Academic Intervention Policy

Policy Number: 3349-AC-261
Effective Date: 12/1/2021
Updated: —
Reviewed: —
Responsible Department: Learning Center
Approval Authority: Provost

A. PURPOSE

To support NEOMED students with proactive and efficient academic intervention to improve student performance and retention. This policy details the guidelines on which students are required and/or recommended to schedule advising appointments with a Learning Center advisor to achieve those desired outcomes.

B. SCOPE

This policy involves outreach to College of Medicine and College of Pharmacy students who fail a course and/or fail or score within 3% of the lowest passing score on any exam.

C. DEFINITIONS

1. “Course” is any coursework for which a student may receive credit toward their degree or certificate program, depending on their level of performance, as signified by a final grade.
2. “Repeat Academic Year” is when a student must repeat all coursework within a curricular year (e.g., M2, P3) due to academic, personal, or medical reasons. Repeat Academic Years begin at the start of the next academic year.
3. “Student Information System” or “Banner” is a comprehensive software system that processes and stores courses, the schedule of courses, student registration and student grades earned.
4. “Marginal Performance Letter” is a document that is sent by course faculty to any student who attains a final course grade within 3% of the lowest passing grade for their respective course.

D. POLICY STATEMENT

1. Academic Intervention

• 1. To promote student success at NEOMED, all degree-seeking students who meet certain academic risk criteria are expected to follow the guidelines of the academic intervention process. This process may include, but is not limited to:
     1. Attending an advising appointment with a Learning Center advisor;
     2. Referral to individual or small group peer tutoring; or
     3. Referral to faculty to discuss course content deficits.
  2. Student participation in advising sessions with a Learning Center advisor is documented in Banner. Student attendance at advising and tutoring sessions is reported to the respective colleges’ Committee on Academic and Professional Progress (CAPP) in the event that the student receives an invitation to a CAPP meeting anytime thereafter.

2. Learning Center Advising Appointments
   1. Information provided by a student during an advising appointment with a Learning Center advisor will remain confidential and will not be shared with any University committees or personnel, except in the case that there is reasonable concern for the safety of the student or others.
   2. Students may invite other individuals to attend an advising appointment.
      1. Regardless of how the meeting occurs (in-person, virtually, or via phone), written consent from the student is required for other individuals to attend the appointment, in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
   3. Required Advising Appointments
      1. Students that receive a failing grade (“F”) in any course within their respective curriculum are required to attend an advising appointment within fifteen (15) business days of receiving an auto-generated email prompt to their NEOMED email address. The email will arrive on the same day that the final course grade is posted in Banner.
      2. Students in a Repeat Academic Year are required to attend an advising appointment within twenty (20) business days of the first day of classes of the academic year. An email prompt will come directly from a Learning Center advisor at the beginning of the academic year.
      3. If a student does not comply with any of the above requirements, a missed advising appointment is placed on their Learning Center meeting record in Banner which will be provided to the CAPP if the student is invited to one of their meetings thereafter.
   4. Recommended Advising Appointments
      1. Students who fail or score within 3% of the lowest passing score for any exam in their respective curriculum are encouraged to meet with a Learning Center advisor at their earliest convenience. While students are not required to meet with a Learning Center advisor in these instances, they should anticipate receiving an email invitation that encourages scheduling an advising appointment shortly after the grade is posted.
      2. Students who score within 3% of the lowest passing score for any course in their respective curriculum are encouraged to meet with the Learning Center advisor at their earliest convenience. While students are not required to meet with a Learning Center advisor in these instances, they should anticipate receiving a Marginal Performance Letter from the respective course’s faculty that encourages scheduling an advising appointment shortly after the course concludes.

Download the Policy (PDF)