eMajor online courses have policies and procedures just like courses offered in the face-to-face classroom.
This section will provide information on the following:
*The Incomplete Grade Policy, Academic Honesty Policy, Grade Appeals, and Student Complaint or Grievance Policy contained here only applies to collaborative courses and programs. Students not enrolled in a collaborative course or program should consult their home institution catalog for more information.
The University System of Georgia's eMajor program presently offers fully online courses and degrees in both collaborative settings and single-institution settings. Courses and degrees offered in a collaborative setting are taught by instructors from multiple USG institutions and include students from multiple institutions as well. Courses or Degrees offered in a single-institution setting are taught by instructors from a single institution and include students from the same institution.
Students who wish to enroll in a collaborative eMajor course or degree must be admitted to one of the offering institutions. Courses may include students from multiple institutions.
All four concentrations are available through Albany State University, Atlanta Metropolitan State College, Dalton State College, & Fort Valley State College whereas the University of West Georgia offers the concentration in Public Service only.
Students may choose an optional concentration. All concentrations are offered through Dalton State College, Georgia Highlands College, and Georgia Southwestern State University.
The Associate of Science in Financial Technology is offered through Middle Georgia State University and Georgia Highlands College.
Financial Technology Core Courses Financial Technology Core courses are offered through Albany State University, Atlanta Metropolitan State College, Clayton State University, College of Coastal Georgia, Columbus State University, Dalton State University, Fort Valley State University, Georgia College, Georgia Highlands College, Georgia Gwinnett College, Georgia Southern University, Georgia Southwestern State university, Georgia State University, Gordon State College, Kennesaw State University, Middle Georgia State University, Savannah State University, South Georgia State College, University of North Georgia, University of West Georgia, and Valdosta State University.
The RN-BSN Collaborative courses are offered through Clayton State University, College of Coastal Georgia, Columbus State University, Dalton State University, Georgia Highlands College, Georgia Southern University, Georgia Southwestern State university, Gordon State College, Middle Georgia State University, Savannah State University, South Georgia State College, and University of West Georgia.
Additional courses and degrees may be offered. For the most current listing of collaborative eMajor courses and degrees, course descriptions, and offering institutions, please visit https://emajor.usg.edu
Students who wish to enroll in a Single Institution eMajor course or degree must be admitted to the offering institution. Courses include students from a single institution.
The Bachelor of Business Administration is offered through Georgia Southwestern State University.
The Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN) is offered through Columbus State University.
The Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) is offered through Georgia Southern University.
Students seeking to enroll in an eMajor course must be admitted to a USG institution offering the course/program. The student's home institution maintains the student's transcript, monitors progress toward a degree, and processes financial aid. Before registering for eMajor courses, students must meet the admissions requirements of one of the institutions and complete the eMajor Introduction Quiz.
Students who have been out of high school for at least five years should apply as a non-traditional student. Please consult the affiliate institution website or catalog for more information on admissions procedures for non-traditional students.
Students who wish to audit a course may be able to do so, depending on institutional policies. Students should consult with their institutional Registrar's Office regarding this option.
Anyone desiring to register for courses under the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) or the Georgia Residents Aged 62 or Over program may do so if space is available. These students must pay course-specific fees if any are required and will be allowed to register during the specified registration date at the student's affiliate institution. Please consult with your institution for specific institutional policies.
Near the end of the semester, each student may complete a confidential standardized online evaluation form for each eMajor course taken. The feedback provided will be helpful to the instructor and the University System in providing quality online instruction and course design. Evaluation data will be gathered at a neutral site and maintained at a single system location. The faculty member will not receive the evaluation information until after the end of the semester.
To help ensure that services are improved, evaluation data will also be shared with other involved groups. Specific evaluation results regarding course development will be provided to the Board of Regents Advanced Learning Technologies unit. Results regarding student services and portal access will be provided to eMajor Support Services.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal statute that protects the privacy of student academic records. Notification of student's rights regarding FERPA and release of their student academic records is available in the affiliate institutions' undergraduate catalogs. USG eCampus complies with FERPA for all aspects of students' records/interactions and requires staff to complete training on support protocols such as student confidentiality, including FERPA and HIPAA regulations. In addition to this training, student workers are required to sign additional documentation prior to beginning work. A signed copy of the document is maintained in each worker's personnel file. Each support team member, who is employed to work with at-risk students, must also complete additional training related to student privacy and FERPA regulations. Brightspace by D2L is used as the eCampus course learning management system and is hosted on a secure server by the USG Information Technology Services. D2L allows for the secure transmission of course material and content between instructor and student. Students directly log in to D2L with a unique username and password, and all account credentials and access are protected in accordance with USG IT security guidelines and using the industry-standard SSL encryption protocol.
The notation of "I" may be given to a student who was doing satisfactory work, but for nonacademic reasons beyond his or her control, is unable to meet the full requirements of a course.
In order to qualify for an "I", a student must:
When a student has a nonacademic reason for not completing one or more of the assignments for a course, including examinations, and wishes to receive an incomplete for the course, it is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor in person or in writing of the reason. A grade of incomplete is awarded at the discretion of the instructor and is not the prerogative of the student. Conditions to be met for removing a grade of Incomplete are established by the instructor.
A student receiving a grade of Incomplete ("I") is expected to consult with the instructor on remaining work and assessments. The student is then expected to complete all necessary work and assessments before the end of the next academic term.
Once the student satisfies the incomplete requirements, the instructor will submit the Grade Change Form changing the "I" to an appropriate grade.
eMajor Administration will send the grade change to the Registrar's Office at the student's institution and the student's Banner record will be updated accordingly.
The University System of Georgia requires that the grade of "I" be removed no later than the end of the third academic term after the grade of "I" was assigned whether or not the student was enrolled during these three terms; however, eMajor recommends the grade of "I" be removed no later than the end of the semester following the academic term the "I" was granted. The Office of the Registrar will assign a grade of "F" (or "U", if an "S/U" grading) at the end of the third academic term unless the Office of the Registrar receives an approved grade change request from the instructor. Using the grade change form, instructors may or may not change this "F/U" to an authorized academic grade (i.e., A, B, C, D, S or WF) but may not change it back to an "I". Instructors may not change an "I" to a "W" unless a Hardship Withdrawal is awarded. Students need not be enrolled to complete assignments for a course in which a grade of "I" has been assigned. Auditing or retaking the same course will not remove a grade of "I". No student may graduate with an Incomplete grade.
(Acknowledgement is hereby given to Georgia State University and Harvard University on whose policy this is based).
Violation of the Academic Honesty Policy can result in failure of the assignment, failure of the course, and/or further consequences from the student's home institution. Ignorance of this policy is not an excuse or a means to repeal a charge of academic dishonesty.
As members of the academic community, all students are expected to understand and uphold standards of intellectual and academic integrity. The University System of Georgia assumes as a basic and minimum standard of conduct in academic matters that students be honest and that they submit for credit only the objects of their own efforts and creation. Both the ideals of scholarship and the need for fairness require that all dishonest work be rejected as a basis for academic credit. They also require that students refrain from any and all forms of dishonorable or unethical conduct related to their academic work.
In an effort to foster an environment of academic integrity and to prevent academic dishonesty, students are expected to discuss with faculty the expectations regarding course assignments and standards of conduct. In addition, students are encouraged to discuss freely with faculty, academic advisers, and other members of the academic community any questions pertaining to the provisions of this policy.
The examples listed here (and definitions given below) are intended to clarify the standards by which academic honesty and academically honorable conduct are to be judged.
The list is merely illustrative of the kinds of infractions that may occur, and it is not intended to be exhaustive. Moreover, the definitions and examples suggest conditions under which unacceptable behavior of the indicated types normally occurs. However, there may be unusual cases that fall outside these conditions that also will be judged unacceptable by the academic community.
(NOTE: Plagiarism detection systems are often used by eMajor faculty members. For example, see theturnitin.com website)
Plagiarism is presenting another person's work as one's own. Plagiarism frequently involves a failure to acknowledge in the text, notes, or footnotes the quotation of the paragraphs, sentences, or even a few phrases written or spoken by someone else. Any written or otherwise recorded material, or even ideas, are considered the intellectual property of the original author, and failure to acknowledge the source and author of the work or idea is plagiarism.
The six primary types of plagiarism and definitions of each are:
To summarize, the submission of research or completed papers or projects by someone else is plagiarism, as is the unacknowledged use of research sources gathered by someone else. Failure to indicate the extent and nature of one's reliance on other sources is also a form of plagiarism.
Finally, there may be forms of plagiarism that are unique to an individual discipline or course (such as computer science or foreign languages), examples of which may be provided in advance by the instructor. The student is responsible for understanding the legitimate use of sources, the appropriate ways of acknowledging academic, scholarly, or creative indebtedness, and the consequences of violating this responsibility. If a student is unsure about what constitutes plagiarism, they have the responsibility to reach out their instructor for clarifications or to avail themselves of other resources and trainings before submitting assignments.
Cheating on examinations involves giving or receiving unauthorized help before, during, or after an examination. Examples of unauthorized help include the use of notes, texts, "crib sheets," websites (including Google), electronic documents or notes, apps, and computer programs during an examination (unless specifically approved by the instructor). Sharing information with another student during an examination in any way (unless collaboration specifically approved by the instructor) is expressly forbidden. Other examples include intentionally allowing another student to view one's own examination and forbidden collaboration (such as sharing test questions) before or after an examination.
Submission for academic credit of a work product, developed in substantial collaboration with other persons or sources but represented as one's own effort, is unauthorized. Seeking and providing such assistance is a violation of academic honesty. However collaborative work specifically authorized by an instructor is allowed.
Use of an AI generator such as ChatGPT, iA Writer, MidJourney, DALL-E, or any other generative AI tool to complete any portion of submitted academic work is explicitly prohibited in eCore, eMajor, and other courses offered through USG eCampus unless AI usage is: a( specifically called for as part of the assignment instructions to accomplish assignment objectives, or b( approved on an individual basis by prior explicit and clear written permission of the instructor, and then only in the ways allowed by that instructor. It is the student's responsibility to secure instructor permission before beginning work.
In cases where AI use is permitted, any content obtained from an AI source should be properly attributed and cited in the assignment submission following the appropriate scholarly style guidelines where applicable.
Submission of any generative AI content in academic work that falls outside the parameters listed above could be considered an unauthorized collaboration and may be treated as an infraction of the eCore/eMajor/eCampus academic honesty policy and be subject to the consequences outlined in eCore/eMajor/eCampus policies and procedures.
It is a violation of academic honesty to misrepresent material or fabricate information in data collection, an academic exercise, references, assignment, or proceeding.
Some examples of falsification are:
Additionally, it is a violation of the Academic Honesty policy for authorized users to knowingly share passwords, PINs, or any other means of access to their eCampus courses with unauthorized persons or for the purpose of dishonorable or unethical conduct related to their academic work.
It is a violation of academic honesty to submit substantial portions of the same work for credit more than once, including in subsequent sections of the same course, without the explicit consent of the instructor(s) to whom the material is submitted for additional credit. In cases in which there is a natural development of research or knowledge in a sequence of courses, use of prior work may be desirable, or required. However, the student is responsible for indicating in writing that the current work submitted for credit is cumulative in nature.
Placeholder submissions are blank or corrupted files that are submitted for assignments, are unopenable or unviewable on the grading end, and are submitted in order to gain the unfair advantage of extra time on an assignment. This is dishonest behavior and violates the Academic Honesty policy. If a student needs extra time on an assignment, they should reach out to their instructor.
There are two primary types of contract cheating. The first type is when a student makes an agreement with another person to take all or even a portion of their course for them. As a reminder, it is a violation of the academic honesty policy to share login information with any party, for any reason. It is also a violation of the academic honesty policy for someone else to complete any portion of a student's course for them.
The second type of contract cheating occurs when a student purchases an essay or any other academic work from a third party, such as ghostwriters or essay websites, and submits that work for academic credit. Students should be aware that predatory websites exist and operate under the guise of helping students write essays, when they are actually selling essays as a product. Utilizing any of these services will violate academic honesty policies.
If a student needs help with academic writing, eCampus offers embedded librarian and tutoring support.
Unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material occurs when a student utilizes, reproduces, or distributes copyrighted material without written permission by the copyright owner. Unauthorized use or distribution of ANY eMajor course material is expressly prohibited. This includes sharing any information about eMajor courses with websites or any other third party.
Copyright infringement occurs when a student uses substantial portions of copyrighted sources in their course work. Copyright laws are complicated but learning to quote minimally, paraphrase, cite, and reference correctly will completely avoid this issue.
In determining whether or not an academic honesty violation has occurred, guilt must be proven by a preponderance of the evidence. This means that if the evidence that a violation occurred produces a stronger impression and is more convincing compared to opposing evidence, then an academic honesty violation has been proven. In other words, the evidence does not have to be enough to free the mind from a reasonable doubt but must be sufficient to incline a reasonable and impartial mind to one side of the issue rather than to the other. Evidence as used in this statement can be any observation, admission, statement, or document that would either directly or circumstantially indicate that an academic honesty violation has occurred. Electronic means may be used to monitor student work for the inappropriate use of the work of others.
(NOTE: Plagiarism detection systems are often used by eMajor faculty members.)
The following Academic Honesty Violation Procedure applies to collaborative eMajor programs only. Students enrolled in a single institution eMajor program should consult their home institution catalog for more information on the Academic Honesty Violation Procedure.
Academic honesty violations must be reported to the student's home institution. Grades and/or academic records may be affected if academic dishonesty is confirmed. The student may appeal an academic honesty violation if they feel an academic honesty penalty is unfair.
If the student feels that the academic honesty violation was not addressed fairly and accurately by the instructor, the student may appeal to the USG eCampus Associate/Assistant Dean.
The Dean of USG eCampus will appoint an ad hoc committee, consisting of a cohort of faculty who teach eMajor courses, to review the written appeal via conference call or virtual meeting. After careful deliberation and consideration, the committee will recommend what should be done to the dean of the program at the student's home institution. The dean of the program at the student's home institution will render a decision, taking all relevant factors into consideration and notify the student
Final judgment on all appeals rests with the student's home institution. If the student wishes to continue his/her appeal beyond the decision of the USG eCampus Dean, the student must appeal directly to the university provost at his/her home institution, following local procedure, within seven (7) calendar days of being notified of the USG eCampus Dean's decision.
The formal eMajor grade appeal process is used to appeal the final grade in a course. Grade appeals related to individual assignments should be made to the course instructor.
The following Grade Appeal Procedure applies to collaborative eMajor programs only. Students enrolled in a single institution eMajor program should consult their home institution catalog for more information on the Grade Appeal Procedure.
If a student wishes to appeal a grade, that appeal must be made within thirty (30) days after the grade is posted. The student must first submit a Final Grade Appeal Request in the SEADS Student Portal to initiate the process and acknowledge his or her understanding of the grade appeal process.
The Dean of USG eCampus will appoint an ad hoc committee, consisting of a cohort of faculty who teach eMajor courses, to review the written appeal via conference call or virtual meeting. After careful deliberation and consideration, the committee will recommend what should be done to the dean of the program at the student's home institution. The dean of the program at the student's home institution will render a decision, taking all relevant factors into consideration and notify the student.
Final judgment on all appeals rests with the student's home institution. If the student wishes to continue his/her appeal beyond the decision of the program level dean, the student must appeal directly to the university provost at his/her home institution, following local procedure, within seven (7) calendar days of being notified of the program level dean's decision.
The following Grievance Policy applies to collaborative eMajor programs only. Students enrolled in a single institution eMajor program should consult their home institution catalog for more information on the Grievance Policy.
Student complaints or grievances are handled through one of two procedures (Academic or Non-Academic) depending on the nature of the grievance. Please review the definitions of each grievance type below and follow the listed steps to submit a grievance. USG eCampus will not allow any form of retaliation against individuals who file a complaint or grievance, or who cooperate in the investigation of such reports. To the extent possible, the confidentiality of the reports will be maintained.
An academic student complaint is any non-civil rights related complaint generated by an individual student concerning the work-related activities of any faculty member, such as grade disputes.
Students who wish to lodge a complaint about a grade should follow the Grade Appeal Policy. Students may not use this procedure to appeal grades resulting from violations of academic honesty. Students should refer to the Academic Honesty Appeal Procedures. Students who wish to lodge a complaint that is not related to a grade dispute but is academic in nature should follow the procedures outlined below:
Students wishing to lodge an academic complaint should follow the procedures outlined below:
A non-academic student complaint may be a complaint related to civil rights, services, violation of FERPA Regulations, or other complaints not academic in nature. If a student has a complaint, he or she should initially attempt to resolve that issue with the other person(s) involved no later than two weeks after the relevant incident/dispute. If the student is not satisfied with the outcome of that attempt, then he or she should submit a formal complaint, within ten business days after the attempt to resolve the issue, by following the steps outlined below:
To file a formal complaint, the student must complete the Non-Academic Student Complaint Form Upon submission of the form, the Executive Director of eMajor Academics and the eMajor Administration are notified. The eMajor Administration will send an email acknowledging the initiation of the formal complaint process.
The Associate/Assistant Dean will convene a meeting with the student via telephone conference. The Associate/Assistant Dean will conduct any necessary investigation prior to the meeting. The Associate/Assistant Dean will make a recommendation, taking all relevant factors into consideration.
If the student is unsatisfied with the response from the meeting with the Executive Director of eMajor Academics, he/she may request a review of the complaint by the Program Level Dean. At that time, the formal written complaint and the statement of facts as he/she understands them will be submitted to the Dean. Within one week of the time the Dean has received copies of the applicable documentation, at the Dean's sole discretion, grievance appeals may be held in one of the following two ways:
The Dean will review the information provided by the student and administration. The Dean may convene a formal meeting with the student via telephone conference. Parties of interest may include the student, Associate/Assistant Dean, and other official campus representatives deemed necessary. The Dean will render the final decision, taking all relevant factors into consideration.
The Dean will appoint an ad-hoc committee who will consider the written appeal. A telephone conference may be scheduled with the parties in question. After careful deliberation and consideration, the committee will recommend to the Dean what should be done in the case. The Dean will render the final decision taking all relevant factors into consideration.
Students are expected to refrain from profanity, crudeness, and slurs of any kind. Students are expected to behave and treat fellow students and the instructor fairly, just as in the traditional classroom.
Students are expected to read and respond politely and thoughtfully to others in the online course and should always refrain from crude or unbecoming comments. Proper conduct applies to all forms of communication in the course.
Students who do not adhere to the code of conduct will be reported to their home institution.