FACULTY SENATE
The AUF Faculty Senate is the organization whose purpose is to review, evaluate, and make recommendations for the educational policies and practices of the institution. Educational policy is defined in the academic catalog while the Senate bylaws describe how policy is observed and enacted. The bylaws provide guidelines for Senate members on matters ranging from academic regulations to curriculum development and objectives, student petitions, and faculty-related topics. Senate deliberations and recommendations with regards to faculty are summarized in the Faculty Guidelines and Best Practices for Course Delivery. The Senate meets on a monthly basis.
ACADEMIC FREEDOM
AUF maintains for individuals in a teaching capacity at the institution a policy of freedom of inquiry, instruction, research, and publication throughout the duration of employment. Knowledge sharing and evaluation do not conform to orthodox beliefs, methods, and practices. The institution and its faculty body represented by the Faculty Senate are involved in establishing the processes through which goals and outcomes are fulfilled for academic programs and purposes. Faculty members and those in instructional roles have the right to address issues as related to the teaching assignments they hold. Such figures are not authorized, however, to redirect students towards one’s personal perspectives, and must abide by the academic procedures, standards, and regulations in place as highlighted by Faculty Guidelines and Best Practices for Course Delivery.
COURSE REGISTRATION
A student's selection of a program of study is usually based upon academic interests, vocational objectives and personal growth objectives. Individual course selection and registration is a function of the program of study.
Course selection and registration procedures have been established for each student's status and additional details pertaining to the course selection are communicated as part of the applicable acceptance process.
Class offerings, dates, times and deadlines and other important registration details specific to each session are published in that semester's class schedule which is available online.
Not every course listed in the catalog is offered each session, please consult the website to view the updated list of courses offered for all academic sessions.
All courses are taught in English unless otherwise indicated.
ACADEMIC LOAD
A full-time semester load is considered 12 credits for undergraduate students and 9 credits for graduate students. Should a student visa be required for either category, a minimum of 12 credits will be required in a single semester.
Courses with Italian language component and Italian language courses: Students are encouraged, according to schedule compatibility and program requirements, to participate in Italian Language and Culture offerings. Please refer to the individual course descriptions for full details.
Please note for non-beginning students: language level changes cannot be made after the final registration period upon arrival in Florence. Please see the “Registration changes” section for a detailed timeline.
ACADEMIC STANDING
In addition to the minimum requirements of a full-time academic load equivalent, students are expected to maintain satisfactory academic progress throughout the course of study.
Undergraduate students must maintain the following cumulative GPA by the end of each year of study:
Y1-2, 1.9 GPA
Y3-4, 2.0 GPA
Graduate students are required to maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA for all years of study.
Cumulative GPAs that fall below the above minimums are subject to academic probation, which may not last for more than an academic year and requires progress monitoring and review of the academic plan. Failure to reinstate academic progress within two academic seasons may incur in dismissal. Please see the "Grading and Evaluation System" for further details regarding the GPA.
Credits Attempted: Undergraduate and graduate students are required to fulfill at least 67% of the credits required by each year of study.
COURSE FEES
Certain courses require additional course fees. Course fees cover course-related activities and support the instructor's teaching methodologies. In addition, students enrolled in certificate career or AA programs must pay a school kit fee in order to participate in the program. Information regarding course fees and school kits is communicated prior to student arrival in Florence.
REGISTRATION CHANGES
Upon the submission of a student enrollment, students may make registration changes if permitted by the program during the pre-arrival course registration period before arrival in Florence. The final registration phase takes place upon arrival in Florence:
Fall and Spring semesters: Students are entitled to one course add and/or drop for the entire semester.
11/12-Week semester: A final registration period takes place during the first week in Florence. The last day to drop is the first Friday of the first week of the semester. All changes after that date will be recorded as a W on a student's transcript (from the 9th lesson any changes are recorded as a WF on a student's transcript).
15/16-Week semester: students may choose to apply a registration change to either the Session I 3-week courses (on the date prior to the first lesson) or the 11-Week semester (see above).
Intensive sessions: The final registration period takes place on orientation day prior to the first day of class. No changes are permitted during the January Intersession.
Note: No registration change requests will be processed after the aforementioned deadlines. All requests must be submitted through the MyAUF portal. At the end of each day of the final registration period in Florence, it is the student's responsibility to check if the request is approved. Requests are not finalized until the student receives an updated official registration. Only ONE course add and/or drop request is permitted per student (this means that all requests to change the Official Registration must be made simultaneously).
For visiting/study abroad students:
- Approval is required from the student's sending institution.
- Students are solely responsible for ensuring that any changes made to their official registration will transfer to their home institution, as all processed requests are final.
If a class change is accepted during final registration:
- Students will receive an updated Official Registration by email and find an updated copy on the MyAUF portal.
If a class change is not accepted during final registration:
- The student will receive an email from the Registrar's Office stating as such.
- Students may complete another request (only during the final registration period, as mentioned above).
General Rules and Regulations
Students may not drop the following courses: Independent Studies (or courses that will run as Independent Studies), SPEL/Internships, or degree requirement courses.
Semester (Fall/Spring) undergraduate course loads may not drop below 12 credits.
Switching from one section to another section of the same course, including Italian language courses, is considered a course change.
Switching levels of the same course does not constitute a change (changes in Italian Language course level DO NOT count as a registration change request).
For any courses dropped upon arrival in Florence, refunds are not granted for any reason whatsoever.
Requests Made After the Final Registration Period:
Courses dropped after the Final Registration Period will result in a "W" (0 credits) for that course on the transcript.
Courses dropped after the withdrawal deadlines outlined in the subsequent section will result in a "WF" (0 credits) for that course on the transcript.
WITHDRAWALS AND EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES
Withdrawal/Late Withdrawal
Any voluntary withdrawal after classes have begun must be officially registered. Students must fill out the required form and return it to the Registrar's Office. Once this procedure has been completed, the student forfeits course credits as well as tuition and fee refunds. Transcripts will be issued with a W next to each dropped course (any course dropped after the 8th lesson will be marked at a WF). Students are eligible for withdrawal only if the number of absences does not exceed the limit for automatic failure (please see attendance policy). Students who drop their courses without going through the procedure outlined above will receive a failing grade and will receive an F on their transcripts.
Students are required to become familiar with AUF policies, procedures and deadlines. Please refer to the Academic Calendar published each semester in the Course Schedule for specific deadlines.
AUF reserves the right to cancel or combine classes; to change the time, dates, or locations; or to make other necessary revisions in class offerings. AUF may discontinue courses and make changes to the course offering.
Extenuating Circumstances
Extenuating circumstances are considered for a serious illness requiring hospitalization or death in the immediate family. All petitions related to such circumstances must be submitted to the AUF Faculty Senate for review and include supporting dates and official documentation that certify the extenuating circumstance.
The following petitions related to extenuating circumstances may be made from Lesson 9 onwards if the student has successfully attended 50% of the course hours (for 1/3-week and Survey of Italian Art Field Learning courses, 50% of both course and FL hours) and is in satisfactory academic standing of C- or better.
1. Cases requiring leave from program but the conditions allow for Remote Program Completion: students complete the coursework and exams on MyAUF.
2. When extenuating circumstances prevent students from completing a major course requirement such as a final exam and/or final project:
2a. Students have up to 7 maximum days from the date of the exam to make up the missed final exam and/or final project.
2b. If the extenuating circumstances do not allow for the final exam and/or final project to be completed within 7 days of the exam date, AUF will issue an Incomplete status for the courses.
Lesson 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Students may request a Withdrawal (W).
Lesson 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Any withdrawal request results in a Withdrawal/Failure (WF).
Remote Program Completion and Incomplete status for extenuating circumstances are applicable if at least 50% of coursework has been completed.
Please note: For Field Learning courses, the 50% of course hours referenced above applies to the completion of both lecture and FL hours.
MYAUF ONLINE PORTAL FOR STUDENTS
AUF has a paper-free policy and is committed to environmentally friendly and sustainable initiatives. All course documentation is digital and can be found at MyAUF, the online portal for all AUF students and faculty members.
SYLLABUS
The course syllabus is the student’s guide to the course. Students should receive a syllabus at the beginning of each course that describes the course, policies within the course, and procedures that govern the delivery of the course. Syllabi are available on MyAUF, the online portal for AUF students and faculty. Students are responsible for obtaining the syllabus and understanding the course policies in the syllabus. Any questions regarding information in the syllabus should be directed to the instructor for clarification. Students are responsible to be aware of any required site visits, or extra course activities which may occur on days or at times other than the scheduled class meeting times. To access all course materials students are asked to log into the MyAUF platform using their Student ID card.
AUF POLICY FOR CONTACT / CREDIT HOURS
AUF Unit of Credit
The unit of credit used at AUF is the semester credit hour.
1 Credit approximately corresponds to 2 ECTS credits.
Contact hour relationship: An academic hour consists of 50 clock minutes of contact time. Contact hours comply with the New England Commission of Higher Education’s (NECHE) policy on credits and degrees.
1. Lecture
A semester credit hour is earned for fifteen 50-minute sessions of classroom instruction with an expectation of two academic hours outside of the classroom for each session. A semester credit hour is thus earned for 15 academic contact hours of lecture plus 30 hours of academic work outside of the classroom.
2. Field Learning, Service Learning, Laboratory
A semester credit hour is earned for fifteen 100-minute sessions with an expectation of one academic hour outside of the classroom for each session. A semester credit hour is thus earned for 30 academic contact hours of FL/SL/Laboratory plus 15 hours of academic work outside of the FL/SL/Laboratory hours.
3. Experiential Learning, Clinical Practice
A semester credit hour is earned for fifteen sessions, each session represents a minimum of 150 minutes. Due to the institution's unique learning model, EL hours are dedicated to community-geared projects that are guided by faculty within AUF facilities (CEMI). CP hours are associated with the local health system, and also include research and projects such as classroom activity and writing assignments. All hours represent a combination of project-oriented learning and faculty supervision. A semester credit hour is thus earned for 50 academic contact hours of EL.
4. Internships
A semester credit hour is earned for a minimum of 40 clock hours of supervised academic activity that takes place outside of the institution.
5. Independent study
A semester credit hour for independent study is earned for the equivalent of forty-five 50-minute sessions of academic activity fulfilled by the student. Independent study is defined as study completed through initial guidance, critique, review, and final evaluation of student performance by a faculty member.
Please note: Credit hours may be earned in intensive sessions proportionately to those earned for the same activity during a semester term.
ATTENDANCE
Academic integrity and mutual respect between the instructor and student are the foundation of any academic institution. This is reflected in the attendance policy. Class attendance is mandatory and counts towards the final grade. The number of absences is based on the number of class meetings missed. Students who arrive late or depart early from class may be counted as absent.
Standard Attendance Policy
Absences are based on academic hours: 1 absence equals 3 lecture hours.
Two absences: 6 lecture hours, attendance and participation grade will be impacted.
Three absences: 9 lecture hours, the final grade may be lowered by one letter grade.
Four absences: 12 lecture hours, constitutes automatic failure of the course regardless of when absences are incurred.
Please note:
- The above hours refer to lecture hours. Please note that the contact / credit hour policy in the academic catalog includes additional distribution ratios according to delivery category. Ex: 1 absence equals 6 FL/SL/Lab hours or 9 EL hours.
- Hours may be distributed in different formats according to the academic course schedules.
GRADUATION AND DEGREE COMPLETION TIME LIMIT
Students in the process of completing their degrees must formally apply for graduation and pay the relative fee through the procedures and timeline provided by the Registrar’s Office. From the time of initial enrollment, degree requirements must be fulfilled within 10 years for undergraduate students and within 5 years for graduate students.
LEAVE OF ABSENCE AND READMISSION
Undergraduate students: Up to two semesters may be requested for a leave of absence. Evaluation of any additional requests may be petitioned for medical emergencies requiring hospitalization. A third, unauthorized leave of absence will result in an automatic withdrawal from the program and the student must reapply for admission.
MA students: Maximum one semester’s leave of absence.
The leave of absence must be authorized prior to the start of the academic term and cancellation penalties for program fees, if already fulfilled, will be applied according to the cancellation deadlines. Requests for the leave absence should be made through the Academic Affairs Office. Should the request require a petition for special circumstances, a Faculty Senate review will be conducted. All approved leaves of absence will be communicated to the Registrar’s Office. The readmission process must be fulfilled through the Registrar’s Office at least 30 days prior to the upcoming term start.
Authorized leaves of absence do not reduce the total number of years allowed for the degree completion time limit outlined in the graduation section of the catalog.
RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS
Only official Italian state holidays are recognized.
TEXTBOOKS
Information (cost and location) on your textbooks is in your course syllabus.
SITE VISITS AND FIELD LEARNING
Certain classes may have site and museum visits (and/or overnight field learning activities) as a mandatory part of the course. Students will be informed during the first lesson on details (when, how) and if there are any additional costs. Course fees are not refundable. In the case of an absence, no refunds are granted.
GRADING AND EVALUATION SYSTEM
The grading scale below is used in establishing the final course grade.
A 93-100%; A- 90-92%; B+ 87-89%; B 83-86%; B- 80-82%; C+ 77-79%; C 73-76%; C- 70-72%; D 60-69% (minimum passing credit); F 0-59%
F / Failure: In the case of failure due to excessive absences the procedure outlined in the attendance policy will apply.
W / Official Withdrawal: Students whose absences do not exceed the limit for automatic failure (see attendance policy) may withdraw from a course until the deadlines specified in the withdrawal procedure (see Withdrawal and Late Withdrawal/Incomplete sections in previous pages).
WF / Late Withdrawal: Is assigned to students who do not withdraw by the final withdrawal date as established by the withdrawal procedure.
I: Incomplete
Please note: For W / Official Withdrawal, WF / Late Withdrawal, and Incomplete, please read their pertinent sections in the academic policy for full details and procedures.
Auditing is not permitted.
Pass/Fail is not permitted
Grade Point Average: AUF uses the 4-point system as a measure of academic success. Academic letter grades carry the following values: A = 4.00; B = 3.00; C = 2.00; D = 1.00; F = 0.00
The GPA represents a quantitative measure of the student’s grade status and overall academic standing (see “Academic Standing” section). F, W, and any non-credit coursework are not counted in GPA calculations. I courses will be counted only after the final grade is posted.
The syllabus of each course outlines how submitted coursework and student performance are evaluated according to the above grading system.
Grading as per AUF policy exclusively occurs on the MyAUF and are submitted by faculty members on the academic portal for each course scheduled at AUF.
Please note that in addition to grading evaluation for academic courses, evaluation methods are also conducted as a part of the AUF assessment system for improving the overall learning and teaching process for students and faculty as well as for staff development.
EXAMS
All students must take quizzes, midterm and final exams at the established exam time and date indicated in the course syllabus. The date and time cannot be changed for any reason. Not attending during the designated Exam or Quiz day will result in a zero and no credit for the exam; the final grade will be adjusted accordingly. This institution does not offer Pass/Fail grades, Incomplete, or Audits; but only letter grades for exams. All courses registered for and grades received for those courses will be shown on a student’s transcripts.
Permission will be given to reschedule exams in case of a student being hospitalized or with a significant health or mental health issue or for urgent family-related issues; each case will be individually reviewed and decided upon by the Faculty Senate. Requests should be made in writing and directly to the Faculty Senate through a petition. Each request must be provided in writing and provide details regarding the request and be accompanied by any necessary documentation. Requests must be filed prior to the date of the scheduled exam.
Should the request be accepted the exam, date and time will be rescheduled. The student will not under any circumstance be able to reschedule this date. Faculty will work with the student and the Faculty Senate in order to provide conditions for a comparable exam to be given to the student. Testing fees are applicable.
PROCTORED EXAMS
Proctored exams are authorized only in the case of severe emergencies and courses deemed "Incomplete." In both cases, the authorization must be formally granted by the Faculty Senate. For incomplete courses, please see Late Withdrawal.
TRANSCRIPTS
Final transcripts are released by the Registrar's Office typically within 4-6 weeks of the conclusion of the academic season of enrollment. Two official copies are shipped express to the student. The timetable for issuing formal official transcripts is consistent with the practices of most US universities. Transcripts of visiting students will be mailed directly to the affiliate organization. In all cases, transcripts will be withheld from students who have not satisfied their financial obligations with the institution.
Fees per additional copy request:
€60 hard copy fee and €40 shipping fee
€25 electronic copy fee
RUSH TRANSCRIPTS
All requests for Rush Transcripts must be made by sending the official form to the Registrar's Office within the deadline written in the rush transcript request form. In the event a rush transcript is needed to meet graduation deadlines, AUF can issue unofficial or official transcripts shortly after all final grades are turned in. Typically, this is within two weeks after the conclusion of the academic season.
Visiting students: Transcript requests must be made directly by an academic advisor or an appropriate administrator of the affiliate organization. The request should indicate the home institution’s respective deadlines for priority processing. Any request that arrives directly from the student will not be considered.
To facilitate this service to our students, the following procedure is intended to help streamline and standardize the process:
I. Rush Official Transcript Requests
The Registrar's Office issues and sends a hard copy or emails a pdf copy of the Official Transcript to the provided address (or affiliate organization for visiting students).
Fees:
€60 hard copy fee and €40 shipping fee
€25 electronic copy fee
II. School of Record Transcripts
Please note that our School of Record partner, for applicable programs, has independent procedures for the processing of transcripts that cannot be changed or influenced. It is therefore not possible to provide a rush School of Records Transcript. Transcript processing may take up to 10-12 weeks.
GRADE DISPUTES
AUF is dedicated to fair and accurate appraisal of students’ coursework. When disagreements arise over final grades assigned for a course, students and faculty are to follow the procedures below for resolving the dispute. No formal grade dispute procedure will be invoked when the magnitude of disagreement is less than one full letter grade. A student who wishes to file a grade dispute must do so through the Academic Affairs Office no later than six months after the end of the session. Students should never contact, for matters of grade disputes, the professors directly. The request must be in writing and must identify the course, session, grade received and the reason for the appeal. The students shall assemble all relevant class material (syllabus, returned assignments, tests, papers) distributed or returned by the instructor to the student. These materials must be provided within two weeks of the date of the written appeal. If the student cannot produce all such documents, the grade dispute ends at this stage with no grade change. Concurrently, the instructor will assemble all relevant material retained for the student (final exam, midterm) within two weeks of the date of the written appeal. A copy of these documents along with the syllabus, grade report, and the instructor’s written response to the student appeal, are to be forwarded by the instructor to the Academic Affairs Office. The Academic Affairs Office will refer a blind copy of the relevant material to a nominated Faculty Senate meeting. After reviewing all relevant material, the Faculty Senate shall make the final decision of grade assignment. The decision is not subject to appeal. The Academic Affairs Office will notify all involved parties and, in the case of a grade change, the Registrar's Office.
LEARNING AND PHYSICAL DISABILITIES
AUF is committed to providing all students with a comfortable, productive and non-discriminatory academic environment. Assistance is offered to students who have demonstrable and/or documented learning disabilities upon request submitted before arrival in Florence. Students should note that they may not have the same level of services and facilities available to them in their home countries.
AUF offers accommodations such as separate and distraction-reduced exam locations, extra time for exams, computer use for written exams, rest breaks, permission to record class sesisons, note-taking support, and deadline flexibility. All other accommodations must be negotiated on a case-by-case basis prior to student arrival in Italy and may require additional fees.
Students must notify the Admissions and Academic Affairs Offices prior to the start of the session of any learning disability should they wish to request accommodation. Notification or documentation of a learning or physical disability may not be submitted once the term has started. AUF will process the request and inform the student of accommodations if authorized.
Every effort will be made to accommodate students with physical disabilities. Students with mobility difficulties may find the city of Florence to be an uncomfortable environment with its ancient, cobblestone streets, narrow and uneven pavements, steep steps, and lack of elevators.
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY
Institutional policy prohibits discrimination against current or prospective students and employees on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation or any other legally protected category. Furthermore, anti-discrimination policy is upheld for all institutional employees in compliance with Italian labor law as stated in the Staff Manual.
STUDENT RECORD POLICY
Student records and personal data are kept in accordance with the EU Regulation 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (GDPR, General Data Protection Regulation). AUF's adherence to these regulations makes every effort to comply with FERPA privacy requirements in the USA.