Statements of Policy - UMUC Europe

UMUC General Course Information
UMUC General Course Information
The most frequently taught courses in UMUC-Europe are listed in
this Catalog. When scheduling courses each term, the area directors
coordinate with education center staff to select the most appropriate
courses to offer at each site. This selection is based upon size and
assessed academic needs of the student population at the site (and at
sites nearby), and upon availability of qualified faculty.
Courses listed in other UMUC catalogs may also be offered by
UMUC-Europe when demand warrants, qualified faculty are
available, and academic facilities (library, laboratory, etc.) are
appropriate. For descriptions of other UMUC courses, go to the
UMUC Web site at www.umuc.edu.
Course Numbers
Courses are listed by academic department in alphabetical order.
The number of semester hours of credit is shown in parentheses
after the title of the course. Course numbers are designated as
follows:
• 000-099 – Noncredit and institutional credit courses (which
do not count toward any certificate or degree)
• 100-199 – Primarily freshman courses
• 200-299 – Primarily sophomore courses
• 300-399 – Junior and senior courses
• 400-499 – Junior and senior courses
Prerequisites
The prerequisites listed for many courses indicate the level of
knowledge expected before a student enrolls in the course. Faculty
members are not expected to repeat course material covered in
prerequisites.
Prerequisites are normally stated as courses. However, if a student
completed a prerequisite course years ago or acquired the knowledge
on the job, he or she may not have retained the necessary
information. Therefore, each student is responsible for ensuring
he or she has sufficient background to succeed in a course.
Academic advisors, faculty members, academic directors, and
education center counselors are available to discuss the student’s
likely readiness for a particular course or program.
Students may be barred from enrollment in courses for which
they do not have the necessary prerequisites.
Some courses can be taken for credit only in a specific sequence; it
is the student’s responsibility to make sure that this is followed.
For example, GERM 111 cannot be taken for credit after the
student has successfully completed GERM 112. Disciplines in
which this most often occurs are foreign languages and mathematics.
Writing ability equivalent to the completion of ENGL 101 plus
another writing course should be considered prerequisite for any
upper-level course (those numbered 300 or higher). Mathematics
proficiency at the MATH 105 or MATH 107 level should be
considered prerequisite to any course of a quantitative nature,
such as many in economics or computer studies.
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Textbooks and Additional Library Facilities
The textbooks used in courses offered by UMUC-Europe are
selected by academic directors at UMUC-Europe and UMUC-
Adelphi. At most sites, students purchase their textbooks at the
education center where the class is held.
At military installations where UMUC-Europe offers courses,
the Army, Air Force, and Navy usually maintain libraries staffed
by professional librarians. The combined holdings of these
libraries, including several million books, audiovisual materials,
and CD-ROM databases, are available to UMUC-Europe
students. Many base libraries also have online computers that
students can use.
A Faculty Loan Library is maintained in UMUC-Europe’s
Heidelberg Office to augment the faculty’s personal resources by
providing books and videos for use in preparing and conducting
their classes. UMUC students and faculty also have access to over
a hundred databases at www.umuc.edu/library.
Distance Education
The mission of UMUC’s Distance Education program is to
provide opportunities for students to continue their studies
without the usual time and place constraints of the classroom.
Students at remote locations and those with work or personal
obligations that conflict with traditional class schedules may want
to consider the offerings of the UMUC-Europe’s Distance
Education program. The Distance Education Web site at
www.ed.umuc.edu/de provides current schedules, course
descriptions and syllabi, and answers to frequently asked questions.
Two different distance education course formats are offered: Webbased
computer-conferencing via the Internet (DE) and
Individualized Learning (IL). These courses are designed for
students who have the background to take courses in these formats.
Students must meet course prerequisites and possess the study
and writing skills needed for success in distance education courses.
Web-Based Computer-Conferencing
Courses
In a Web-based computer-conferencing course, students interact
asynchronously with a cohort group of classmates and the course
instructor. Using an Internet browser, students access a secure
classroom site where they can discuss issues, work together in
study groups, and collaborate on writing assignments. Students are
expected to participate frequently and to respond several times
each week to topics posted in the class conferences and/or
contribute to study group activities.
These courses are not independent study courses.
To participate in one of UMUC-Europe’s Web-based computerconferencing
courses, students must have their own computer
hardware and communication software, a graphical browser, and
access to the Internet. Computer-conferencing courses from a
variety of academic disciplines begin five times a year usually
coinciding with the regular term schedules and extending over
two terms (approximately 15 weeks).
2004-2005 Undergraduate Catalog