the hearing officer. Their decision will be final and is not subject to further appeal.

Students who are removed from the course by the instructor due to a violation of the academic/ classroom conduct standards have the right to request a hearing on the decision with the Dean of Student Life (or designee), ideally within three (3) business days after request. The student will not be allowed to attend the class during that time. Permanent removal will be determined after the hearing process and appeal process has been completed Students are also entitled to appeal that decision to the College’s Appellate Officer, the Dean of Admissions (or designee), and have up to four (4) business days to appeal after receipt of the decision by the hearing officer. His/her decision will be final and is not subject to further appeal.