Academic Policies

Syllabi

Syllabi are an integral part of Unicollege’s academic life and management. Syllabi are designed, developed, discussed, and amended according to international academic and pedagogical practices and undergo strict policies of revision on a departmental and directorial level. Within them, candidates can identify information relating to:

The course code – or codes, in case of cross-listed courses, i.e., CRCY287/SOC287 – whose meaning is exemplified in the guide below
The course name
Semester & year
The instructor’s name
The instructor’s email
The course hours
Total number of contact hours – usually 45
Total number of credits – usually 3
Prerequisites – usually provided for courses >250
The instructor’s office hours
Course description – condensing all the contextual, methodological, and learning features of the given course
Summary of the course content – which provides a brief contextualization of the course content and academic orientation
Learning outcome
Textbook
Required Reserved Reading
Recommended Reserved Reading
Grading Policy
Assessment Methods
Assessment Criteria
Attendance Requirements
Academic Honesty
Students with Learning or other Disabilities

Each class is thereafter described through:

Class title
Meeting place
Lecture (topics, themes, etc.)
Reading & Assignments.

Depending on the course, the instructor, or third variables, the syllabus may vary and/or include/exclude certain integral areas and descriptors.

Contact Hours, Credits & Academic Conversions

As a dual Italian American university, Unicollege provides conversional and definitional standard procedures, whereby:

1 Study Abroad (American) credit	2 European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS)
1 academic contact hour	50 minutes of contact time
1 lecture credit	15 academic contact hours + 30 hours of assigned academic work outside of the classroom
1 workshop/experiential/field trip/laboratory credit	30 academic contact hours + 15 hours of assigned academic work outside of the classroom
1 internship or professional experience credit	40 clock hours of supervised activity outside of the Institution

Such ratios may vary according to course descriptions, assigned workload, and other academic and institutional variables that are assessed and validated on either a department, school, or university central level.

Attendance

As per any academic, professional, or miscellaneous institution, attendance is considered as a fundamental criterion to assess and monitor academic integrity, respect, and etiquette. For this reason, it is integral part of the assessment scheme and counts towards the final grade – with a varying percentage between 10 and 30% of the overall course grade.

While each absence will be evaluated individually and depending on circumstances, Unicollege attendance policies generally provide that:

The second absence may impact the attendance and participation grade
The third absence may impact the course overall grade
The fourth absence may lower the final course grade by one letter (i.e., B+>C+)
The fifth absence may cause automatic failure of the course.

Grades

PERCENTAGE	LETTER	GPA	DESCRIPTOR
> 97	A+	4	Outstanding
96-93	A		Excellent
92-89	B+		Very good
88-83	B	3	Good
82-79	B-		Satisfactory
78-73	C+		Acceptable
72-69	C	2	To standards
68-65	C-	2	Needs improvement
64-60	D	1	Basic
<59	F	0	Fail

Unicollege provides full academic freedom to all instructors who design, deliver, and assess courses – while keeping high standards of semestrial and annual review and monitoring.

At Unicollege, assessment can be dispensed via a variety of exam formats, including – and not limited to:

Quizzes
Presentations (individual and in group)
Research (i.e., historiographic, primary source based, journalistic, artistic, scientific, etc.)
Written submissions (journals, research paper, reports, creative writing papers, etc.)
Artworks (paintings, photographs, sculptures, etc.)
Portfolios (containing semi-professional experiences, curated projects, photographs, documentational sources, etc.)
Oral examinations
Group discussions (monitored, self-led, guided, prompted, topic-based, challenge-based, etc.)
Projects (individual or in group)

Assessments must be graded by designated instructors or authorized delegates and must comply with the grading scale outlined above (see the “Grades” section above).

Unless otherwise indicated, courses at Unicollege do not apply Pass/Fail grading grades.

Exam dates cannot be amended – unless approved by an authorizing body/representative – and only in circumstances of emergency, proven need, and emergency.

Candidates experiencing proven and documented difficulties – i.e., hospitalization, major physical/mental impediments, insuperable logistical issues – may be granted second attempt (e.g., proctored exam) by an authorizing body/representative. Any request of this sort must be submitted to the Institution prior to the exam date.

Candidates wishing to start a potential grade dispute must primarily discern his/her academic diligence towards the course.

Candidates whom after the first designated stage still intend to proceed and start the dispute process should, when applicable, mediate with the instructor and attempt to understand the academic reasons that generated the disputed grade.

If the mediation (candidate-instructor) fails and the candidate intends to start the formal grade dispute process, s/he should primarily gather evidence and any relevant documentation in support of the case. Such material should then be presented to the Institution, alongside a formal detailed request that officializes the beginning of the grade dispute process at a university level (whose forms will be issued by the designated academic office when requested). The university will thereafter start an internal investigation and deliver a final and indisputable decision within 6 weeks from the submission date. Such decision will be communicated to all the parties involved, including, when applicable, the School of Records – that will amend the grade accordingly.