Academic Standards and Regulations By Dr. Peter Okey Ejikeme Registrar Being a Paper Presented at the 2016 Orientation Programme of New Students of Tansian University Umunya This Wednesday, 2nd March 2016

Greetings to the Organizers Welcoming the Students and the Importance of the Orientation Programme Cultivating Academic Culture – Determining ones future through what takes place in the classroom. Defining your goal early enough in life.

Academic Regulations These are rules that regulates academic activities here Course Registration Class attendance Sacredness of Examinations Examination Malpractice – Taboo Sorting or looking for unmerited marks - Dehumanizing

What are Academic Standards? Academic standards are public statements about what students should know and be able to do after passing through organized curriculum. Standards describe the goals of schooling, the destinations at which students should arrive at the end of a course or the semester.

Note that the standard does not prescribe how to get the students to this destination. It is the curriculum that takes the student to the expected destination. Standards are the WHAT of education while curriculum and instruction are the How. Academic Standards have been set for Nigerian Universities by the NUC in the Benchmark for Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS)

Understanding the Nigerian Academic Standards Nigerian Universities’ programme are based on course credit unit – a system where courses are evaluated in terms of credit. Credit Units means assigning weights for the courses. These consist of specified number of student-teacher contact hours per week and per semester. Credit Unit measure course weighting and it is an indicator of student work load.

Structure of Academic Programmes Each Academic programme for every department is categorized or structured into four parts: 1 Major or Core Courses 2 Required Ancillary Courses 3 General Studies Courses 4 Elective Courses

Course Codes Each course is assigned numbers with prefixed initials indicating the department offering it. The numbers are three – indicating: the level or year, the Semester and serial number of the course. Examples: PHL113, MAC124, POL 213, BCH 222, MCB 312, CHM 323, CSC 422, ECO 411, GST 112, GST124.

STUDENTS’ ASSESSMENT The assessment of students is divided into two; Continuous Assessment (C.A) and Examination. Continuous Assessment is cumulative of class tests, assignments, practicals, seminars/workshops, etc. and will constitute 30% of the total grade while the Semester Examination is 70%. Note the 75% mandatory Attendance to lecture that makes you Eligible to write the Examination.

Examination Scoring And Grading System The examination scoring and grading system in Tansian University is as follows: Score % Letter Grade Grade Point 70 – 100 A 5 60 – 69 B 4 50 – 59 C 3 45 – 49 D 2 0 – 44 F 0

Graduation Requirement And Classifications For an Undergraduate to qualify for an award of a degree, such candidate must have earned not less than 120 credit unit for programmes with four years duration. A student whose academic performance as measured by the Cumulative Grade Pont Average (CGPA) falls below 1.50 at the end of any year of study is considered to be on probation

A student’s class of degree is determined by CGPA at the point of graduation as follows: First Class Honor = 4.50-5.00 Second Class Upper = 3.50 – 4.49 Second class Lower = 2.50 - 3.49 Third Class = 1.50 - 2.49 Fail = 0 – 1.49 Note: The Nigerian University system does not award PASS Degree. This policy was enacted by the NUC in 2013.

CGPA and GPA Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) is the up-to-date mean of the Grade Points EARNED by the student in a programme. It is an indication of the student’s overall performance in the programme. Grade Point Average (GPA) is gotten by dividing the Total Grade Points earned in a semester with the Total Credit Units for the Semester. For a better understanding of GPA and CGPA computation, let us take a sample.

GPA and CGPA Computation S/N Course Code Course Title Credit Unit Score (%) Letter Grade Point Weight Grade Point 1 PHL 111 Introduction to Philosophy 3 70 A 5 15 2 PHL 112 Introduction to Logic 53 C 9 PHL 113 Introduction to African Philosophy 64 B 4 12 PHL 114 History of Philosophy (Ancient) 81 FRN 111 Elementary French 1 72 10 6 GST 111 Communication in English 1 46 D 7 GST 112 Logic, Philosophy and Human Existence 62 8 GST 113 Igbo 74 GST 114 Philosophy of Life 65 TOTAL CREDIT UNITS 22 91 GPA = 91÷22 = 4,13

2ND SEMESTER S/N Course Code Course Title Credit Unit Score (%) Letter Grade Point Weight Grade Point 1 PHL 121 Elementary Ethics 3 62 B 4 12 2 PHL 122 Introduction to Soc & Pol Phil 71 A 5 15 PHL 123 Philosophy & Social Communication 65 8 SOC 121 Introduction to Sociology 42 F FRN 122 Elementary French II 85 10 6 PUB 123 Introduction to Public Admin 57 C 7 GST 121 Communication in English II 60 GST 122 Nigerian Peoples and Culture 55 9 GST 123 History and Philosophy of Science TOTAL CREDIT UNITS 20 GPA = 71÷20 = 3,55 CGPA =162÷42 =3.85

Conclusion What we have done is compressed due to time, but we are hopeful you learnt a lot that will challenge you to embrace your studies at this early stage. There is no alternative to hard work. If you work hard you will certainly come out with good and excellent grades. Remember Examination malpractice is an abomination in this University. Do not forget to pray for God to assist you in everything. This is the starting point of good grades.

The End Thank You for Listening!