General Education & the CAAP Exam
Pre-General Education Courses
Information Literacy Test
Program Evaluation or Degree Audit
Student Overloads
Exit Exams
Praxis
Requirements for Graduation
Center for Academic Success
Changing Majors/Minors/Advisors
Holds
Honors Program
As part of the regular workload, BHSU faculty are assigned advisees. Successful advising involves understanding the University requirements and working closely with advisees to provide student-centered interactions. Black Hills State University mandates advising for freshmen to ensure that students enroll in appropriate courses that follow an individualized program of study that leads to graduation. GS 100 University Experience is designed to establish resident-based learning communities with a faculty member or professional staff to serve as instructor and mentor for first time freshmen. This First Year Experience seminar is strongly recommended when advising freshmen to implement the advising mandate. During this first semester, the seminar serves as the bridge to connect freshmen with an academic advisor in the major. When students are undecided, they are advised by professional staff in the Center for Academic Success. In addition, the Center for Academic Success offers professional development workshops to help faculty utilize Web Advisor, individual student assessment information, and “best practices” in academic advising. Contact Dr. Joe Valades at 642-6107 for more information and assistance with academic advising.
General Education and the CAAP Exam
All students should take the 41 hours of general education requirements during the first two years of their academic career. This is of critical importance because after completing 48 semester hours, the student is expected to pass the “Rising Junior Exam” (Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency - CAAP). Students may be prevented from registering for future classes when they do not pass this exam.
To sit for this exam, students must have successfully completed at least 15 hours of general education requirements. These include: 3 hours of composition; 3 hours of natural science; 3 hours of humanities/fine arts; 3 hours mathematics; and 3 hours of social science. Full details are in the Academic Catalog for 2006-2007 on pages 68-69 or on the BHSU website. Students are notified by mail when they are eligible for the exam. Questions may directed to Dr. Danielle Brady at 642-6259.
Pre-General Education Courses
For students who are not academically prepared for College Algebra and English Composition or have difficulty with reading comprehension, pre-general education courses are offered. This determination is made at the time of application for admission. It is based on either the student’s ACT scores or by the COMPASS Placement Exam taken at the time the student enrolls. Pre-general education courses include ENGL 031, ENGL 032, ENGL 033, MATH 021, MATH 101, and READ 041. These classes must be completed within the first 42 hours attempted. The courses except MATH 101 do not count in the total number of hours completed toward graduation. If a student has a special concern, they may discuss their options with the English or Math Department Chairs.
Information Literacy Test
By Regental policy, information literacy is taught in English 101, English 201, and Speech Communication 101. Currently a pilot test covering knowledge of information literacy is administered with the CAAP examination. In the spring of 2008, students will be required to take and pass an examination.
Program Evaluation or Degree Audit
Program evaluation is an electronic process that compares the general education, major/minor, and graduation requirements to the student’s academic record. This will allow that person to see what classes have been taken, those that they are pre-registered for, and which ones still need to be taken to complete the degree requirements along with total hours needed, CAAP/Information Literacy Exam, and GPA requirements. Faculty are encourage to prepare a program evaluation for student advisees to assist in providing accurate and current academic information when helping students plan their programs of study. Students can evaluate their credit against any active program (associate, bachelor, or education majors) in the system. Minors must be added to the student’s SPRO screen by college dean secretaries for additional requirements to be added. For assistance in accessing degree audits for advisees, please contact the Registrar’s office at 642-6567.
Students may request a status sheet for their selected majors/minors from the Registrar’s Office after the completion of 64 credit hours. Status sheets are the manual process of the “program evaluation”. The manual process will “catch” substitutions, independent studies, and special topics courses that are used instead of the required course. Blank copies of status sheets can be found on the BHSU website at this address: www.BHSU.edu/academics/statussheets. Faculty may want to use the status sheet in conjunction with the program evaluation when advising students.
Please advise that all graduating students must schedule a graduation appointment 2 semesters prior to graduation with the Registrar’s Office.
Exit Exams
Prior to graduation, a student receiving a baccalaureate degree must complete an Exit Examination. These exams are given the first morning of Finals Week. Each exam is subject specific, with non-education majors using the Major Field Test (MFT) and education majors using the Praxis and a second subject area test. The exit examination results are used by the various departments to assess the major.
Praxis
All students in teacher education must take a Praxis Content exam and a Praxis Pedagogy exam. These tests measure the academic achievement and proficiency of individuals completing a teacher preparation program. A passing score on the Content exam is required prior to student teaching. The scores on the Pedagogy exam administered during student teaching are used by the State Department of Education for purposes of certification. For more information, visit the College of Education Web Page.
Center for Academic Success (CASS)
Faculty are encouraged to help students be successful at Black Hills State University. They can do this by contacting the Center for Academic Success in the lower level of the Student Union. CASS is a student-centered, service-oriented office focused on ensuring student persistence and success. The center provides academic advisement to undeclared and at-risk students, as well as information to all students, faculty, and staff in an effort to strengthen student enrollment toward graduation and enhance students’ levels of satisfaction with their overall university experience.
An online “early alert” system is faculty friendly so that faculty can alert this office of any students needing additional support. CASS staff will follow up by contacting students to offer assistance. Dr. Joe Valades is the director, and the office is located in Student Union # 023. Please call him at 642-6107 for assistance in using the “early alert” system.
Changing Majors/Minors/Advisors
Faculty should send students interested or planning on changing their major to the respective College secretary, or to the Center for Academic Success, lower level of the Student Union if unsure about their major.
Holds
Some students may have a hold on their University activities because of a financial or administrative obligation. These holds may limit student use of WebAdvisor. The WebAdvisor screen will indicate which holds have been placed and who students should contact. Once compliance or restitution has been met at the appropriate office, the hold will be removed.
Honors Program
The BHSU Honors Program is designed to provide academic enrichment and enhancement to students with exemplary academic records. Students in this program enroll in courses specifically designed for Honors students and arrange to receive Honors credit for regular, general education courses by special contract with professors. They also write an Honors Thesis or complete a major Honors Project with the support of a faculty advisor and a second reader. All tenure-track faculty members are welcome to participate in the Honors Program by working with individual students under special contracts and by serving as advisors and second readers. Faculty members are also encouraged to submit proposals to teach Honors Colloquia. These classes are team-taught and usually have a multi-disciplinary approach. They emphasize group discussion and independent research. Proposals are submitted each fall for colloquia to be taught the following year. The director of the Honors Program is Dr. Amy Fuqua. Her phone number is 642-6397.
Requirements for Graduation
To graduate most students must have at least 128 hours. Of those, 36 credits must be upper level. Of the 128 hours, 41 hours are general education. The majority of credit hours will be taken in the student’s major, and each college has unique requirements for majors. The university requires a minimum of 2.0 grade point average to graduate; however, with some degrees, such as teaching, the university requires 2.7 GPA.
Student Overloads
The maximum number of credit hours a student may enroll for is eighteen hours per semester. To register for more hours, a student must petition the College Dean and have a cumulative grade point average of 2.70.