Workforce Development Course Policies

The following policies apply to RCC Workforce Development courses

Additional policies regarding students can be found at https://www.rappahannock.edu/catalog/student-handbook

Workforce Credential Grant (WCG) Drop/Transfer Policy
Workforce Credential Grant (WCG) courses represent a financial commitment by the Commonwealth of Virginia to assist Virginia citizens to obtain high-demand credentials leading to employment. As such, there is a clear expectation that students registering for WCG classes will commit the required time and effort to successfully complete the program and obtain the related credential in the specified time allocated; therefore, students will not be dropped or transferred to a subsequent class after a class has started unless a documented extenuating circumstance prevents them from completing the class and/or obtaining the related credential within established WCG guidelines. Students are expected to first communicate concerns with their instructor to work out alternatives in lieu of requesting a drop or transfer and must submit their request and justification to the Workforce Development Center in writing.

Extenuating circumstances may include:

  • Physical condition as documented by a physician that expressly prohibits the student from attending class and/or performing any physical requirements of the class;
  • Involvement in a serious accident that would prohibit student from attending class, accompanied by a physician’s release (see above);
  • Acute illness or serious on-going medical condition as documented by a physician;
  • Life-threatening illness of an immediate family member or partner that alters the student’s ability to attend class (documentation may be requested);
  • Bereavement of an immediate family member or partner requiring additional absence beyond normal circumstances; or
  • Documented acute domestic situation that impairs student’s ability to attend class.

Student will be required to provide verifiable documentation for any extenuating circumstance. The Vice President of Rappahannock Community College’s Workforce Development Center makes the final decision on any request. Written appeals of the decision must be made to the Vice President of Workforce Development within 5 business days of any denial.

Refunds: Participants may receive a refund if they withdraw no less than five business days prior to the start of class. No refunds are provided after that time. Please note: Online classes are non-refundable. You may contact the Workforce and Community Development office Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m at 804-333-6828 or 804-758-6750.

All refunds are issued via check through the state treasurer’s office and generally take four to eight weeks to arrive. Please note that all refunds are automatically issued to the class registrant even if the tuition was paid by another individual, employer, or organization.

Cancelled classes:
Each course is offered on the condition of adequate enrollment. WCD reserves the right to cancel any course due to low enrollments or other circumstances deemed sufficient. WCD reserves the right to make necessary changes in the schedule that may be dictated by enrollment, personnel requirements, or availability of facilities. When a class is cancelled by the college, registered participants will be notified and given the option of attending another section of the same class (if available) or accepting a full refund.

Repeating a WCG program or portion thereof:
Students may repeat a program if funding opportunities allow for enrollment.  WCG course funding is only tied to the initial enrollment and shall not be accessed to repeat a WCG program or portion thereof.  Additional funding opportunities and student-funded options are periodically available.

Completion and non-completion of a program, including how the student will be notified of satisfactory completion or non-completion of the program:
Student grades are recorded in the VCCS Student Information System (SIS) and Workforce Enterprise System (WES).  Certificates of completion are awarded for successful completion of programs.  Instructors are responsible for notification of non-completion of the program. The student grade appeal policy applies to final course grades only. A student is defined as any person enrolled full- or part-time in noncredit courses at the College. During the course session, students at the College have the right to receive timely information from their instructor regarding the results of their material submitted for a grade. Moreover, students have the right to expect and receive an up-to-date assessment of comparative standing in the class on her or his graded material at any time provided that the student is willing to meet or have a phone conversation with the instructor. This policy is not applicable to grades on individual tests, examinations, reports, and other assignments prior to the posting of the final course grade. In these matters students are encouraged to regularly meet with their instructor or with the Vice President for Workforce Development if desired. Therefore, this policy applies to a student who is, or has recently been, enrolled in a noncredit course and believes that his or her final grade in a course was determined in an unfair, arbitrary or capricious manner. A student has the right to appeal a final course grade for allegations that (1) the methods or criteria for evaluating training performance as stated in the class syllabus or as communicated by the instructor by e-mail or Canvas announcement were not adhered to in determining the final grade; (2) the instructor applied grading criteria unfairly or arbitrarily; and/or (3) the instructor so exceeded his or her discretion in evaluating academic performance in the class as to be found unreasonable by the instructor’s peers at Rappahannock Community College.

Procedure:

Level 1
A grade appeal should be raised and settled as quickly as possible. Within 10 business days following the posting of the final grade in the Student Information System (SIS), the student must contact the instructor and request an appointment to discuss his or her concerns regarding the final course grade. (A business day is defined as a Monday through Friday when the College is open.) An attempt should be made to resolve the concern informally. The faculty member must submit a report to the Vice President for Workforce Development and the student within 48 hours following the meeting with the student to inform the Vice President of the meeting and the outcome of the meeting. If the faculty member is no longer employed by the College or is otherwise unavailable or unresponsive, the student may go directly to the Vice President for assistance.

Level 2
If the matter cannot be resolved at Level 1, the student may submit a written appeal to the faculty member’s Vice President within five business days following the meeting with the faculty member. The appeal must contain a statement of the issue, a description of any attempts to resolve the problem, relevant information and documentation, and the resolution sought. The only issues that can be reviewed on appeal are those asserted in the filing of the initial appeal. No new issues can be raised or heard during the appeal review process.

Level 3
If the student is not satisfied with the decision of the Vice President at Level 2, the student has the right to submit a written appeal to the Student Affairs Sub-Committee on Grade Integrity within five business days of the formal written notification of the dean’s decision. The student’s written appeal must contain a statement of the issue, a description of any attempts to resolve the problem, relevant information and documentation, and the resolution sought. The only issues that can be reviewed on appeal are those asserted in the filing of the initial appeal. No new issues can be raised or addressed during the hearing.

The Student Affairs Sub-Committee on Grade Integrity
The membership of the Student Affairs Sub-Committee on Grade Integrity is appointed annually by the President of the College and consists of five faculty with fair representation from all areas of instruction and student development.

Expected time period for completion of a WCG training program and workforce credential attainment:
Within 5 business days, the student grades for WCG courses shall be entered into WES.  Students shall complete the course within the specified time frame in order to successfully receive a passing grade.  Students shall also complete the WCG credential within 120 days of course completion.

Payment policies including expected time to submit payment if the student does not complete the program and the fund collection process upon unsuccessful completion:

As outlined in the WCG promissory note, the student shall be responsible for payment of the second 1/3 of the course cost upon failing the course.

If the student does not successfully complete the course by earning an “S” grade within thirty (30) days of the course end date, the student shall agree to pay an additional 1/3 of the total course cost to:  Rappahannock Community College. If a student earns an “S” grade within thirty (30) days of the program end date, the student will not have any further financial obligations to the College for this course.

If the student must pay an additional amount, he/she understands and agrees to the following terms:

  1. The student agrees that he/she must pay all the money he/she owes to the College, although there may be reasons under the law that would reduce the amount that the student may owe. The student also agrees not to claim that he/she does not owe the money to the College. This means that the student and all other exemptions, presentations, demands, protests and notices of dishonor are hereby waived by the undersigned.
  2. If the College does not receive payment within the time frame noted in the College policy, the student understands and agrees that the Commonwealth will take all actions, including debt set‐off, to collect the money he/she owes to the College.
  3. The student also agrees to pay all associated collection costs and/or attorney’s fees if necessary to collect the money he/she owes to the College.

FOR ALL STUDENTS:

  1. The purpose of the WCG is to financially assist the student to gain the knowledge AND the applicable industry-recognized credential or licensure. Therefore, the student agrees to seek the applicable credential or licensure associated with the program whether it is incorporated into the program cost or requires the student to obtain the credential or licensure at an additional cost. He/she also agrees to provide proof of satisfactory completion of that credential or licensure to the College.
  2. The student understands that a social security number is required in order to maintain enrollment in the class. The student social security number is being collected in accordance with federal and state law and to claim the tax refund and other applicable state refunds and payments in cases where the student must pay the College; for debtor information and skip‐tracing; and to track and report the number of students who attain noncredit workforce credentials and other outcomes under this WCG.
  3. If the student is less than 18 years old, a parent or legal guardian is required to complete this agreement on their behalf.
  4. The student agrees to the withdrawal, refund, repeat, completion, and non‐completion procedures at the College.
  5. The student understands that they may file a complaint(s) using the procedures established by the College.
  6. Virginia “domicile” means that the student has lived in Virginia and intended to stay here indefinitely for at least one year prior to the date of this application. He/she understands that they must be domiciled in Virginia to receive the discount applied to this course. If he/she does not have domicile in Virginia, the student will pay the full cost of the course, which is equal to three times the amount paid at initial enrollment.
  7. The student has not previously enrolled in and successfully passed this training program at a Virginia Community College. If he/she haspreviously enrolled in and successfully passed this training program at a Virginia Community College, the student understands that they are not eligible to receive WCG funding for this training program and agree to pay an additional 2/3 of the total course cost to the community college where the student is now enrolling.

A student’s continued attendance at the college depends on payment of all debts owed to the college. Should the student fail to satisfy all due and payable amounts for tuition and fees, college fines, or other debts owed the college, the student may be suspended. No student shall be allowed to register in any succeeding semester until all current debts owed to the college have been satisfied. An exception to this policy will be granted when a debt-owing student registers under a third-party contract arrangement. If the third party is responsible for the tuition payment under the contract, the named students on the contract may register even if individual debts to the college are outstanding.

Students who owe $500 or more to any individual college in the VCCS will not be allowed to register at any college in the VCCS until their debt is satisfied. A cross-college financial hold will be placed by the college on the student’s account in the Student Information System when the student’s past due debt is equal to or greater than $500.

The hold will automatically block registration at all other colleges in the VCCS until the debt is satisfied by the student and the hold is cleared by the hold-setting college. An exception to this policy will be granted when a debt-owing student registers under a third-party contract arrangement. If the third party is responsible for the tuition payment under the contract, the named students on the contract may register even if individual debts to any college in the VCCS are outstanding.

Satisfactory proof of completion of a workforce credential:
For documentation purposes, original documentation including certificate from the third-party awarding entity must be presented to WFD staff in the RCC Workforce Centers.

Complaint process for students

Appeals Hearings
Within 10 business days of making an appeal, a student who has made an appeal will receive written notification from the Chair of the Grade Integrity Sub-Committee of the time, place, and date of the hearing at least five business days before the hearing. The student may elect not to appear at a hearing, but the hearing will be held in his or her absence. If a student elects not to appear at the hearing, the student may submit a signed statement to the Chair of the Grade Integrity Sub-Committee at least 48 hours prior to the hearing. Hearings will be closed to the public. No tape recorder or other recording devices may be present or utilized by the student during the hearing unless the student has a documented disability necessitating the use of electronic devices. Prior authorization for the use of any recording device must be submitted and secured from the Chair of the Grade Integrity Sub-Committee at least 48 hours in advance of the hearing. The student will be permitted to speak at the hearing and to present evidence, including witnesses. The student may be accompanied by one other individual at the hearing, but this person cannot participate in the hearing. The Chair of the Grade Integrity Sub-Committee and student may request the appearance of other students, and the graded material of other students, as well as other faculty, at the College. The Chair of the Grade Integrity Sub-Committee and student may direct questions to such witnesses.

Note: Any student has the right to decline the request from the student filing the grievance, or from the Chair of the Grade Integrity Sub-Committee, to provide information and/or appear at the hearing.

The Grade Integrity Sub-Committee will make a decision determined by majority ruling and take one of two actions:

  1. Affirm the appeal and recommend a change in the grade to the appropriate academic dean and instructor for the course, or
  2. Deny the appeal and recommend the grade stands as originally assigned.

The student will receive written notification of the decision from the Dean of Student Development within five business days of the conclusion of the hearing.

A student may appeal the decision of the Grade Integrity Sub-Committee in writing to the Vice President for Workforce Development within five business days of the receipt of the decision. The role of the Vice President in the appeal process will be to review the entire grade integrity appeal and proceedings to ensure that the process was conducted according to current College policies and procedures. The Vice President will provide the student with a written notification of findings and a decision within 10 business days of the receipt of the appeal. If the Vice President finds that College policies and procedures were followed, the decision rendered shall be considered final. If the Vice President finds that College policies and procedures were not followed, the Vice President will make a recommendation to the President to appoint and convene a new subcommittee to re-hear the appeal. The decision of the committee in the second hearing will be the final decision for the matter. The student will receive written notification of the committee’s decision from the Vice President of Workforce Development within five business days of the conclusion of the hearing.

Records of Grade Appeals
All records of grade appeals will remain confidential and will be maintained in the Office of the Workforce Development. Such information will not be available to unauthorized persons without the express written permission of the student, court subpoena or other exceptions made under the conditions specified in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. Students who wish to file a complaint are expected to follow the Student Grievance Process for Academic and Non-Academic Decisions as outlined above. As a last resort, students may file a formal complaint with the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV). Detailed information about SCHEV’s formal student complaint procedure, the types of complaints they will not address, or to file a written “Student Satisfaction Form” with the agency can be found on the SCHEV Student Complaint website.