Section 3: Student Expectations and Responsibilities:

Student Guidelines for the Classroom

The guidelines and policies that follow are designed to provide faculty and students with a common understanding of Walden’s expectations on important issues in the classroom. Such guidelines and policies grow out of Walden’s values of quality, integrity, and student-centeredness, to better define how these values are put to work at Walden. They are meant to provide a framework of student expectations.

Please note that these are general university guidelines and policies. Specific programs or courses may have different or more stringent guidelines or policies in some areas. Students and faculty members should refer to the course syllabus for the guidelines and policies for each specific course.

Walden University recognizes that many students elect to pursue a distance learning degree for its temporal and geographic flexibility. Walden further recognizes that students are adult learners with varied personal and professional responsibilities, in addition to their obligations as students. Walden also holds that learning is a combination of individual study and engagement with other learners in a structured learning environment. Therefore, Walden expects that students meet their academic obligations with a high level of responsibility and timeliness.

Class Participation Requirement

In accordance with the U.S. Department of Education guidance regarding class participation, Walden University requires that all students submit their required Week 1 assignments within each course(s) during the first 7 calendar days of the class. The first calendar day of class is the official start date of the course as posted on the myWalden academic page. If students are granted an assignment extension during Week 1 of the course, they need to log in and participate, by posting to the discussion board forums or submitting work (even partial) to an assignment submission link, in the classroom within the first 7 days. Please note that posting to the Class Café, Contact the Instructor, or Class Introduction is not considered participation in the course. If students do not demonstrate participation in the classroom by Day 7, they risk being withdrawn from the course/university.

Assignments submitted prior to the official start date will not count toward participation.

Financial Aid cannot be released without class participation as defined above.

Students who have already taken, and successfully completed, at least one or more class(es) with Walden will be dropped ONLY from any class(es) in which they are not participating if they do not complete their assignments by the end of the 7th day.

Students who are taking their first class with Walden, and do not complete their assignments by the end of the 7th day, will be administratively withdrawn from the university.

Note: Once students begin participating in class, they are considered active and are responsible for adhering to all university policies and for paying all applicable tuition and fees.

If students have any questions about their assignments, or they are unable to complete their assignments, they should contact their faculty member.

Ongoing Attendance and Engagement

Walden courses are not independent study courses. They involve a mixture of independent work outside the online course room and presence within the course room, with all work completed within schedules published in the course. Students are expected to engage in courses in an active and timely fashion. Logging into the online course does not alone demonstrate adequate engagement. Student engagement includes activities such as doing assigned readings, preparing and presenting quality assignments (which may include tests, quizzes, papers, and other assessments) and participating substantively in discussion. Time spent in reading, studying, and preparing written assignments is as important to learning as is participation in the discussion areas and submission of written assignments. However, student attendance can be documented only with presence in the online course.

Each student is expected to take full responsibility for his or her academic engagement and progress. A student who fails to demonstrate an adequate level of participation in his or her course(es) may receive lower grades, including an “Incomplete” or failing grade. Students who do not demonstrate an adequate level of participation in their courses as indicated by course requirements, fail to notify Walden that they are no longer attending, and/or fail to pass at least one course in a term may be administratively withdrawn from Walden. Further, lack of adequate participation and/or administrative withdrawal can lead to the requirement for the return of federal financial aid previously awarded to the student. If Walden is required to return federal student aid funds, the student will be required to pay for any outstanding balance created by the return of funds.

Student Engagement via Participation in Online Discussion

Walden courses are not independent study courses. Substantive student dialogue is an essential part of the learning process. Therefore, Walden courses require consistent, substantive, and timely participation in and contributions to online discussion as described and required in each course syllabus. Students are expected to post online as described in syllabi and discussion prompts. Although the pedagogy may vary from week to week within a course, depending upon the instructional objectives, and from course to course depending upon the educational outcomes to be achieved, the university in general suggests that students’ discussion is enhanced and learning strengthened when postings and discussion are substantive and distributed throughout the week, with 2–4 days of participation per week as a minimum.

Failure to post with the expected timeliness, quantity, quality, and frequency of postings as stated in the syllabus, discussion descriptions, and other course materials may result in grade reduction for the discussion. Students should read each syllabus and discussion prompt carefully, as posting requirements may vary across and within courses to meet learning goals.

Student Attendance for Undergraduate Programs

While students are expected to schedule their personal and/or professional obligations and their course registrations so as to maintain continuous, regular attendance and any absence from class will impede learning, Walden recognizes that circumstances may arise that cause students to be absent from active course participation.

An “absence” is defined as students not meeting their academic obligations. This includes not submitting assignments, on time, according to schedules published in the classroom (e.g., syllabi, schedule of assignments).

Students faced with life situations that impede regular course participation should contact their undergraduate student success advisor and instructor immediately so the student can be advised on how to proceed. Should a student’s life situation require repeated absences from the classroom or result in multiple missed or late assignments, a withdrawal from the course prior to the withdrawal deadline or leave of absence may be warranted. To learn more about requesting a leave of absence or withdrawal and its impact on academic progress and financial aid, please refer to the “Academic Progress” section within the Walden University Student Handbook.

Emergency situations should be understood in the broadest sense and include not only natural disasters (e.g., hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes), but also any instance that causes a real and literal disruption in a student’s capacity to complete school work, including house fires, burglaries, domestic violence, medical emergencies, accidents, and any other occurrence that affects the student’s consistent and ongoing access to the technology required for course delivery.

A preplanned absence is one that students know about in advance, regardless of the reason. For a preplanned absence, students are to make arrangements with the instructor in advance of the absence and may be advised to work ahead and submit the assignment(s) earlier so as not to fall behind. If the instructor provides an alternative due date, the student is obligated to meet the deadline provided or the late policy will apply.

Student Attendance for Graduate Programs

Students are expected to schedule their personal and/or professional obligations and their course registrations so as to maintain continuous and complete attendance throughout courses. Any absence from class will impede learning. However, circumstances may arise that cause students to be absent from active course participation on either a preplanned or an emergency basis.

Active course participation is defined as fulfilling discussion requirements within the published timeline and submitting assignments within the published timeline. Absence is defined as not fulfilling discussion requirements within the published timeline and/or not submitting assignments within the published timeline.

Walden University is a private educational institution and, therefore, it is not required to adhere to federal holiday observance for either its students or employees. All students have the option of enrolling in programs based on the academic calendar and what suits their individual schedules. Further, students are permitted to request an extension to an assignment due date in their courses in the event of a personal time conflict (e.g., holidays, preplanned vacations, and/or unexpected emergencies). 

Both preplanned and emergency absences are to be kept to a minimum and should not exceed, cumulatively, the level stated in the course syllabus.

A preplanned absence is one that students know about in advance, regardless of reason. For a preplanned absence, students are to make arrangements in advance of the absence with the instructor for submission of assignments and discussion participation, in accordance with specifications communicated in course syllabi.

An emergency absence is one that students do not know about in advance and often involves situations such as health issues, weather events, or technological difficulties. For emergency absences, students are to notify the instructor as soon as possible and make arrangements for submission of assignments and discussion participation in accordance with specifications communicated in course syllabi.

In the event that a student must submit documentation to support the reason for an absence, students should contact their student success advisors for instructions on where and how to submit documentation. Students should not submit medical documentation directly to the instructor.

Due to the nature of some discussions/assignments, instructors may or may not allow students to post and/or submit prior to or after the due date because of any absences.

Students should also refer to the section on Walden’s Grading Policy.

Walden recognizes that online discussion can serve varied curricular and instructional purposes, such as student seminars, role-playing, and review of draft assignments. These varied purposes yield varied requirements for students’ and faculty members’ presence in discussion areas. Walden requires that these varied requirements be explicitly communicated to students and that expectations communicated be fulfilled by both faculty members and students.

Student Discussion Participation

Guideline

Walden courses are not independent study courses. Substantive student dialogue is an essential part of the learning process. Therefore, Walden courses require consistent, substantive, and timely participation in and contributions to online discussion as described and required in each course syllabus. Students are expected to post online as described in syllabi and discussion prompts. Although the pedagogy may vary from week to week within a course, depending upon the instructional objectives, and from course to course depending upon the educational outcomes to be achieved, the university in general suggests that students’ discussion is enhanced and learning strengthened when postings and discussion are substantive and distributed throughout the week, with 2–4 days of participation per week as a minimum.

Failure to post with the expected timeliness, quantity, quality, and frequency of postings as stated in the syllabus, discussion descriptions, and other course materials may result in grade reduction for the discussion. Students should read each syllabus and discussion prompt carefully, as posting requirements may vary across and within courses in order to meet learning goals.

Procedure

Faculty members will clearly communicate in both the course syllabi and discussion prompts the required posting schedule for discussion. The program director or designee or other designated faculty member within the school who conducts the academic review of the courses will ensure consistency of expectations for student participation among courses offered in the school.

Faculty Members’ Discussion Participation

Guideline

Walden courses are developed with varied curricular designs and varied instructional strategies in order to meet specific learning goals. Faculty members are expected to continuously monitor online course discussions and to post substantively to discussions as governed by the specific instructional objective of the course in a given week. Course syllabi and discussion prompts are to indicate to students the role faculty members will play in discussion, as well as the timeliness, quantity, quality, and frequency expectations for students’ participation.

Procedure

Faculty members will clearly communicate in both the course syllabi and discussion prompts the level of their interaction with the discussion as governed by the instructional objective. Such interaction may vary within a course, and that variance will be communicated to students. The program director or designee or other designated faculty member within the school who conducts the academic review of the courses will ensure consistency of faculty members’ participation among courses offered in the school.

The official style guide for Walden University student work is the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition. Unless directed otherwise within the classroom, students use the seventh edition manual as their style guide for all written assignments. (Note that faculty members may have different criteria for online discussion posts.)

The Walden University Writing Center offers APA Style resources to assist students. These resources are supplemental to the actual manual. Students are strongly encouraged to purchase a personal copy for continued reference. Copies can be purchased through the Walden University Bookstore.

Walden University is committed to using multimedia to support students in their learning activities. Students may be required to record or upload a video of themselves presenting on a topic or demonstrating a specific skill for assessment purposes. Students should refer to the syllabus, faculty member, or program director for more information.

Students are responsible for reviewing and understanding Walden University’s technology policies, as outlined in the Walden University Student Handbook. Of note, students are required to have a technology backup plan should circumstances dictate its use. Except in very unusual situations, grade changes, late assignments, tuition refund requests, and the like that are based on technology failure or on occurrences resulting in technology failure will not be considered.  

Walden University is dedicated to serving all students, alumni, instructors, and staff (“users”) with the appropriate use and support of technology within the organization. These technology policies provide expectations for conduct and behavior by applying guiding principles to the use of the internet; the university’s computer networks, website, and email service; the myWalden University Portal, Our Community, online classroom; and other facilities, connections, hardware, and software provided by Walden or used in connection with the user’s interaction with the university or its affiliates (collectively, “University Systems”). Walden is committed to conducting its affairs in a responsible and ethical manner consistent with its education, research, scholarship, and social change missions.

These policies may be revised by Walden from time to time. Users are responsible for keeping apprised of changes to these policies and complying with all such changes.

• Many courses use additional or downloadable software. In a few instances, these software packages are for PCs only. For example, one course in the Master of Business Administration specialization in Project Management uses Microsoft Project.

• If students are Mac users, it is their responsibility to make appropriate arrangements to use PC-required software in those few instances (such as the example above) when comparable Mac software does not exist, in order to achieve the learning objectives in the class.

• Walden recognizes that students can use alternate software to achieve the same results for a given task and/or assignment. Where submissions are to be made in certain formats, however, Walden does require that the submission be made in that requested format, so the submission can be reviewed appropriately. An example would be Microsoft Office. Walden understands that applications such as OpenOffice can be used to perform very similar tasks; however, all examples provided in the university’s academic environment are standardized in Microsoft Office (the required software). Should assistance be needed, it would only be given with the use of that required software. The same applies for any submissions and/or assignments that are to be submitted in that format.

Important Note: Students are responsible for a technology backup plan should circumstances dictate its use. Except in very unusual situations, grade changes, late assignments, tuition refund requests, and the like that are based on technology failure or on occurrences resulting in technology failure will not be considered.

• Students should develop in advance and then follow a backup plan for their computer and classroom information or data. Computer and/or hard disk failures do happen, and can result in a failed class, lost tuition, or simply a late assignment. Students are expected to ensure that they can continue to participate in class and also to complete assignments with minimal disruption to themselves or others.
• If the computer disruption is so serious that it may last longer than a few days, students need to contact either their faculty member or a member of the Student Success Advising Team to get help so they can remain in the class.
• Hard Disks: Backup hard disks are readily available from retail outlets for well under $100. In addition, 4GB, 8GB, and other sizes of memory sticks are available for as little as a few dollars. Some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) allow storage on the internet for free or for a nominal charge.
• The key is to actually use the backup device on a periodic basis—daily, weekly, or monthly.
• Computers: In the event of a computer failure, students should have a plan to use another computer, such as at a local coffee shop, internet café, library, or a work location; with a friend or family member; or on a second or even third computer at home. Students should use an extra external hard drive or portable drive and take their backed-up data to use on this computer.
• Emergencies: Students should have a plan for finding another computer in the event of an emergency, such as a power failure, natural disaster, fire, burglary, or loss of access to one’s home. As in the example above, students should use an extra external hard drive or portable drive and take their backed-up data to use on this computer.
• Software: If another computer is needed in an emergency, that computer may not have the latest version of software available and thus may not be able to read a student’s document. Tip: Store two versions of a document—one in the latest and one in the previous version of the application, such as in Word 2013 and Word 2003. For example, Word 2003 cannot open a document stored in Word 2013 format, and if the Word 2013 document is backed up and the backup computer has Word 2003 installed, the document will not be able to be read, modified, or printed.