Student Success Programs

Policy Number: 3.3.2
Effective Date: March 1, 2023
Revision History: November 1, 2018; May 26, 2016
Policy Contact: Dean of Student Success

I. Purpose and Policy Statement

Student Success policies guide the operation of programs in the area of Student Success.

II. Scope

Student Success programs support all GGC students during their transition into and journey through Georgia Gwinnett College. Students, faculty, and staff who participate in or provide instruction or service through Student Success programs are responsible for following this policy.

III. Definition

Student Success Programs: Include the Academic Enhancement Center, Student Success Advising Center, the English Language Institute (“ELI”, shared with Internationalization), and Student Success courses (corequisite Learning Support and First Year Seminar, GGC 1000). The Student Success courses include corequisite Learning Support courses in mathematics and English, including support sections for English as a Second Language (“ESL”) students. These courses are designed to meet the specific needs of students who, according to USG placement standards, must enroll in Learning Support. The First Year Seminar (GGC 1000) is also supported in Student Success. Students enrolled in Student Success Learning Support courses may be assigned a Student Success advisor in the Georgia Gwinnett College Student Success Advising Center (“SSAC”) to ensure they remain on track to complete their Student Success courses and succeed at Georgia Gwinnett College.

IV. Student Success Learning Support Courses in English and Math

1. Learning Support courses are corequisite courses designed to assist students with collegiate work. Corequisite Learning Support courses are intended to serve students who need additional support in mathematics or English (reading/writing). Students who may be served by Learning Support courses are:
   1. Students who do not meet USG criteria to exempt Learning Support placement.
   2. Students who are determined by the institution to need academic assistance even though they are eligible to be admitted without Learning Support requirements under USG policy.
   3. Students who elect to enroll in Learning Support courses to gain additional support while they are enrolled in entry-level English and mathematics courses.
2. The default placement for all students is in corequisite Learning Support unless students exempt Learning Support placement by meeting one of the exemption criteria. High school grade point averages to exempt placement in corequisite Learning Support will continue until further notice, as outlined below:
   1. English: Greater than, or equal to (“>=”) 2.5
   2. MATH 1001, MATH 1101, MATH/STAT 1401: >= 2.5
   3. MATH 1111 with Corequisite Support: >= 2.5
   4. MATH 1111: >= 2.8
3. Additional exemption criteria are: SAT or ACT score; transferable credit for an Area A English or Math course; or Accuplacer (or other approved placement test) score high enough to exempt learning support placement. The Learning Support courses offered at GGC include ENGL 0999: Support for English Composition, MATH 0996: Support for Elementary Statistics, MATH 0997: Support for Quantitative Reasoning, MATH 0998: Support for Mathematical Modeling, and MATH 0999: Support for College Algebra.

V. Grades in Student Success Learning Support Courses

1. The following grades are approved for Student Success Learning Support courses in English and mathematics:
   1. Passing course grades: A, B, C
   2. Failing course grades: F, WF
   3. Academic progress satisfactory, but coursework incomplete: I
   4. Withdrawal without penalty: W
   5. Student auditing Student Success course that is not required but taken voluntarily: V
2. D, S/U, or IP are not allowed grades in Learning Support courses. No degree credit will be earned in the Learning Support corequisite course, but institutional credit will be awarded.

VI. Student Success Course in English for English as a Second Language Students

1. The English for Academic Purposes/English as a Second Language (“EAP”/”ESL”) program provides instruction in academic English and tutoring support for students for whom English is a second or additional language. The corequisite English Learning Support course in the EAP program is ENGL 0999E, which is taken together with ENGL 1101.
2. Entering students for whom English is a second or additional language and who do not present high school GPA, SAT, ACT, or other scores high enough to exempt placement testing for English may submit authorized placement test scores, which will be used to determine course placement into either collegiate-level English without Learning Support; or else into the Student Success English corequisite course (ENGL 0999E) along with the collegiate course (ENGL 1101).
3. Students with transfer credit for ENGL 1101 or ENGL 1102 and no Required High School Curriculum (“RHSC”) deficiency in English or other English language proficiency requirements are not required to enroll in the ENGL 0999E course.
4. Students in corequisite ENGL 0999E exit the Learning Support course and fulfill the Learning Support English requirement by achieving a passing score in the collegiate-level ENGL 1101 course.
5. If a student does not meet GGC’s minimum English Proficiency requirements (as indicated by an approved method for determining English Proficiency) and is thus not granted regular admission, the student can instead be referred to and admitted into GGC’s approved English as a second language program, the English Language Institute (“ELI”). The GGC ELI program is an approved USG campus-based ESL program of study. Therefore, proof of completion of the English Language Institute can provide students a waiver of the USG English Language Proficiency requirement at accepting USG institutions.

VII. Advising for Students with Student Success Requirements

1. Required Student Success classes can restrict the range of collegiate level courses students may take. Students who are required to enroll in Student Success Learning Support courses are not permitted to enroll in collegiate credit courses that require the content or the skills of the prerequisite courses.
2. Students who have accumulated a maximum of 30 semester hours of college-level credit and have not successfully completed required Student Success courses may enroll only in Student Success courses until requirements are successfully completed.
3. Students with transfer credit or credit earned in a certificate or prior degree program who are required to take Student Success courses for their current degree objectives may earn up to 30 additional hours of college-level credit. After earning the additional hours, such students may enroll in Student Success courses only.
4. GGC may limit accumulation of college-level credit to 20 hours.
5. During each semester of enrollment, a student must first register for all required Student Success courses before being allowed to register for other courses. This policy also applies to part-time students. Two exceptions are possible:
   1. First, when two Student Success areas are required and the student is enrolled in at least one Student Success course, a freshman orientation course (e.g., GGC 1000), or physical education course or other activity or performance course may, if available, be taken that semester instead of another required Student Success course.
   2. Second, if a required Student Success course is not available, a student may enroll in a course for degree credit, provided the student has met the course requirements, subject to the written approval of the President or designee.
6. Students with Learning Support requirements who are enrolled in both Learning Support courses and collegiate-level credit courses and who withdraw from required Learning Support courses are not required to withdraw from unrelated collegiate courses.
7. There are no limits on attempts in corequisite Student Success Learning Support courses. An attempt is defined as an institutional credit course in which a student receives any grade or symbol except “W.”  Students exit Student Success (corequisite Learning Support mathematics or English, including English support for ESL) requirements by successfully passing the corresponding Area A collegiate-level course with a grade of C or better.
8. Because registration for the next semester occurs before final grades are calculated, students may initially register for future courses assuming success in their current Student Success courses. However, if they fail to pass the collegiate-level course and thus do not exit the Student Success requirements that are prerequisites for the courses they have registered for, it is the responsibility of the student to amend his or her class schedule by removing the college-level courses for which the student has not satisfied the prerequisites and to register for any required Student Success courses from which the student did not exit.
9. Students who are required to take Learning Support courses in an area may not register as auditors in any Learning Support course in that area. Students who are not required to take Student Success courses in a disciplinary area may elect to enroll in Student Success courses in the non-required area for institutional credit or on an audit basis. There is no limit on attempts for students who voluntarily elect to enroll in corequisite Student Success courses.
10. Student Success course work in a disciplinary area is cumulative within the University System of Georgia.
11. Students who have been suspended from Georgia Gwinnett College may not be exempted from their required Student Success courses through transfer of course credit unless they are eligible for transfer admission under GGC’s regular transfer admission policies.
12. Students who complete course work and exit an area of Learning Support at any institution in the USG shall not be required to re-enter that area of Student Success Learning Support upon transfer to GGC.
13. Students with Student Success Learning Support requirements who leave GGC for any reason may be re-admitted without Student Success (i.e., Learning Support) requirements if they meet one of several documented conditions that demonstrate they have completed the requirements in an approved alternative way. Completion of transferable Area A courses in English or mathematics from any institution will eliminate further Student Success requirements in that area upon transfer back to Georgia Gwinnett College.

VIII. Grizzly Renewal Opportunity Workshops (“GROW”) Program

1. Students who have been placed on academic suspension may participate in the Grizzly Renewal Opportunity Workshops (“GROW”) Program in the following academic term (excluding summer). This program engages participants in activities designed to help them improve their academic success skills and their academic standing. Suspended students who do not participate in the GROW program must sit out for one semester and appeal to the Admissions Committee for readmission.  
2. Students who choose to enroll in the program must submit a completed GROW Program Agreement and Academic Improvement Plan to the Mentoring and Advising Center by the designated deadlines. Participants may enroll in no more than seven (7) hours and must attend all scheduled meetings with their assigned student success advisor. Participants must earn at least a 2.0 semester GPA to be eligible for continued enrollment at GGC and will successfully exit the program when they earn at least a 2.0 semester GPA and a cumulative GPA that brings their academic standing back into good standing as outlined in the GGC academic standing standards. Those who earn a 2.0 semester GPA but have not reached academic good standing will remain in the program for the following semester. Participants who do not earn a semester GPA of at least 2.0 or who fail to meet any of the conditions of the GROW Program Agreement face academic dismissal.

IX. Related Regulations, Statutes, Policies, and Procedures

BOR Academic and Student Affairs Handbook 2.9 Learning Support
BOR Policy Manual 3.3.7 Learning Support Programs
University System of Georgia English as a Second Language (ESL) Programs