Repeating a Course

Normally a student may register for the same course (in either credit or audit status) a maximum of two times (some exceptions apply). This policy applies to all registrations, whether the course was successfully completed or not. A student who withdraws will be considered to have registered if the withdrawal occurs during the period when a grade of W is assigned. In the case of a repeated course, the grade used in computing Grade Point Average (GPA) will be the highest grade received. The grades for all attempts will remain on the student's permanent academic record and will appear on their transcript. Students who attempt to register for a course a third time (or more) without prior approval, will be blocked by the online registration system. The student retains the right to apply for special consideration or exemption from the policy by submitting a Request to Repeat a Course to Student Enrolment Services. 

Auditing a Course

A student who wishes to take a course but does not wish to do so for credit may request to audit the course. An auditor is expected to attend class but does not participate in the evaluation process. To audit a course, a student must be currently eligible to enrol. Priority is given to credit students, so students are not permitted to register for a course and then change to audit status. Students will be permitted to request audit enrolment only during the Add/Drop Period. The tuition fee for auditing a course is the same as that for a student taking the course for credit.

Guided Study

Guided study refers to the offering of a course using a mode of instruction other than classroom instruction or distributed learning. In general, this will primarily involve self-study by the student with periodic guidance from an instructor. Guided study is not to be construed as instruction by correspondence or distance education.

Only courses listed in the KPU University Calendar may be offered by guided study and the goals and objectives of the course must be adhered to. A course will not be offered by guided study if it is currently being offered by classroom instruction on the student's home campus. Courses that involve work experience or substantial laboratory work will not be offered by guided study. Similarly, courses that depend heavily on student-instructor interaction will not be offered by guided study.

To be eligible to enroll in a course offered by guided study, a student must normally meet the following criteria:

• have successfully completed or transferred a minimum of four (4) courses totaling a minimum of twelve semester credit hours at/to KPU
• have achieved a minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.00
• be currently enrolled in at least one course at KPU

Enrollment in a course taught by guided study must not result in the student exceeding the normal academic workload for her or his program.

The tuition and other fees for a course taught by guided study are the same as those charged for a course taught by classroom instruction. Because of the particular fee arrangements for the instructor's services, no refund will be issued after the course has begun. For more details see Policy AC2, Guided Study.

Attending Class as a Visitor

Visitors will be permitted to attend a class at the discretion of the instructor. Such visits will normally be permitted for only one or two classes in a semester.

Course Outlines

KPU has official course outlines for every credit course taught. These outlines have first been approved by a KPU Curriculum Committee and then by the KPU Senate. Students may request a copy of the official course outline. 

Course Syllabus

The instructor will provide each student with a written course syllabus (either hard copy or electronic format), outlining the required and optional texts and materials, the evaluation scheme used, the instructor's policy on late assignments, the tentative schedule of topics, their office hours and room number and KPU's policy on plagiarism and cheating (see Policy ST2, Student Academic Integrity at kpu.ca/policies).

Course Withdrawal

KPU believes that students should be provided with an opportunity to voluntarily withdraw from courses during an initial period of engagement within the study period. At the same time, KPU recognizes that students may encounter extenuating circumstances beyond their control following a voluntary withdrawal period that necessitate a withdrawal from studies.

Students may voluntarily withdraw from a course prior to the withdrawal deadline for a term/instructional cycle and receive a grade of ‘W’ on their record that is GPA neutral. The deadline in each semester for voluntary withdrawal from a course is published in the Academic Schedule of the University Calendar. Students are expected to voluntarily withdraw themselves online if seeking a course withdrawal for any reason prior to the withdrawal deadline for the term. Requests for course withdrawal will not be accepted prior to the withdrawal deadline for the term since students have the ability to withdraw themselves up until this date.

After the voluntary withdrawal deadline for the term, students may request a course withdrawal under extenuating circumstances and receive a grade of 'WE' on their record that is GPA neutral. The policy and procedures for withdrawal under extenuating circumstances are outlined in ST13, Course Withdrawal. KPU believes that students should not face an academic penalty when dealing with legitimate, unexpected and extenuating life circumstances during a portion of the study period where voluntary course withdrawal deadlines have passed. KPU is prepared to help students where these circumstances pose a serious threat to their academic obligations. At the same time, KPU must balance this commitment so as to ensure that students facing similar circumstances, but who continue their studies, are not disadvantaged. Withdrawal from studies for extenuating circumstances is not intended to address poor academic performance. Approval of a course withdrawal does not result in a tuition adjustment. Students may use the Request for Course Withdrawal form available at kpu.ca/ses/forms.