Rules and Procedures

• The Intensive English Program (IEP) is designed to help you improve your English proficiency to an advanced level as quickly as possible. All sections of the IEP meet four classes per day, four days per week. Regular attendance, active involvement in activities and completion of homework assignments are the major factors in a student’s success. Because of the intensive nature of the program, it is very difficult and often impossible to make up for what has been missed. In addition, a student who misses many classes falls behind the rest of the class and may disrupt the progress of other students as well.
• Each class a student does not attend is counted for medical, family, sports, University-sponsored activities, and/or personal reasons. Therefore, students should be careful not to miss classes unnecessarily. Each day has a total of four class sessions. If a student is absent for one day, they will have missed four classes.
• You are expected to be in class on time. Late students will be allowed to enter class if the teacher agrees that this will not disrupt the lesson. Students who are allowed to enter class up to 30 minutes late will be counted absent for half a class; after that, they will be counted absent for one class.  
• A student who has missed five classes of a given class for any reason (including medical, family, sports, University-sponsored activities, and/or personal reasons) will receive a warning email from their teacher informing them of the hours they have missed and reminding them of the importance of attending to learn and make the maximum benefit from the course. A student who has missed more than eight classes will lose points from their teacher evaluation, affecting their total score.
• Students are responsible for keeping these attendance procedures in mind and for keeping track of their absences. Class teachers track absences. 
• We expect that students will attend their classes regularly and cooperate with their teachers so that they improve their English proficiency as rapidly as possible. At the beginning of each semester, every student will receive the course syllabus where the attendance procedures are outlined, and all students are accountable for all the information presented in the course syllabus.

If a student believes that they have exceeded the allowed number of absences from classes in the IEP for legitimate, justifiable reasons and can still keep up with class assignments and not fall behind the rest of the class, the student can follow the procedure below to appeal losing grades for absence:

• Within three working days, the student must submit a written petition by email to the IEP director explaining the reasons for excessive absences and enclosing any supporting documents (such as medical excuses sent by the Dean of Students).
• The student should ask each of his/her teachers to submit a confidential written letter of assessment of the student's case to the IEP director.
• The student must continue attending class and make it a priority not to miss more hours.
• If the student's case has merit, it will be referred to the IEP Appeal Review Committee, which will meet as soon as possible to review the petition submitted by the student, along with the supporting documents and the teacher's written statements, and take action on the case. The committee may decide on the following: [a] To deny the appeal, or [b] In exceptional cases, to recommend that the student be allowed to continue in the IEP with no or only partial loss of grades

IEP students must read and abide by the AUC Code of Student Conduct.  

Actions or speech that violate this Code, including harming others or preventing others from learning, are unacceptable and may result in disciplinary action.

All IEP students are expected to take responsibility for their learning by:

• Attending classes regularly
• Participating actively and thoughtfully in-class activities
• Completing all homework assignments
• Cooperating respectfully with their teachers and fellow students
• Doing activities and homework individually
• Doing group activities cooperatively with their classmates
• Developing good study habits and learning strategies
• Making the best use of their time in IEP not only to improve their English proficiency and skills but also to expand their intellectual horizons and adapt to University life

ELI students are expected to adhere to the AUC Code of Academic Ethics.

More information on the types of violations can be found here.

The IEP student grievance process is as follows: 

1. If you have a classroom or course-related concern, you should first discuss it with the teacher of that course.
2. If you and the teacher cannot resolve the problem, you may bring the matter up with the IEP program director.
3. If you think that neither the teacher nor the director has addressed your concern, you may submit a formal complaint to the chair of the Department of English Language Instruction (ELI).
4. In case of a formal, written complaint, the teacher of the course in question can submit a written response within five working days to the ELI department chair.
5. The chair may, at his or her discretion, dismiss a complaint that, in his or her judgment, is lacking in merit.
6. The ELI department chair and the program director will take appropriate steps to resolve the problem and respond to you and the teacher in writing.
7.  A record of your complaint, the teacher’s response and the resolution will be kept in the department’s files.

For more information, see the AUC Grievance and Appeal Process for Student Concerns

Appeal Process and Resolution of Student Challenge to Grade

If a student requests that his grade on a secure assessment task be re-checked, the process is as follows:

1. The student asks his/her teacher to re-check his/her grade.
2. The teacher expresses the student’s concern to the assessment specialist (IEP program director) and requests to re-check the student’s answer sheet with the assessment specialist (IEP program director) to ensure that the grade is accurate.
3. The outcome of the process is either a confirmation that the grade is accurate or a change of grade.
4. This should be done within two days after the assessment task results have been announced.
5. The teacher reports to the student in detail why he or she earned this grade or why there was a grade change.
6. If the student still cannot accept the grade, he or she goes to the assessment specialist (IEP program director), accompanied by his or her teacher, to have his or her grade explained to him or her again.