College Independent Study

Course Completion & Deadlines

You have six months from the date of enrollment to complete an Independent Study course. Courses cannot be completed in less than five weeks from the enrollment date. A final grade will be awarded at the end of the six month period.

Deadlines for UNL Degree Candidates

All open enrollment coursework, including the final exam, must be finished and received in our offices at least three weeks prior to your anticipated graduation date.

UNL Undergraduate graduation dates for 2012-2013:

• December 15, 2012
• May 4, 2013
• August 17, 2013

UNL Graduate commencement dates for 2012-2013: 

• December 14, 2012
• May 3, 2013
• August 16, 2013

Courses may not be completed in less than five weeks. Should you have questions concerning course completion before graduation, contact us at (402) 472-2175. 

Other Deadlines

Students meeting graduation requirements or prerequisites for another university should be aware of any deadlines of their “home” university. Please plan on a minimum of one month between the time you submit final course work and the time your grade must be transferred to your respective school. Please make us aware of your deadline at the time you register so that we may best accommodate your needs.

Course Drops & Refunds

If a student drops a College Independent Study course within 30 days of enrollment, no grade is recorded and he/she receives a 100% tuition refund (the $75.00 Distance Education Fee is non-refundable). Students dropping a course after 30 days will be issued a grade of Withdrawal (W) and no refund is awarded. No grades of "W" will be given within 30 days of the end of the six-month enrollment period. All drop/withdrawal requests must be submitted in writing to extservice@unl.edu or mailed to Customer Service, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Online and Distance Education, 1520 N 20th Circle, Lincoln, NE 68588-8101.

Assignments

Online

Many web-based courses feature electronic assignment submission via Blackboard, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s learning management system. Once submitted, your assignments are electronically stamped with the date and time. Your assignment will be graded by the instructor and returned to you via Blackboard. Your grade will then be posted online in your Blackboard Gradebook.

Print

A few web-based courses feature print assignment submission. Print coursework may be submitted via U.S. Mail.  The date your written work is received during normal customer service hours at the Office of Online & Distance Education is the date recorded for that submission. This is important when specific completion deadlines are involved. Once graded, assignments will be returned via U.S. Mail. You may follow course progress via the Blackboard Gradebook or by contacting your professor.

Exams

Online

Prior to taking an online examination, you must select a proctor. To serve as a proctor for an online course, an individual must have access to a computer that meets the minimum technical requirements. Your proctor will receive password information to allow you access to your exam after your Examination Request Form has been submitted and approved.

Online exams use the Maple TA testing system. You should schedule your exam during Maple TA Help Desk hours to ensure that you are able to receive help with your exam if you have technical difficulties. 

Maple TA Help Desk
Monday – Thursday:  8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. CST
Friday:  8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. CST
Phone:  (402) 472-9305
edusupport2@unl.edu

Print

Prior to taking a print examination, you must select a proctor. To qualify as a proctor, an individual must be active in the field of education as a teacher, counselor or administrator at any level. A testing center at your local College, Community College or University is the best choice for a proctor. Military personnel may ask test control officers or superior commissioned officers. Overseas students may use an American Embassy, consular official or approved non-family member. Nebraska Extension Educators also qualify.

To request an exam, submit an Examination Request Form. Forms can be submitted:

• Online through the Online & Distance Education website
• Online through Blackboard
• Via U.S. Mail
• Via fax

Once received, an exam will be mailed to your proctor and after you have taken the exam, the proctor will return the exam to us. 

Testing Centers

Local Students

Students living within a 35-mile radius of Lincoln must take both online and print exams at our test site. For online exams, please call (402) 472-2175 to schedule as computer availability is limited. Print exams need to be requested in advance and can be taken anytime during normal hours.

Office of Online & Distance Education 
1520 N 20th Circle (20th & Holdrege), Lincoln
Monday–Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Students outside the 35-mile radius of Lincoln must make individual arrangements for proctors in their area.

Out-of-State & International Students

All out-of-state and international students are encouraged to use a local testing center, but may request proctor approval if the proctor meets all guidelines.

Please note: We will not send course examinations to your proctor via fax or e-mail, or to a home address. Your proctor may not send course examinations to the Office of Online & Distance Education via fax or e-mail.

Grading

Final course grades are reported using the following system: A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, and F. Open Enrollment courses are grade-only. Grades of Pass/No Pass (P/N) are not permitted. For UNL students, these courses may be used for C-, D+, D, D-, and F grade removal but they may not be used to meet academic bankruptcy requirements. Non-UNL students should consult with their respective college or university regarding credit/grade transfer. Upon completion of the course or at the end of the six-month enrollment period, all students will be issued a final grade.

Grade of Withdrawal (W)

No grade is recorded if a student drops a course within 30 days of enrollment. After that time, a grade of Withdrawal (W) will be recorded. No grades of "W" will be given within 30 days of the end of the six-month enrollment period. All drop/withdrawal requests must be submitted in writing to extservice@unl.edu or mailed to Customer Service, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Online & Distance Education, 1520 N 20th Circle, Lincoln, NE 68588-8101.

Grade of Incomplete (I)

If a student does not complete a course within the six-month enrollment time and wants to finish the course, the instructor can issue a grade of Incomplete (I). This is done in rare instances when the student is unable to complete the requirements of the course because of illness, military service, hardship, or death in the immediate family. A grade of "I" is given only if the student has substantially completed the major requirements of the course. The student makes arrangements with the instructor to complete the course in a timely manner.

Technology Requirements

Courses delivered online require high speed internet connections. The following table outlines the minimum technology needed to take a course online. To effectively use Blackboard, the JavaScript and cookies on your computer must be enabled. Pop-up blockers should be disabled for Blackboard (My.UNL).

Using AOL with Blackboard

While you can use AOL as your service provider, you cannot use the AOL Web browser to access Blackboard (My.UNL). If you try to use the AOL browser, you will find that it will automatically log you out every few minutes and you will experience problems with some of Blackboard’s services including assessments.