1. Academic Standards and RegulationsBy
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

2. 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.

3. 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

4. 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.

5. 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)

6. 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.

7. 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

8. 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.

9. 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.

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

11. 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

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

13. 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.

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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.

17. The End
Thank You for Listening!