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SDV 101: Orientation to Healthcare

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Student Glossary

Academic advisor/advisor

Trained faculty and staff who can help a student register for courses, explore career options, and stay on track for graduation. Incoming students are assigned an academic advisor and can also seek help at the campus Advising Center.
Academic calendar NOVA's Academic Calendar contains key dates important to every student, including the start and end dates of classes, holidays, exam days, registration dates and more.
Academic dismissal Students who do not attain at least a 2.00 GPA for the semester after academic suspension will be academically dismissed. Students who achieve at least a 2.00 GPA for the semester after academic suspension must continue to earn at least a 1.75 GPA to avoid academic dismissal. (Also see academic standing)
Academic probation New or continuing students who have a GPA of 1.5 or lower are placed on academic probation. Students are on probation until their GPA reaches 1.75 or higher. (Also see academic standing)
Academic standing Students are considered in good academic standing if they maintain a semester minimum GPA of 2.00. Find more information in the academic policies. (Also see: academic dismissal, probation, suspension, and warning)

Academic suspension

Students who are on academic probation and fail to attain a semester GPA of 1.50 or more are placed on suspension. Academic suspension lasts one semester and only applies to students who have taken at least 24 ccredits. (Also see academic standing)
Academic warning Students who do not have at least a 2.00 GPA for any semester will receive an academic warning. Students given an academic warning should see their advisor/counselor and use the academic support services provided by the College. (Also see academic standing)
Academic year The period of time that students attend classes, spanning from the first day of fall semester to the last day of summer semester.
Add/drop A period of time when students can make changes to their semester schedules by dropping and adding courses. Classes dropped during this time will be refunded and will not show up on the official transcript. 
Administrative Information System (AIS) AIS is the financial reporting system NOVA uses for spending and financial resources.
Advising Free help given to all students for program planning and course selection.
Appeal A formal process students can participate in if they feel like they’ve been evaluated unfairly. **Vague OSWEGO definition, check NOVA for appeals policies**
Applied Associate Degree The Associate of Applied Science (AAS) and Associate of Applied Art (AAA) degrees are shorter degrees that prepare individuals to work or improve their employment status in a career or technical occupation.
Articulation NOVA and the VCCS (Virginia Community College System) have special agreements with more than fifty four-year colleges and universities for courses to transfer from one institution to another.
Audit When a student attends class but does not receive credit or a grade for the course.
Award letter A document that outlines the amount of financial aid a student will receive (loans, grants, work-study etc.)
Bachelor's degree A degree that is awarded to a student by a college, usually after four years of full-time study.
Career services Career Services offers a variety of services to support the career and employment needs of students and local employers in the areas of career development, job search skills and job leads.
Catalog The NOVA Catalog has information about credit instructional programs, degrees and certificates, policies and procedures, and student services.
Certificates Awards intended to be completed in less than two years of full-time study (30 to 59 credit hours) by students who want to work in an entry-level position or who want to improve their current employment opportunities in a career or technical field.
Chair See: Department chair
Co-curriculars Clubs, sports, student organizations, leadership positions, and other fun things that happen outside of the classroom. 
Co-op Also known as: cooperative education. See: internship.
Commencement Graduation
Community College Transfer Grant A grant for students that complete their associate degree with a 3.0 grade point average and transfer to a public or eligible private college or university in Virginia to complete the bachelor's degree. Eligible students can receive up to $1,000, with an extra $1,000 for students who pursue undergraduate work in engineering, math, nursing, teaching or science.
Continuing student Any student who has attended NOVA within the last three years and is in good academic standing is considered a continuing student.
Core requirements (Core courses) Core courses are the required courses for a degree or certificate.
Course reference number (CRN) This five-digit number in the Schedule of Classes is used to identify a particular class section in a particular subject. The CRN must be listed on the registration form next to the class title. **USE EXAMPLE**
Course withdrawal When a student decides to stop taking a class after the add/drop period has passed. This requires instructor and department chair permission. Note: withdrawing from a course can affect financial aid and scholarships by dropping the number of earned credit hours for the semester. Always consult an academic advisor first.
Credit hour A unit that measures the number of classroom hours per week throughout the semester. (3-credit hours = 3-hours of classroom time for that course per week)
Curriculum GPA A curriculum GPA includes only the classes that apply to the degree/program. It is used to ensure that the student satisfies the graduation requirement for that curriculum. When students repeat a course, only the last grade earned is counted in the computation of the curriculum GPA.
Dean of Students A staff member who oversees helpful student services. The Dean serves as a helpful resource for students who are experiencing difficulties and for those who may need to take a temporary or permanent leave from campus.
Degree progress report Available in myNOVA (NOVACONNECT). The report lists all requirements in the student's chosen degree plan. Each class listed in red is a class that still needs to be passed to earn the degree.
Degree A an academic honor earned after completing a program of study.
Department chair The “boss” of each academic department who oversees faculty in that area.
Diploma A formal document that certifies a student has completed a program of study; received at or shortly after graduation.
Dual enrollment When a student is enrolled in two academic institutions at the same time, usually a high school and a community college.
Elective Courses that are outside of the program's core classes. There are many interesting classes that a student can choose that will meet the degree requirements. Always meet with an advisor to discuss course schedules prior to registration.
EMPLID (Student ID) A unique identification number assigned to each NOVA student, faculty and staff.
F-1 status This term refers to international students’ certificate of eligibility for non-immigrant (F-1) student status for student visas.
Federal work study A program that provides part-time employment opportunities to full-time students with financial need.
File transfer protocol (FTP) This is a commonly used system for transferring computer files via the Internet.
Finals Exams that take place during the last week of the semester. The schedule will look little different this week, so pay close attention to the syllabus.
First-generation college student A student who is the first in their family to attend college.
First-year student A student who is attending college for the first time in their first year. Also referred to as a “freshman.”
Full-time student A student who is registered for at least 12-credit hours per semester.
Good academic standing Students are in good academic standing when they earn a GPA of 2.0 or higher and complete at least 12-credit hours
Grade point average (GPA) An average of the final grades from all classes in a semester. A cumulative GPA is the average of all classes taken. Use NOVA's GPA calculator.
Graduation application To get a degree or certificate, students need to apply for graduation. Before completing the application, check records to be sure all requirements for graduation have been met. Contact an academic advisor for help. The form must be completed to participate in the college graduation ceremony.
Guaranteed admission agreements Agreements between Virginia Community Colleges and four-year colleges and universities that guarantee admission to the four-year institution for students who meet the criteria of the agreement (for example: GPA, completing a transfer associate degree).
Hold Holds can limit a student's ability to register for courses, order trancripts, and more. Contact an advisor or financial aid counselor for help clearing a hold.
In-state student Students who meet resident qualifications outlined in the Code of Virginia. For complete details on in-state tuition eligibility and domicile guidelines, visit: http://www.schev.edu/Students/VAdomicileguidelines.asp.
In-state tuition and fees Tuition and fees at public colleges and universities listed in the Cost Calculator are for in-state Virginia students. "In-state" refers to those students who meet domicile qualifications outlined in the Code of Virginia. Out-of-state tuition and fees at public colleges and universities are greater than the amounts shown in the Cost Calculator.
Information technology support services (ITSS) This is a services oriented division of the Office of Instructional and Information Technology which provides IT project management, IT quality assurance, IT procurement, the IT Help Desk, IT security, telecommunications services, network management, database administration and more.
Internship A formal opportunity for students to apply their classroom knowledge in a "real world" workplace setting. Students can earn class credit for internships. 
Major A discipline, program, or subject of study. This determines what classes are needed to earn a degree. 
Master's degree Typically one or two years of study following a bachelor’s degree.
Matriculation/matriculated Enrolled at the college.
Midterms Exams or grades usually distributed in the middle of a semester.
Minor A secondary discipline, program, or subject of study. 
myNOVA Use to access NOVAConnect, Canvas, Student email and VCCS services.
NOVA Online (NOL) NOL is the distance learning part of the College. Distance learning courses offered to students are developed, maintained and assessed through NOL. Check out the Distance Learning website for details on how to take one of these classes.
NOVACARD The name for the official Northern Virginia Community College photo identification card.
NOVAConnect The term for NOVA’s student information system that allows students to conveniently complete many business transactions with the College online.
Office hours Times when professors are available to students to discuss class material and performance in the course. These times are listed in the class syllabus.
Overload The ability to register for more than the maximum number of credits allowed in a semester (with advisor approval).
Part-time student A part-time student is a student taking less than 12 credit hours in a semester or less than 6 credits during the summer session.
Portable document format (PDF) Invented by Adobe, it allows all documents to be formatted in a way that they can be viewed and printed from any application, on any computer system and shared with anyone.
Prerequisite A prerequisite is a required course that a student must successfully complete before enrolling for another course. Prerequisites are listed in the college catalog with the course description.
Registrar The office on campus that keeps official records safe (grades, degree audit, etc.)
Registration The period of time when students can select and enroll in classes for the following semester.
Returning student Returning students are those students who have not attended NOVA in the last three years and are returning to the College.
Rich text format (RTF) A file format that allows the exchange of text files between different word processors in different operating systems.
Schedule of classes A list of classes offered anytime during the fall, spring and summer terms. The schedule of classes contains all information needed to register for a class, including time, date, location, instructor, fees and any enrollment restrictions. Printed and online versions are available. 
Semester A half-year term in college-- usually lasting 15 weeks.
Sim This is the shortened version of the word simulation. The term is used by the Medical Campus in reference to the Center and Labs. It refers to test conditions approximating actual or operational conditions.
State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) This is Virginia's coordinating body for higher education. It's purpose is to promote the development of an educationally and economically dynamic system of higher education in Virginia.
Student information systems (SIS) See NOVAConnect.
Syllabus A document that outlines the goals and objectives of a course. This is considered a “contract” between the course instructors and the students in a course. Read these documents carefully, as they include important information about grading, textbooks, assignments, due dates, and expectations.
Teaching assistant A student who assists an instructor with teaching tasks and responsibilities.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA) This is a required form that must be completed as the first step in applying for many types of financial aid. This application can be found at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ or obtained at any campus Financial Aid Office.
To be arranged (TBA) TBA is a term used in the Schedule of Classes to indicate that more information is available from advisors or faculty about the course. Frequently, TBA indicates a flexibly scheduled course that allows students to attend class at times of their own choosing. Usually, classes with the TBA designation are offered on a self-paced basis or via the Internet. When TBA is found in the instructor column of the schedule, the course had not yet been assigned to a particular instructor at the time the schedule went to print.
Transcript

LONG: An official transcript is issued by the College Registrar and contains a master list of the courses a student has taken, the grade earned, and the cumulative grade point average. An unofficial transcript is available through NOVAConnect. "W," "I," "Y" and "P" grade are also noted on a transcript but are not calculated in the student's grade point average.

OR SHORT: An official copy of an academic record.

Transfer Associate Degree The 'transfer' (AA, AS and AA&S) degrees are designed to allow students to complete the general education (English, math, science, social science, humanities, etc.) component of a bachelor's degree to transfer to a four-year institution at the junior level with all lower division (freshman & sophomore level) courses completed. The successful transfer student is prepared to complete the upper division (junior and senior level) program major coursework required for their bachelor's degree at the transfer institution.
Transfer student A student who earned college credits at another school before being accepted and attending NOVA.
Transferable Students seeking to transfer to pursue a four-year degree should choose a transferable degree at a community college. The Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Science (AS) and Associate of Arts and Science (AA&S) degrees are all intended transferable. Non-transferable (or applied) degrees, certificates, and diplomas are designed to prepare individuals to become employed or improve their employment status in a career or technical occupation.
Tuition Fee charged for educational instruction.
Virginia Community College System (VCCS) The System is run by a Board of 15 governing members who are appointed by the governor for up to two four-year terms. The VCCS Board meets six times per year to set policy for all of Virginia’s community colleges. The VCC oversees 23 community colleges in the state of Virginia including NOVA.
Withdrawal ("W" grade) Students who wish to receive a "W" in a course on the student transcript, must complete a change in registration form sometime after the drop period and before the last one-third of the class. Students who withdraw from a class or classes after the deadline for refunds will receive a "W" on their transcripts but will not receive a refund. Withdrawal with a "W" is only permitted during the first two-thirds of the calendars days of the semester or class. A "W" grade is not factored into a student's grade point average.
Work-study A type of on-campus job.