Many departments offer opportunities for experiential learning, which can serve to enhance a student’s overall academic program. The goals of experiential learning can be fulfilled by courses such as internships, practicum, and fieldwork. These credit courses enable students to work in an area related to their academic or career interests and use their knowledge and skills in an actual work experience. Since students will be expected to blend theoretical and practical approaches in experiential courses, these courses may include traditional academic assignments such as readings or research to complement the practical work experience.

• Departments establish clearly defined minimal requirements for participation in credit-bearing internships.
• Credit-bearing experiences require registration and tuition payment in the semester in which the internship is done. Eighty percent of a actual work time should be concurrent with the semester in which the experience is done.
• The mechanism for evaluation of the student’s performance will be set by the department. This could include: a journal of work accomplished and a log of meetings with the professor and work supervisor; the work supervisor’s evaluation; and a post-experience report describing the relationship to courses taken, new skills acquired, and problems encountered.
• A student may receive credit for only two internship courses, each of a semester in length; a student may register for only one internship course in a semester. These internships may be taken in two different departments provided the student qualifies according to individual department guidelines. Credit granted for two internship courses must be for significantly discrete and separate internship experiences.

Course-Related Off-Campus Experiences and Liability

These procedures apply to students engaged in internship, fieldwork, practicum, clinical, student teaching, and all other forms of classroom-based off-campus experiences, whether in schools, hospitals, clinics, community programs and agencies, or corporate settings. More detailed information concerning the expectations of students is outlined in the appropriate course syllabi.

Professionalism

Students are expected to exhibit appropriate professional dispositions in their college classes, class-related off-campus experiences, and in their interactions with others. Dispositions are identified as the values, beliefs, and professional ethics of the student’s discipline that influence behaviors toward others and affect student learning, motivation, and development. Dispositions are guided by the beliefs and attitudes related to the Fisher Creed and the values of goodness, discipline, and knowledge. Professionalism involves, among other things, personal responsibility, reliability, respect for others, effective interpersonal relationships, valuing diversity, and ethical behavior including honesty and integrity.

Students are expected to demonstrate professional behaviors, both on and off campus. Students who exhibit inappropriate behavior in course-related off-campus experiences may be directed to counseling with the program director or recommended for removal from the experience.

Registration Guidelines for Internship, Practicum, Fieldwork

The student should be aware of the minimal requirements for participation in off-campus experiences in the department. These may include class and/or major restrictions, course prerequisites, minimal GPA requirements, and instructor approval.

The student and coordinator verify that the student meets the minimal course requirements.

The student will locate a site for the experience and obtain the coordinator’s approval of the site.

The student and coordinator will agree on the number of credits for the experience if the credits are variable. Note: there should be a reasonable expectation that required hours for the number of credits can be completed during the semester barring unforeseen circumstances.

Arrange the experience so that student will not begin the experience until registration is complete and the actual term has begun. Note: the student must be registered for the experience in the term in which the work is begun.

If the course is an internship, verify the number of completed internships to be sure that this request is appropriate. Max of 2 internships (must be discrete experiences) and only 1 per semester

The coordinator will provide the registration approval code if online registration is open or sign the appropriate late course add form if online registration is closed.

Both the student and coordinator should be aware of the extended registration deadlines for experiences of fewer than 3 credits. Note: if the experience is begun late in the term, the student may not be allowed to earn credits beyond that which could be completed in the time remaining in the term.

Expectations

Prior Approval

Students must obtain prior approval from the designated department or program coordinator before registering for any course-related off-campus experience. This approval pertains to both the number of credit hours for the experience and actual site. To be placed in a course-related off-campus experience, a student must be in good academic standing.

Registration

Students must be registered to begin their off-campus experience and must maintain financial registration throughout their experience. Students who are not financially registered will be withdrawn from the course and cannot continue in their experience until they are reinstated.

Liability Insurance

Students registered in course-based off-campus experiences are covered by the College’s general liability insurance. In addition, students in professional programs will be covered by the College’s professional liability policies. Students in programs such as Education, Mental Health Counseling, Nursing, and Pharmacy are encouraged to carry their own professional liability insurance, which may be available at a reduced cost.

Time Frame for Completion

Students are expected to complete their required hours, as outlined in the syllabi, during the semester in which they are registered. The dates published by the Registrar’s Office are the official dates of the semester. The only exception applies when a student requests and receives an “Incomplete” grade in the course from the instructor. In this situation, the student must develop a plan for completion with the faculty instructor within the six-week deadline for removal of “I” grades. The insurance coverage under the College’s liability policy would extend to those on-site activities required to complete the course.

Note: If a student wishes to continue at the placement site after the completion of the course, he or she will have to be hired in some capacity by the site or register as a volunteer. He or she will not be covered by the College’s liability insurance, will not receive supervision from the faculty, and cannot use the additional hours to meet the requirements of subsequent courses.

The faculty of St. John Fisher College believes that the liberally educated person is one who is free from a narrowness of interest, which results from excessive specialization. A central aim of the College is to introduce its students to and cultivate their respect for the principal areas of learning.

Subjects differ in their role in the academic experience. Some contribute to a broadening of the student’s perspective, some cultivate the independent, thinking adult, and others bring the student face to face with contemporary problems. Therefore, some subjects are deemed especially worthy of being studied by the majority of students at the College. The faculty recommends to students, whatever their degrees or major fields of interest may be, the Core of subjects listed below as a first step in a college-level liberal arts experience. The Core curriculum establishes the centrality of the liberal arts in the academic experience by creating a common foundation of intellectual and practical skills introduced in the first years of study. The Core experience complements all other academic experiences of students by helping them to develop skills and perspectives that are enhanced and applied through study within the major.

Core courses address specific goals for student learning. Many departments offer courses within each Core area, but all courses within each area meet the same goals for student learning.

The Core curriculum consists of 15 courses, which students must successfully complete to graduate from St. John Fisher College. The Core is comprised of two tiers of study: Foundations courses and Perspectives courses.

The Foundations Tier courses are designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary for success in college. There are five courses in the Foundations Tier.

• Learning Community* (LC): Students learn about a topic and engage issues related to that topic from at least two disciplinary perspectives, improving their writing, reading, information literacy, and group work skills. (Two linked courses.)
• Research-Based Writing (RW): Students learn the basics of writing an academic research paper. Emphasis is on including more than one perspective on an issue, elements of persuasive argumentation, proper use and documentation of sources, revision, and oral presentation. (One course.)
• Scientific and Quantitative Literacy (SQ): Courses in this core area explore the nature of science and mathematics and their role in helping us understand the world. The goal is to investigate the question: In what ways can quantitative and scientific thinking help me make more informed decisions? This approach to learning about the world encompasses the following: testable and falsifiable questions/ideas, objective conclusions based on observations, and predictive theories. (One course.)
• Cultural Contrasts (CC): Students study and reflect on cultural differences and develop the tools necessary for becoming engaged citizens in a multicultural world. Communication, cooperation, and collaboration between individuals of diverse backgrounds and respect and understanding of others are prerequisites for successful advancement in our ever-changing world. (One course.)

*In the case where a student fails one or both courses in his or her Learning Community, that student must arrange, in consultation with the associate dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, to successfully complete the Learning Community (LC) requirement. Successful completion of the LC core requirement is necessary to remain in good standing at the College and ultimately, to graduate from St. John Fisher College.

The Perspectives courses are designed to provide a wide range of experiences with fundamental academic perspectives on human nature and the world. Tier Two contains ten courses, two from each of five different perspectives.

• Perspectives in the Arts (P1): Students will learn to appreciate the depth and scope of creative expression found in the literary and visual arts. Students will describe and interpret art in terms of its formal composition and cultural and historical significance. Courses will require students to demonstrate their knowledge through written arguments and/or creation of original works of art.
• Philosophical and Religious Perspectives (P2): Students engage in the critical exploration and appreciation of ethical and religious perspectives within a variety of historical and cultural contexts. Students will reflect on the social, political, and cultural implications of the course material studied and within the framework of personal and civic responsibility.
• Sociocultural Perspectives (P3): These courses provide students with the opportunity to learn ways of understanding, explaining, and interpreting patterns of human behavior based on the methodologies of the social sciences.
• Explorations of the Natural And Technical World (P4): These courses are intended to explore specific scientific, mathematical, and technical topics and relate them to historical and contemporary developments. These courses will illustrate how mathematics and the sciences are constantly changing as a result of their interactions with each other and their applications, which are usually interdisciplinary in nature.
• Intercultural Perspectives and Languages (P5): Students prepare to function in a multicultural society as globally educated citizens through engagement with other persons or texts from other cultures.

Courses that fulfill the College Core Requirements carry a two-character designation in the course title.

• LC – Learning Community
• RW – Research-Based Writing (199 courses)
• SQ – Scientific and Quantitative Literacy
• CC – Cultural Contrasts
• P1 – Perspectives in the Arts
• P2 – Philosophical and Religious Perspectives
• P3 – Sociocultural Perspectives
• P4 – Explorations of the Natural and Technical World
• P5 – Intercultural Perspectives and Languages

These courses will also be identified with an attribute that will allow for a web-based search at the time of registration.

Foreign Language Requirement: All B.A. candidates, including transfer students, must demonstrate completion of an appropriate two-course sequence in a single foreign language for graduation. Students may continue in a language studied in high school with placement at the appropriate level, or they may begin anew with another foreign language. B.A. students may fulfill this requirement by completing a two-course sequence in a single language at Fisher (which also satisfies the P5 Core Requirement), or by established transfer credit policy.

Alternate mechanisms to satisfy the foreign language requirement:

• Students who have successfully completed a semester in an approved foreign language-based study abroad program fulfill the requirement if courses are taken in the foreign language. This option validates the immersion experience in another culture as addressing the spirit of this requirement.
• International students who have graduated from college-preparatory high schools in non-English speaking countries (and have those high school transcripts on file) are exempt from the foreign language requirement, but not from the P5 Core Requirement.

College Core Course Requirements

*B.A. students must take two foreign language courses in sequence in the same language.

Core Tracking Worksheet

Learning Community (LC)
1.___________________________ 2.___________________________

Research-Based Writing (RW)
1.___________________________

Scientific and Quantitative Literacy (SQ)
1.___________________________

Cultural Contrasts (CC)
1.___________________________

Perspectives in the Arts (P1)
1.___________________________ 2.___________________________

Philosophical and Religious Perspectives (P2)
1.___________________________ 2.___________________________

Sociocultural Perspectives (P3)
1.___________________________ 2.___________________________

Explorations of the Natural and Technical World (P4)
1.___________________________ 2.___________________________

Intercultural Perspectives and Languages (P5)*
1.___________________________ 2.___________________________

*B.A. students must take two foreign language courses in sequence in the same language.

In order to facilitate ease of transfer, the College Core Requirements apply according to the following guidelines:

• Students who enter St. John Fisher College with only Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) credits are considered first-semester students and begin the Core with the Tier One Learning Community requirement and must complete all Core Requirements.*
• Students who attended college as matriculated students for only one semester begin the Core with the Tier One Research-Based Writing (199C) course and must complete all remaining Core Requirements* except the Learning Community, regardless of how many credits are transferred.
• Students who attended college as matriculated students for two or more semesters and initially transfer fewer than 30 credits begin the Core with the Tier One Research-Based Writing (199) course and must complete all remaining Core Requirements* except the Learning Community.
• Students who attended college as matriculated students for two or more semesters and initially transfer between 30 and 44 credits, 12 of which must be in the liberal arts and sciences, will begin the Core with the Scientific and Quantitative Literacy (SQ) course and must complete all remaining Core Requirements* except the Learning Community and the Research-Based Writing (199C) course.
• Students who attended college as matriculated students for two or more semesters and initially transfer between 45 and 59 credits, 18 of which must be in the liberal arts and sciences, will begin the Core with the Cultural Contrasts (CC) course and must complete all remaining Core Requirements* except the Learning Community, and the Research-Based Writing (199C) and SQ courses.
• Students who initially transfer in at least 60 credits. 24 of which must be in the liberal arts and sciences will be totally exempt from the Tier One Foundations courses of the College Core. They must complete all Tier Two Perspectives courses.*
• Students who initially enter St. John Fisher College with a previous bachelor’s and/or higher degree from a regionally accredited institution and have completed a minimum of 60 credits in the liberal arts and sciences will be exempted from all Core Requirements.

*Courses accepted in transfer as the equivalents of Fisher Core courses fulfill the same Core Requirements as the Fisher courses.

College Core Course Requirements

*B.A. students must take two foreign language courses in sequence in the same language.

Core Tracking Worksheet

Learning Community (LC)
1.___________________________ 2.___________________________

Research-Based Writing (RW)
1.___________________________

Scientific and Quantitative Literacy (SQ)
1.___________________________

Cultural Contrasts (CC)
1.___________________________

Perspectives in the Arts (P1)
1.___________________________ 2.___________________________

Philosophical and Religious Perspectives (P2)
1.___________________________ 2.___________________________

Sociocultural Perspectives (P3)
1.___________________________ 2.___________________________

Explorations of the Natural and Technical World (P4)
1.___________________________ 2.___________________________

Intercultural Perspectives and Languages (P5)*
1.___________________________ 2.___________________________

*B.A. students must take two foreign language courses in sequence in the same language.

A student must be officially registered to earn credit for a course in the semester in which credit is sought. Registration is complete only when the student has officially registered and satisfied all financial obligations to the College or has made satisfactory financial arrangements with Student Accounts. New students course-register prior to the first day of classes; returning students course-register during the current semester for the following semester. All financial obligations must be met prior to the first day of classes, and until they are, registration is not complete. The deadlines for late registration are found in the academic calendars.

Registration takes place in November for the spring semester and April for the summer and fall semesters using Fish ‘R’ Net. This process generates a tuition bill for which payment is due approximately three weeks before the semester begins.

Change of Course/Course Withdrawal (Drop/Add)

No change of course is permitted after the last date for such change as listed in the semester academic calendar.

Students may withdraw from courses without record through the fourth week of the semester. See the academic calendar for specific dates.

Students may withdraw from courses without penalty of “F” but with a grade of “W” through the ninth week of the semester. See the academic calendar for specific dates. Tuition and other appropriate charges will be fully assessed in keeping with the published College Refund Policy.

Note: Withdrawal or course change after the published calendar deadline is not guaranteed and will be considered by the dean and/or registrar and/or Committee on Academic Standing. Tuition and other appropriate charges will be fully assessed in keeping with the published College Refund Policy.

Withdrawal of Course Offerings

The College reserves the right to withdraw, without prior notice, any course offering. College, departmental, and academic requirements are also subject to change.

Withdrawal from the College

Withdrawal from all courses in a semester should be considered only for serious reasons. A student withdrawing from the College must inform the registrar in writing of his or her intention and leave all affairs with each department concerned (Office of Residential Life, Office of Student Conduct, Library, Student Financial Services, Athletics Department, Student Accounts) in a satisfactory condition. The appropriate withdrawal form must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office before the withdrawal-from-college process is complete. Final grades will be issued in compliance with the academic calendar. Failure to officially withdraw may result in grades of “F” and “FA” being assigned. Tuition and other appropriate charges will be fully assessed in keeping with the published College Refund Policy.

Note: Students will not be able to withdraw from their last class using Fish ‘R’ Net. Dropping the last class is considered a withdrawal from the College and must be done in the Registrar’s Office.

Withdrawals for military or medical reasons are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

A student who withdraws and is away from the College for more than four calendar years from the semester of last attendance will be held to the degree requirements in place at the time the student returns to St. John Fisher College.