Transcription
Honors Academy2016-2017 / honorsacademy.nebrwesleyan.edu
Nebraska Wesleyan Honors Academy2016-2017 HandbookTable of ContentsProgram Overview . 2Faculty Information . 4Student Information . 10Transfer of Credits . 13Course Descriptions. 16Staff Contact Information . 22Appendix A: Faculty List by Name and Discipline . 23Appendix B: Participating Schools/Courses/Instructors . 27Frequently Asked Questions . 33Registration Procedures . 36Honors Academy Forms . 37This Handbook is available on-line credit-program
The Wesleyan Honors AcademyWelcome to the Wesleyan Honors Academy! This handbook is designed to provideprogram information for potential and approved teachers, as well as Honors Academystudents.Wesleyan Honors Academy (WHA) offers students an opportunity to experience collegelevel expectations—challenging them with a rigorous academic curriculum and earningcollege credit in selected advanced-level courses taught by highly-qualified and motivatedhigh school teachers. In addition to receiving credit toward high school graduation for theseselected academic courses, students may also enroll concurrently in courses approved forcollege credit through Nebraska Wesleyan University.Students who complete Honors Academy-approved high school courses receive a grade on aNebraska Wesleyan University transcript and credit toward a degree at Nebraska WesleyanUniversity. Students who elect to attend another college or university and wish to transferthe credits earned from Nebraska Wesleyan University may go on-line and make a transcriptrequest through the National Student Clearinghouse. The link to order transcripts can befound on the NWU web site:www.nebrwesleyan.edu. You will see theOrder Transcripts link in the Undergraduatedrop-down menu under Academics. Multipleorders can be placed in one session using anymajor credit card, and your card will only be Our Mission charged after your order has been completed.You can also track your order online usingThe Wesleyan Honors Academyyour email address and order number. Order(WHA) program seeks to promoteupdates are available via mobile text messageNebraska Wesleyan University’sand will also be emailed to you. Prior tocommitment to partnering relationshipswith secondary schools to providetaking an Honors Academy course,talented and highly-motivated highstudents should always contact theschool juniors and seniors with a qualitycollege or university they plan to attendhonors educational experience. Theto verify transferability of the credits.mission of Wesleyan Honors Academycomplements the mission of NebraskaWesleyan University to promoteintellectual and personal growth withinthe context of a liberal arts education.The Wesleyan Honors Academy programoffers courses on high school campusestaught by high school faculty, nominated byschool officials, and approved by therespective Nebraska Wesleyan Universitydepartment. All Honors Academyinstructors hold adjunct faculty rank atNebraska Wesleyan University.Wesleyan Honors Academy22016-2017
AccreditationNebraska Wesleyan University is fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of theNorth Central Association of Colleges and Schools.The Nebraska Wesleyan Honors Academy program is also an accredited member of theNational Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP). This meansWesleyan’s Honors Academy has met NACEP’s rigorous program quality standards whichare recognized by four-year institutions acrossthe country.Wesleyan’s Honors Academy hasmet NACEP’s rigorous programquality standards which arerecognized by four-year and twoyear institutions across the U.S.Nebraska Wesleyan University is the onlyinstitution in Nebraska (and one of the few inthe Midwest) to earn accreditation and, as aresult, can assure its high school partners that itmaintains thehighest quality inits concurrent enrollment (dual credit) programming. Thisincludes Honors Academy policies and practices which ensurethat Concurrent enrollment courses offered in the highschool are equivalent to the courses offered on-campusby Nebraska Wesleyan University; Students enrolled in concurrent enrollment courses areheld to the same standards of achievement as students inon-campus courses; and Instructors teaching WHA courses through theconcurrent enrollment program meet the rigorousacademic requirements for adjunct faculty andinstructors teaching at Nebraska Wesleyan University.Additionally, the standards encourage greater accountability for concurrent enrollmentprograms through required impact studies, student surveys, and course and programevaluations.Because of this NACEP designation, SouthDakota public universities accept NebraskaWesleyan transfer credits without question. SinceNACEP is recognized across the country, WHAcredits may be more successfully transferred toout-of-state institutions. However, it is important for students to work with their chosencolleges to ensure a smooth transfer process. See page 13 for more guidance on transfer ofWHA credit.Nebraska Wesleyan University isthe only institution in Nebraskato earn NACEP accreditation.Wesleyan Honors Academy32016-2017
Policies and Procedures: FacultyFaculty QualificationsA high school teacher who wishes to become an Adjunct Instructor in the Wesleyan HonorsAcademy program should hold a master’s degree in the subject area of the courses theypropose to offer for the Wesleyan Honors Academy. Teachers who have a master’s degreein a field other than the subject they are offering may qualify if they have an undergraduatedegree in the discipline and have acquired a minimum of 18 hours of graduate credit andother specialized preparation in the relevant subject field. The high school teacher will alsobe expected to submit a letter of support from his/her principal and documentation ofhis/her teaching expertise.Faculty Application ProcessTwo-step Faculty Application Process:1.Teacher Application2.Course ApplicationThe Wesleyan Honors Academy Director will work withhigh school principals and/or central school districtcurriculum specialists to identify high school coursesand teachers for participation in Wesleyan HonorsAcademy and invite them to apply. Teachers may alsorequest information and an application directly from theHonors Academy Director or use the forms in the backof this book.The Teacher Application Form andsupporting materials should be submittedfirst. Transcripts showing applicableundergraduate and graduate course workmust be included for the application to beevaluated. The Director will initially reviewthe application materials for minimalrequirements and then forward the packetto the appropriate departmentalcoordinator.The Course Application Form issubmitted once the instructor is approvedby the appropriate department at NebraskaWesleyan. This form requires a coursedescription which includes scope,organization, teaching style, expectations ofstudents, and the textbook or readingrequirements. In addition, teachers mustsubmit sample examinations and research,writing, or speaking assignments. The highschool principal or appropriateadministrator must also send a letter ofsupport to the Honors Academy Director.Art instructors must send visuals of theirand their students’ artwork.After reviewing the materials, the Honors Academy Director will forward them to theappropriate Wesleyan Departmental Coordinator for review and final determination. Thisdecision will be conveyed in writing stating whether the teacher is Approved, ProvisionallyApproved (with provisions stated), or Not Approved at this Time (with concerns discussed).The Honors Academy staff assistant notifies Human Relations of the new appointees.Wesleyan Honors Academy42016-2017
Probationary StatusApproval to teach in the Wesleyan Honors Academy program is considered probationary forthe first year that a teacher participates. After the first year, a teacher will automatically beconsidered qualified to remain in the Program under the following conditions: the teacherhas met, or is making significant progress toward meeting, any specified provisions; theHonors Academy Director and the respective Departmental Coordinator approve continuedparticipation.Site Visits by DepartmentalCoordinatorsThe Departmental Coordinator will attempt to arrangea minimum of two site visits with a newly appointedAdjunct Instructor during the first year of theappointment and once a year thereafter. The purposeof site visits is to become acquainted, and observe theAdjunct Instructor in the classroom. The visits alsoallow campus faculty to communicate assessmentstrategies and assist in assessment implementation.University ComputerSystem AccessAll Wesleyan Honors AcademyInstructors are issued a username and password for theUniversity computer system.Keep the letter you receive in asecure place because it will taketime to assign a new passwordand issue a new letter if it ismisplaced. Using this accessinformation, the instructor can utilize on-line resourcesincluding library databasesand Blackboard find out informationabout Wesleyan eventsand programs use WebAdvisor to checkrosters and post gradesWesleyan Honors Academy52016-2017
The following list is from the NWU student handbook and is meant to guide the instructor –and his/her students – in the proper use of the Wesleyan computer service:What can you do? You may use NWU ComputingResources for activities relevant toyour role at NWU. You may use NWU ComputingResources for academic andeducational purposes, includinginvolvement in professionalorganizations. In using NWU Computing Resourcesyou must respect the rights of othermembers of the NWU communityand of the larger internet community. You must use NWU ComputingResources in an ethical andresponsible manner. You must abide by all securityrestrictions on NWU ComputingResources.What can’t you do? You may not allow another person touse your user name and password, noruse another person’s user name andpassword, to access NWU computingresources. You may not use NWU computingresources to support or advocate anycommercial, political, or nonprofitorganization without the writtenpermission of the NWUAdministration. You may not use NWU computingresources for any illegal or deceivingpurpose including, but not limited to,unauthorized copying of software. You may not be wasteful of NWUcomputing resources, use themunfairly, or disrupt their intended use. You may not intentionally damageNWU computing resources. You may not use NWU computingresources for unauthorized access toother resources.Faculty IDA faculty ID card is provided when a high school instructor first becomes a WesleyanAdjunct Faculty member and should be retained until you no longer participate in theHonors Academy. You will use the card and number to access various resources availablethrough the Honors Academy Program such as admission to fine arts productions andathletic events. Replacement of the card is costly and will cause disruption to your services;please keep it secure. For your safety and security, you may be requested to present your IDcard to campus security or University officials. If you are asked for identification by securityor any University official, you must present it.Wesleyan Honors Academy62016-2017
Program BenefitsNebraska Wesleyan University has established a Curriculum Development program to assistHonors Academy teachers in providing the highest level of instruction and most effectivelearning environment for students enrolled in Honors Academy courses.Curriculum Enhancement FundA special fund will be established for each instructor, withthe award based on the enrollment chart shown at right.Additional funds will be mailed to each school offeringHonors Academy courses during the subsequent year if theschool is still involved. Through this program NebraskaWesleyan is able to help participating schools acquire newbooks, equipment and other curricular materials.Faculty Development OpportunitiesWHA CurriculumEnhancement FundTotal CreditHours0 - 4950 - 99100 - 149150 - 199200 - 249250 - 299300 - 349350 - 399400 - 449450 - 500AmountAwarded 300.00 350.00 400.00 450.00 500.00 550.00 600.00 500.00 700.00 750.00Honors Academy Instructors are offered annual paidProfessional Development opportunities. Instructors areinvited to attend to discuss changes in policies and/orprocedures, to interact with other Honors AcademyInstructors and Wesleyan Academic DepartmentCoordinators concerning assessment and updates to the curriculum in their disciplines.Honors Academy Instructors are encouraged to work closely with the DepartmentalCoordinators throughout the academic yearin areas of curriculum development and“The entire day was very helpful. I especially appreciatedassessment coordination with the onthe opportunity to visit classes and visit with thecampus courses in their area.Wesleyan professors during lunch. The pace of the daywas a perfect time to interact and time to listen andSeveral departments have also offeredrespond. I appreciate the extra effort you put into gettingthe Honors Academy teachers together. Thank you for aDiscipline-Specific Workshopsvaluable day.”throughout the academic year, basedAnne Quinlan, Lincoln Southeast Higharound special speakers or activities oncampus. These events allow teachers toexpand their academic resources andinteract with off-campus colleagues and campus-based professors.Examples of Discipline-Specific Workshops:English: Past workshops have included the“I really did enjoy the day and am glad Iopportunityto attend on-campus English classes,came. It was nice to "network" with theinteraction with other English faculty, hearingother instructors. I also enjoyed visiting thecomp class because it was good for me tothe annual Holder Lecture, and learning aboutsee that what I'm doing in my class is verythe uses of electronic readers in the Englishsimilar to what is being done on campus. Itclassroom.was also an enlightenment to see thatcollege freshmen are not that different thansome of the high school seniors I have.”Jane Holechek, Sidney High SchoolWesleyan Honors Academy72016-2017
Languages: Wesleyan Honors Academy language adjunct faculty members participatedin a workshop that included visiting classes, meetings with foreign language faculty, andsharing in a special “conversation hour” in which more than forty students, faculty, and staffmembers gathered to speak French,German, Japanese, and/or Spanish. Manyremarked about the great benefit ofconversing with others in their “secondlanguage.”WHA language faculty also attended aworkshop that focused on internetapplication tools for teaching andassessing languages, including theprogram, “Conversations.”Mathematics: GeoGebra was thetopic of a workshop developed for WHA math adjunct faculty. GeoGebra is dynamicgeometry software that teachers can use to make conjectures and prove geometric theorems.The Mathematics department alsosponsored “Calculus the Musical” and“I loved it. I learned something that I am going touse in my class next week and something that I thinkinvited WHA instructors and their studentswill help my WHA class be a little moreand held a program on calculus concepts.rigorous. Thank you so much for setting this up forus. I really appreciate it.”Malia Pope, Lincoln North Star High SchoolPhysics: A physics faculty inservice included a discussion onclassroom technology such as clickers,computer-based labs and simulations,as well as a sharing of teachingtechniques and approaches. They alsoattended a special lecture, "Discoveringthe Quantum Universe at the LargeHadron Collider" with Ken Bloom,UNL professor of physics andastronomy.“I want to thank you for taking the time to prepareand meet with us last week. The morning wasparticularly beneficial for me. When you teach highschool physics you are pretty isolated and beingable to discuss ideas, lab techniques and classroomideas with other physics teachers was refreshing.”Bruce Esser, Marian High SchoolWesleyan Honors Academy82016-2017
Religion: A past workshop included a “Religious Diversity in the US” class and ameeting with Religions Department Professor and WHA Coordinator Rita Lester where theyreceived teaching materials, includinglecture materials, Power Point presentation,music and prayer CDs, off-campus resourcelisting, and personal video footage—so thatthe WHA teachers “feel supported andknow that NWU has resources to share”.History: The history adjuncts met withdepartment personnel and went through themethods by which the National “HistoryDay” curriculum can be integrated intotheir classrooms. In the fall of 2013, theHistorians met for Global Learning sponsored by the Malaika Foundation.Other departments offer on-going opportunities to their off-campus adjunct faculty. Formore information on Discipline-Specific Workshops, contact the Honors Academy director.Campus ResourcesAs an adjunct faculty member, the high school teacher has access to all of the resourcesand programs granted to on-campus faculty. This includes free admission to fine artsproductions, athletic events, and use of the library services. High school faculty membersare invited to attend guest lectures andcan ask for class tours and admittance“Getting onboard with the Nebraska Wesleyan HonorsAcademy was a much easier process than I anticipated.of their classes to special events.Degree Completion AssistanceWith their professional guidance and promptresponsiveness, I was able to obtain the graduate hours Ineeded in a very short time, organize a dual-creditcourse, and begin delivering a much anticipated collegelevel psychology course for my students.”Judi Sigler, Elkhorn Valley- TildenGuidance CounselorThe Honors Academy offers the PostGraduate Scholarship which is availableto teachers who are within 18 hours ofqualifying to teach Honors Academycourses. Tuition at the institution ofhis/her choice will be reimbursed forthe teacher according to the allocation schedule shown below:Degree Completion AssistanceOne 3-hour course remaining .Up to 2,000.00/courseTwo 3-hour courses remaining .Up to 1,000.00/courseThree 3-hour courses remaining .Up to 660.00/courseFour 3-hour courses remaining .Up to 500.00/courseFive 3-hour courses remaining .Up to 500.00/courseSix 3-hour courses remaining .Up to 500.00/courseWesleyan Honors Academy92016-2017
Policies and Procedures: StudentsEligibilityStudents must have junior or senior statusand be enrolled for the entire semester/yearin a course approved for Wesleyan HonorsAcademy credit that is being taught by aqualified Wesleyan Honors Academy adjunctinstructor. All Honors Academy instructorsand courses for each high school are listedon the Honors Academy web site and in theAppendix of this document.“ 63% took advanced coursework earlier,20% graduated earlier,20% had double majors and/or double minors,67% saved money-”2014 study of NWU students who took WHA dualcredit coursework in high schoolStudents should have a B or better average in their previous high school courses. The highschool teacher serves an important role in counseling students interested in HonorsAcademy and assessing their likely level of success.Enrollmentcourse and not in Nebraska Wesleyan’sHonors Academy. If the student dropsthe high school course, he/she must alsodrop the Nebraska Wesleyan course by thedeadline stated on the enrollment form fora refund of tuition. If a student withdrawsfrom the Wesleyan course after thedeadline, a refund will not be granted.Failure to follow withdrawal procedureswill result in a grade of “F” on the collegetranscript.To enroll for Nebraska Wesleyan credit, astudent must complete an on-lineregistration form found on the HonorsAcademy web site. Directions areavailable from the instructor. The formincludes the conditions of credit, includingthe title of the high school course and thecomparable Nebraska Wesleyan course,the college credits available, tuition, andenrollment/withdrawal deadlines. Thecompleted form is then submitted online.The Nebraska Wesleyan Business Officewill then send an invoice for tuition due.See the next page for details.Enrollment in Honors Academy does nottranslate into application and admission toWesleyan University as a full-time studentafter high school. Honors Academystudents who are interested in attendingWesleyan University after high schoolgraduation should contact the WesleyanAdmissions Office.Enrollment in Honors Academy forcollege credit is not a high school activityand is not required. Students may beenrolled in the advanced high schoolWesleyan Honors Academy102016-2017
Tuition PaymentTuition is currently 90.00 per credit hour. There are noadditional fees or charges for text books.The four ways to pay for Honors Academy courses are asfollows:1. The student or parent/guardian can submit a check ormoney order for the full amount when billed for thecourse by the NWU business office.2. Parents or guardians who would like to divide their payment into monthly installments maytake advantage of the E-Cashier Payment Plan for the purpose of paying tuition. This planoffers either monthly bank withdrawals or monthly credit card billing. This plan has beenutilized effectively by many Honors Academy participants. There is a fee charged for thisservice. For more information, contact the NWU business office at (402) 465-2119 orbusinessoffice@nebrwesleyan.edu.3. Parents or students may pay with a credit card on-line or when billed by the NWU businessoffice. For more information, contact the NWU business office at (402) 465-2119 orbusinessoffice@nebrwesleyan.edu.4. Students demonstrating financial need may apply for and receive an ACE (Access CollegeEarly) scholarship available through the Coordination Commission for Post-SecondaryEducation. The high school counselor is the contact person for students. The scholarshipapplication should be completed as soon as possible.Late RegistrationRegular registrations must be entered by the registration deadline noted on the registration flyerthe student receives. You will then be billed for the course.Late registrations will be accepted for registrations completed within two weeks of theregistration deadline. There will be a 15.00 late registration fee assessed for late registrationsbetween the registration deadline and two weeks after the registration deadline. The 15.00 fee willbe assessed and included in the bill for the course. Failure to pay the fee will result in the student’sregistration being declined.Registration after the two-week, late-registration, time-period. Students who wish to registerafter the two-week, late registration period will have their request considered through theUniversity’s Academic Petition process. The student must have a legitimate reason for the request.Students should use the online petition form, found on the Nebraska Wesleyan website under theHonors Academy, to request their late addition. The form will be forwarded to the high schoolinstructor who must sign in support of legitimacy of the addition. The Honors Academy Directorand NWU Dean of Academic Affairs must also approve the addition. If permission to add isgranted, the student must pay for the credit and the late registration fee immediately. All petitionsmust be submitted by December 1 for the fall term and May 1 for year-long and springcourses.No student having completed a high school course will be allowed to register for collegecredit for that course.Wesleyan Honors Academy112016-2017
Student IDA student ID card is provided when a student completes the registration process for theirfirst Honors Academy course. This ID will have an identification number on it. The IDcard should be retained until all possible Honors Academy courses have been completed.The student will use the card and number to access various resources available through theHonors Academy Program such as admission to fine arts productions and athletic events.Replacement of the card is costly and will cause disruption to the student’s services; pleasekeep it secure. For safety and security, students may be requested to present a student ID tocampus security or University officials and if so, must present it.University Computer System AccessAt the request of the High School instructor, Wesleyan Honors Academy students may beissued a guest login for the University computer system. Using this access information, thestudents can utilize on-line library resources. Information about Wesleyan events andprograms can be found on the Nebraska Wesleyan website.The following list is from the NWU student handbook and is meant to guide the instructor –and his/her students – in the proper use of the Wesleyan computer service:What can you do? You may use NWU ComputingResources for activities relevant toyour role at NWU. You may use NWU ComputingResources for academic andeducational purposes, includinginvolvement in school-supportedstudent organizations. You may use NWU ComputingResources only while you are anenrolled NWU student. You must use NWU ComputingResources in an ethical andresponsible manner. You must abide by all securityrestrictions on NWU ComputingResources.Wesleyan Honors AcademyWhat can’t you do? You may not allow another person touse your login information, nor useanother person’s user name andpassword, to access NWU computingresources. Do not use NWU computing resourcesto support or advocate any commercial,political, or nonprofit organizationwithout the written permission of theNWU Administration. NWU computing resources cannot befor any illegal or deceiving purposeincluding, but not limited to,unauthorized copying of software. You may not violate other NWUpolicies in your use of NWU computingresources. You may not be wasteful of NWUcomputing resources, use them unfairly,or disrupt their intended use. You maynot intentionally damage NWUcomputing resources or use them to forunauthorized access to other resources.122016-2017
Pass/Fail – Not AllowedEven if a student may take the advanced high school course on a pass/fail basis, he/shemay not do so for the Nebraska Wesleyan course. The high school teacher must record aletter grade on the Nebraska Wesleyan transcript, per Nebraska Wesleyan’s grading policy.Dropping a CourseIf a student doubts that he or she will be able to complete a course with a satisfactory grade,he or she should consult with the high school teacher about the option of dropping thecourse. If the student decides to drop the course from his or her college level experience, heor she must contact the Honors Academy staff assistant or director to inform them of theirintent to drop.If this request falls after the established drop date for theHonors Academy courses, the student may complete theonline petition form on the website under the HonorsAcademy section. If the college course is not dropped, andthe student fails the course, a grade of “F” will appear onthe transcript.GradesThe student is issued a letter grade by the high school instructor at the conclusion of thecourse. Grades are available on the transcript at the end of the term*.*February 1 for fall semester classes and June 1 for full-year and spring semester classes.Transfer of CreditsIf a student elects to attend a college orIf at all possible, students should contact theuniversity other than Nebraska Wesleyan,registrar at the colleges or universities they arehe or she will need to request a transcriptconsidering attending prior to enrolling in Honorsfrom NWU.Academy courses to ascertain how the courseWhile Nebraska Wesleyan cannotwill transfer.guarantee that another college oruniversity will accept the transfer ofcredit from Honors Academy courses,experience has shown that the vastmajority of colleges and universities do accept transfer grades of “C” or better. HonorsAcademy students have previously transferred credit to more than 85 colleges anduniversities throughout the country, including the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and itsbranch campuses.Wesleyan Honors Academy132016-2017
Most schools that accept Wesleyan Honors Academy credit will do so as one or more of thefollowing:1. The hours will count towards the total hours required for graduation from thatinstitutions (general elective);2. The course will replace a course required in the general education curriculum; and/or3. The course will replace a course required in a major or minor at the accepting school.It is important that the student clarify this information as soon as he/she knows whichschool will be attended. In most cases, the transferred NWU grade is not included in theGPA calculations at the accepting institution. If the student brings Honors Academy creditto Nebraska Wesleyan University, the course will count in the same area as the on-campusequivalent and the grade will become part of the student’s GPA calculations.Requesting Transcripts Transcripts of academic records are available to students and alumni whose accountsare paid in full. To request a transcript go to www.nebrwesleyan.edu
Nebraska Wesleyan University transcript and credit toward a degree at Nebraska Wesleyan University. Students who elect to attend another college or university and wish to transfer the credits earned from Nebraska Wesleyan University may go on-line and make a transcr
