The MLS
Student Handbook
The FHSU Incomplete
Policy reads
as follows:
“Assigned at discretion of instructor when work is of otherwise passing
quality
but incomplete, usually for reasons beyond the student’s control.” Please read FHSU's catalog for FHSU's policy on assigning
Incompletes. Except in the case of independent
study-type
courses, you have a year to finish the Incomplete.
For example, if you receive an Incomplete in
Fall 2010, you have until the end of Fall 2011 to finish the course. In the case of independent study-type
courses, the one-year limit does not apply; you can take more than a
year to
finish an Incomplete in these types of courses. Please consult FHSU's
catalog for FHSU's policy for removing
an Incomplete.
If you encounter
unexpected events that will prevent you from finishing a class -
family, death, personal illness - contact your instructor as soon as
possible. If you feel that there is a good reason for requesting
an
Incomplete in
a course, contact the instructor as soon as it appears likely that you
will
want to request an Incomplete in the course.
You should not seek an Incomplete because you have been too busy. Rather, early in the semester you should
determine whether the demands in your life allow you sufficient time to
complete the work for all of the courses in which you are enrolled. By week three of a sixteen-week course, you
should determine whether to drop one or more courses.
Remember that other students have busy lives,
yet they complete their assignments.
Think of a request for an Incomplete as a matter of equity. Allowing students more time to complete a
course brings other logistical responsibilities (like grading things
out of
sync with the other students) that are hard to quantify.
These tips may help
you make a decision of whether to seek an
Incomplete in a course:
• Is the incomplete requested for a verifiable medical reason?
• If not, is there any verifiable compelling reason to consider an
incomplete?
• Did you have the opportunity to drop the course?
• Have you submitted previous work in a timely manner?
• Has the work that you have completed been of passing quality?
• What impact will the incomplete have you? For example, if you plan on
finishing the Incomplete during a semester that you are taking other
courses,
you have effectively increased your workload for that semester.
When an incomplete is issued it is your
responsibility to complete all the assigned work in timely manner. If
the material
is not completed within the appropriate amount of time, it is
possible that
the instructor may submit a grade that you do not desire, rather than
simply
let the “Incomplete” stay in the record.