Institutional Credit by Exam (Procedure 4.0305)

Purpose

Seminole State College of Florida offers students the opportunity to earn Institutional Credit by Exam for selected college credit courses. Courses eligible for Institutional Credit by Exam are determined by individual academic departments. Course credit is awarded by passing an examination created by the academic department that assesses the student’s mastery of the Measurable Course Objectives outlined in the master course syllabus. Credit awarded through this mechanism may be used by the student to facilitate the completion of Seminole State College degree programs and/or certificates, but may not be transferrable to other institutions, depending on their own transfer policies and procedures.

Eligibility

Eligible students may earn credit in college credit and Career Certificate courses through successful completion of Institutional Credit by Exam. However, some courses are not appropriate for credit by exam, e.g., capstone courses, design, CAD, and studio courses, co-op and internships. If the exam cannot be given in the Testing Center, the course is not eligible for credit- by- exam. Students must check with the department to learn whether a credit-by-exam exists before proceeding.

This acceleration mechanism is not available for credit in courses for which CLEP or other exam mechanisms exist. Students should refer to Procedure 3.0220: Acceleration for Program Completion and/or the Seminole State College Catalog sections “Alternative Ways to Earn Credit” and “College Graduation Requirements” for complete details related to available acceleration mechanisms and their application toward requirements for graduation. Credits received through Institutional Credit by Exam do not apply toward the residency requirement for Seminole State College degrees and/or certificates.

To be eligible to take an examination for Institutional Credit, the student must meet the following criteria:

1. Must be admitted as a Seminole State College student.
2. All official transcripts from other institutions must have been evaluated and posted on the student’s Seminole State College transcript prior to completing an Institutional Credit by Exam request.
3. Must have satisfied any prerequisites for the course.
4. Must not have previously attempted to take an Institutional Credit by Exam for that course within the last 2 terms.
5. Students cannot take examination/test for the Institutional Credit by Exam more than 2 times.
6. Must have successfully completed at least one college-level course and have a 2.00 or better GPA.
7. A student may not be registered for a course and be simultaneously evaluated for an institutional exam for the same course.
8. Must complete the steps outlined in the section “Student Steps for Taking the Examination.”

Student Steps for Taking the Examination

1. The student must contact the Dean in the area in which he/she would like to take an examination to determine if the student has sufficient background to be eligible for this exam.
2. It is the responsibility of the student, if planning to transfer, to check with the receiving institution as to whether the institution will accept credit earned through the Institutional Credit by Exam process.
3. Complete the Request for Institutional Credit by Exam form, attach an unofficial Seminole State College transcript, and submit these documents to the Assessment and Testing Office for review. If approved, the Assessment and Testing Office will post the exam fee to the student’s account. The exam fee will be kept consistent with those associated with CLEP exams.
4. Pay the Institutional Credit by Exam fee at the campus cashier upon the approval of the Assessment and Testing Office.
5. Students will return to the Assessment and Testing Office after payment of fee to schedule the examination.

Institution Steps for Processing the Examination

1. The exam must be provided to the Assessment and Testing Office in a retrievable format (hand written or computer based).
2. After completing the examination, the exam will be submitted to the appropriate academic department for scoring, if necessary (e.g. non-computer based exams).
3. The academic department will provide the graded exam, credit, and grade to the Registrar’s Office.

Receiving Credit

Upon receipt of the documentation indicating completion of the exam, the Enrollment Services/Registrar’s office will:

1. Post credits with a grade of “P” within 30 days to the student’s academic record if the student successfully passes the exam.
2. Scan the documented Institutional Credit by Exam form into the student’s record.
3. If the student does not pass the assessment/test, the unsuccessful attempt will not be recorded on the student’s academic transcript, but will be recorded in the 3Cs comment section.
4. Send an email to the student via their college-issue email account when the credit has been posted or a testing attempt has been unsuccessful.
5. Note that there are limits to the number of credits that may be earned either through standardized or institutional methods of Credit by Exam. At least 25 percent of the credit hours required for the degree must be earned through instruction offered by the institution awarding the degree.

Duties of the Academic Department

1. The academic department, by college-wide agreement, will determine which courses within the curriculum of the department may be eligible for Institutional Credit by Exam.
2. The list of courses available for Institutional Credit by Exam will be posted in the academic division website.
3. All examinations used to award credit through the Institutional Credit by Exam process will be provided to the Assessment and Testing Office on the Sanford/Lake Mary campus for storage. Exams will not be stored at campuses other than Sanford/Lake Mary. However, all exams will be electronically available to be administered at any campus, (e.g. scanned and transmitted to the testing administrator at appropriate campus Assessment and Testing Office).
4. The exam will be reviewed annually or as necessary by the academic department.

Recommended by:	Executive Team/CAC	Date	8/18/2020
Signed by:	President, Georgia L. Lorenz	Date	9/30/2020